Non-arboreal Pollen Research Articles

Comparing pollen and archaeobotanical data for Chalcolithic cereal agriculture at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

Establishing agricultural activity using pollen analysis is one of the prime challenges of a palaeoecological investigation. Here we report combined pollen and archaeobotanical data originating from a waterlogged off-site organic-rich fill radiocarbon dated to ∼8 ka Cal BP located between the two occupation mounds at Neolithic-Chalcolithic Çatalhöyük, south central Turkey in order to investigate the record of Early Chalcolithic agricultural activity. Pollen results indicate extremely high abundances of Cerealia-type pollen (30->70%) and critical measurements of these show them to be Triticum-type, Avena/Triticum-type, Secale-type and Hordeum-type. Pollen data are also compared with archaeobotanical data retrieved from the same sediment matrix and show high abundances of Triticum and Hordeum grains, awns, spikelet forks and glume bases. Archaeobotanical and pollen data are therefore unequivocal in showing the presence of cereals throughout the period of deposition, and although preservation of archaeobotanical cereal plant remains is typically poor, the presence of glume wheats, including emmer/‘New Type’ wheat and domesticated barley, is consistent with cereal data from on-site excavation deposits at Çatalhöyük. Pollen data also include high occurrences of clusters of Cerealia-type, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae and point to local deposition that is best explained as the anthers being deposited at the coring site attached to cereal or other herbaceous waste material. Archaeobotanical data in addition to very high percentage values of individual Cerealia-type pollen grains and clusters of Cerealia-type pollen and other non-arboreal pollen types suggest that the margins of the Çatalhöyük site were probably used for early stage crop processing activities as well as a waste site. Although radiocarbon dating of this organic-rich fill suggests that it was deposited over a very short time period (∼300 years) during the Early Chalcolithic, the data highlight the importance of adopting complementary palynological and archaeobotanical approaches in order to better understand the taphonomy of micro and macrofossil deposits associated with archaeological sites. While more distant, regional pollen sites in south-central Anatolia have difficulty registering Neolithic-Chalcolithic cereal cultivation, this study shows that if a pollen core site is located too close to an archaeological site, then pollen assemblages can be overwhelmed and ‘swamped’ by the products of local cereal processing and the inclusion of domestic waste material thus rendering it difficult to elucidate meaningful data on local agricultural activity.

Mid-to late-Holocene paleovegetation change in vicinity of Lake Tuzla (Kayseri), Central Anatolia, Turkey

This study carried out in Lake Tuzla in northeast Cappadocia (Central Anatolia- Kayseri-Palas Plain) aimed primarily to determine changes in paleovegetation of mid-to late-Holocene in the vicinity of Lake Tuzla and factors affecting these changes. A secondary objective was to determine paleoenvironmental conditions during the settlement period of Kültepe (Karum-Kanis), an important archaeological site in the region. Fossil pollen analysis was carried out on a sediment core 337 cm long representing the period from the present day extending back to 5080 ± 30 years. Changes in paleoclimatic conditions and paleovegetation were identified. From changes in the vegetation, the climatic changes determined were dry in the periods 3200-3000 BP, 2050–1450 BP, and 1120-850 BP; and humidity in the periods 1400-1115 BP and 1400–1700 BP. Alterations to the vegetation structure between 3230 and 1155 BP reveal the effects of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase (BOP). According to Lake Tuzla data, the effect of BOP was relatively less than that of Lake Nar. After the end of BOP, pine forests grew in the area around Lake Tuzla. The vegetation consisted of Pinus and Quercus in AP (arboreal pollen) and Artemisia, Amaranthaceae and Poaceae in NAP (non-arboreal pollen). The density of Artemisia, Amaranthaceae and Poaceae taxa suggests that steppe vegetation was dominant in the surroundings of Lake Tuzla.

