Vegetation and pollen relationships in eastern Canada

Abstract

The relationship between the vegetation and modern pollen assemblages in eastern Canada is summarized and analyzed using isopoll maps, ordination, and cluster analysis. The major vegetation zones are shrub tundra, forest tundra (divided into shrub and forest subzones), lichen woodland, closed black spruce forest, mixed boreal forest, and coastal barrens. The pollen assemblages of these zones are distinguished by differences in the relative abundance of a few important pollen types rather than by floristic differences. Northern zones have relatively high Cyperaceae and low Picea pollen percentages, and southern zones have high Picea and Abies pollen percentages. Surface samples from each vegetation zone generally form distinctive groups in the ordination analysis. However, samples from the shrub subzone of the forest tundra cluster with shrub tundra samples, and lichen woodland samples cluster with samples from the closed black spruce forest and the forest subzone of the forest tundra. Cluster analysis separates the samples into geographically distinct groups. However, these groups generally contain samples from several vegetation zones. The surface sample data set analyzed here will prove useful in reconstructing the vegetation history of the region. Key words: pollen surface samples, modern vegetation, eastern Canada.