The Palynology of Mangroves on a Prograded Shore, Princess Charlotte Bay, North Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Palynological investigations at Princess Charlotte Bay in northeastern Australia were aimed at the reconstruction of mangrove vegetation histories on a prograded chenier plain. Fossil sediment samples were collected from two short core sequences. Extensive investigation of modern pollen production and dispersal, through pollen trap and surface sample analyses, provides a basis for interpretation of the microfossil record. The results permit the development of a model for pollen transfer across the chenier plain, and indicate that major mangrove and salt marsh taxa display highly localized pollen dispersal, despite the potential for tidal redistribution. The fossil pollen sequences provide convincing records of mangrove and salt marsh successions which relate to coastal landform development. Major differences between vegetation successions interpreted from core analyses are attributed to specific geomorphic events in the evolution of the chenier plain. It is concluded that mangrove palynological investigations may be highly effective in the study of vegetation-geomorphic process interaction, and in the study of local vegetation and sea level histories.