Environmental changes based on multi-proxy analysis of core sediments in Lake Aktaş, Turkey: Preliminary results

A sediment core covering the last millennium from Lake Aktaş, a shallow alkaline soda lake in the northeast Anatolian highland of Turkey, was studied for pollen and physical and chemical proxies to reconstruct past climate change. The sediments were dated by AMS radiocarbon dating of bulk organic carbon. Among arboreal pollen (AP) from around 930 years ago, dominant trees were Pinus sylvestris, Picea orientalis, Abies, Betula, Fagus, and Quercus. AP exceeded NAP (non-arboreal pollen) in this time, whereas the opposite is the case in a pollen trap in the same region collecting the pollen for one year in 2015–2016. The comparison of modern and fossil pollen influx indicates that in that period trees were more widely distributed around the lake than today, where steppe vegetation now prevails. Inferred causes for the disappearance of trees are anthropogenic impacts and climatic change towards more continental conditions. The results also identify the onset of the Little Ice Age in the NE Anatolian highland of Turkey.

Late Pleistocene Pollen and Plant Macrofossils from a Buried Wetland Deposit in the Platte River Valley, South-Central Nebraska

We present a pollen and plant macrofossil record from a 47-cm-thick deposit that dates from approximately 23,400 to 22,600 cal yr BP. The site is in the Platte River valley near Kearney, Nebraska. The organic-rich deposit is buried by 6 meters of Peoria loess and 3 meters of loess and loess-derived alluvium. Picea (spruce) needles and small wood fragments were the most visually prominent material in all macrofossil samples. We also identified Carex (sedge) and Pilea fontana (clearweed) seeds in all samples. We recorded 28 pollen types overall, mostly Picea and Cyperaceae (sedges). Minor amounts of Pinus (pine), Salix (willow), and Cupressaceae (juniper family) as well as non-arboreal pollen types, and spores such as Poaceae (<37 μm; grass), Aster type (composite family), Artemisia (composite family), and Polypodiaceae (ferns), are present. Clumps of immature pollen grains of Picea, Salix, Cyperaceae, and Poaceae (<37 μm) occur. Picea stomata were also recorded. We suggest, based on the pollen and macrofossil evidence, that a spruce forest with interspersed sedge wetlands existed in the Kearney area about 23,000 years ago. The Kearney site is one of the few last glacial maximum pollen and plant macrofossil localities reported from the central Great Plains.

Holocene vegetation dynamics in response to climate change and human activities derived from pollen and charcoal records from southeastern China

Our knowledge about the Holocene evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and its relation to human activities remains incomplete. A detailed palynological investigation of two sediment sections from the Daiyun Mountain Nature Reserve (ca. 25°38′–25°44′N, 118°05′–118°21′E, Fujian Province) suggests EASM-controlled subtropical climate conditions that were wetter and warmer than present over the early and middle Holocene. After 5700cal.yrBP, steadily increasing non-arboreal pollen and fern spore percentages imply an attenuation of the EASM. The general climate trend is interrupted by several century-scale changes in composition and concentration of arboreal pollen taxa around 8200, 7200, 6300, and 4400cal.yrBP, coinciding with weaker precipitation (and lower temperature) as suggested by the EASM oxygen isotope record. Our results further support the hypothesis that the natural vegetation cover of southern China was not markedly affected by human activities until 3000cal.yrBP. The pollen records suggest a quick decrease in the forest cover ca. 3000–2450cal.yrBP followed by a generally open (agricultural) landscape and spread of secondary pine forests. This pattern is in line with a major population growth promoted by the southward expansion of rice-based agriculture across the region that postdates the widely accepted ‘Holocene climate optimum’ by several millennia. This highlights the multidimensional significance of this term, which is commonly used in palaeoenvironmental and archaeological studies and should be consequently applied with respect to the specific issue under consideration.

Pollen record of the centennial climate changes during 9–7 cal ka BP in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta plain, China

AbstractWe reconstructed the centennial climate changes for the period of 9–7 cal ka BP in the upper region of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta plain. A general warming and wetting trend from 8560 to 7220 cal yr BP was indicated by the decrease inQuercus(deciduous) and increases inQuercus(evergreen),Pinus, and Polypodiaceae spores. However, there were several brief climate fluctuations. A notable palynological change, from regional assemblages dominated by arboreal pollen to local assemblages mainly consisting of nonarboreal pollen, reflects climate fluctuations. The key indices ofQuercus(deciduous),Pinus, herbs, fern spores, and palynological concentrations showed similar signs of centennial climate fluctuations. We suggest that the climate changes of the Dongge Cave and Yangtze River Delta regions were mainly affected by the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) during the period of 9–7 cal ka BP. The general warming trend may be associated with an intensified EASM, and solar activity may be one of the important factors driving the centennial climate changes. The ~8.2 ka event was also recorded in the Yangtze River Delta region, which suggests that there was a close relationship between the EASM and Greenland climate during the early Holocene.

Modern pollen fall in the Itutinga-Pilões Unit (Parque Estadual Serra do Mar), SP, Brazil

The Itutinga-Piloes Unit of the Serra do Mar State Park in Sao Paulo state is located in the municipality of Sao Bernardo do Campo, at km 35 on the Anchieta Highway, south-east of Sao Paulo’s Metropolitan Region, approximately between the 23°45′ and 24°00′S latitude and between 46°15′ and 46°35′W longitude west of Greenwich. Artificial pollen traps were installed inside the park among open areas and forests. Pollen rain analysis revealed that there were 31 families, represented by 45 different pollen and spores morphotypes (including non-local taxa); out of these, 57% were arboreal pollen grains, 15% non-arboreal pollen grains and 28% monilophyte spores. Whereas the arboreal pollen was predominant in forest areas, the non-arboreal pollen ones were predominant in open areas, corroborating, therefore, with the places where the traps were installed. Most of the families and genus of plants found in the pollen rain in the park agree with the botanical data reported in the literature, including exotic plant such as Pinus L. and Eucalyptus L'Her genera, which are in reforestation areas in the region. Betulaceae also occurs in the modern pollen rain record and is a native plant from the Andean forest, which is very common in Quaternary sediments in the southern region of Brazil as a consequence of wind pollination dispersion over long distances.

Impact of early prehistoric farming on chironomid communities in northwest Ireland

This study explored the utility and performance of chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) autecology in the investigation of prehistoric farming impacts on freshwater lake systems. Chironomid subfossils, lake sediment geochemistry (δ13C, δ15N and C:N), pollen and macroscopic charcoal analyses were used in a comparative limnological assessment of three archaeologically rich study sites in northwest Ireland. At all three study sites, pastoral farming and its associated nutrient inputs, as represented by non-arboreal pollen indicative of grassland/pasture (NAPp) and lake sediment geochemistry, are concomitant with increases in eutrophic chironomid taxa. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and partial RDAs established that δ15N and NAPp were controlling factors of chironomid community compositional change during the Neolithic (4000–2500 BC) and Bronze Age (2500–600 BC). Bronze Age farming had a considerably greater impact on the lake systems than Neolithic farming, as indicated by a higher proportion of eutrophic taxa and increases in δ15N, C:N and δ13C values, consistent with increased erosion and agricultural inputs. Findings emphasise the importance of identifying the natural, pre-impacted state of a lake system to determine the extent of agricultural impact accurately. The timing and magnitude of change show that Neolithic and Bronze Age farming exhibited a strong control over chironomid communities at all three sites.

An early onset of ENSO influence in the extra-tropics of the southwest Pacific inferred from a 14, 600 year high resolution multi-proxy record from Paddy's Lake, northwest Tasmania

Abstract Tropical El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an important influence on natural systems and cultural change across the Pacific Ocean basin. El Nino events result in negative moisture anomalies in the southwest Pacific and are implicated in droughts and catastrophic wildfires across eastern Australia. An amplification of tropical El Nino activity is reported in the east Pacific after ca. 6.7 ka; however, proxy data for ENSO-driven environmental change in Australia suggest an initial influence only after ca. 5 ka. Here, we reconstruct changes in vegetation, fire activity and catchment dynamics (e.g. erosion) over the last 14.6 ka from part of the southwest Pacific in which ENSO is the main control of interannual hydroclimatic variability: Paddy's Lake, in northwest Tasmania (1065 masl), Australia. Our multi-proxy approach includes analyses of charcoal, pollen, geochemistry and radioactive isotopes. Our results reveal a high sensitivity of the local and regional vegetation to climatic change, with an increase of non-arboreal pollen between ca. 14.6–13.3 ka synchronous with the Antarctic Cold Reversal, and a sensitivity of the local vegetation and fire activity to ENSO variability recorded in the tropical east Pacific through the Holocene. We detect local-scale shifts in vegetation, fire and sediment geochemistry at ca. 6.3, 4.8 and 3.4 ka, simultaneous with increases in El Nino activity in the tropical Pacific. Finally, we observe a fire-driven shift in vegetation from a pyrophobic association dominated by rainforest elements to a pyrogenic association dominated by sclerophyllous taxa following a prolonged (>1 ka) phase of tropical ENSO-amplification and a major local fire event at ca. 3.4 ka. Our results reveal the following key insights: (1) that ENSO has been a persistent modulator of southwest Pacific climate and fire activity through the Holocene; (2) that the climate of northwest Tasmania is sensitive to long-term shifts in tropical ENSO variability; and (3) that there has been possible stationarity in the spatial influence of ENSO over this region through the Holocene.

High dissimilarity within a multiyear annual record of pollen assemblages from a North American tallgrass prairie.

Grassland vegetation varies in composition across North America and has been historically influenced by multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, including fire, herbivory, and topography. Yet, the amount of temporal and spatial variability exhibited among grassland pollen assemblages, and the influence of these biotic and abiotic drivers on pollen assemblage composition and diversity has been relatively understudied. Here, we examine 4 years of modern pollen assemblages collected from a series of 28 traps at the Konza Prairie Long‐Term Ecological Research Area in the Flint Hills of Kansas, with the aim of evaluating the influence of these drivers, as well as quantifying the amount of spatial and temporal variability in the pollen signatures of the tallgrass prairie biome. We include all terrestrial pollen taxa in our analyses while calculating four summative metrics of pollen diversity and composition – beta‐diversity, Shannon index, nonarboreal pollen percentage, and Ambrosia:Artemisia – and find different roles of fire, herbivory, and topography variables in relation to these pollen metrics. In addition, we find significant annual differences in the means of three of these metrics, particularly the year 2013 which experienced high precipitation relative to the other 3 years of data. To quantify spatial and temporal dissimilarity among the samples over the 4‐year study, we calculate pairwise squared‐chord distances (SCD). The SCD values indicate higher compositional dissimilarity across the traps (0.38 mean) among all years than within a single trap from year to year (0.31 mean), suggesting that grassland vegetation can have different pollen signatures across finely sampled space and time, and emphasizing the need for additional long‐term annual monitoring of grassland pollen.

Do the common natural pollen trapping media behave similarly? A comparative study of modern palynoassemblages from Chhattisgarh, central India

We provide a detailed and critical account on the comparative study of modern palynoassemblages recovered from the natural pollen trapping media/substrates such as surface soils/sediments, moss cushions/polsters, modern tree bark samples and spider web samples, collected from various localities of Chhattisgarh, central India. The study shows that moss polsters demonstrate true vegetation scenario with an average 44.11% of arboreal pollen (APs-trees and shrubs) and average 53.51% of non-arboreal pollen (NAPs-herbs). It is followed by surface soils, modern tree bark samples and spider web samples with average 19.76%, 17.56% and 7.62%, respectively of APs, whereas 80.23%, 82.44% and 59.56%, respectively of NAPs. The reasons behind the irregularity in the representation of palynoassemblages amongst the various natural pollen trapping media could be manifold such as vegetation composition and its density, habit, habitat, timing of flowering of a particular plant and collection of samples, pollination types and modes, genetics, physiology, morphology, age of tree and bark, topography, pollen sinking speed, pollen catching/trapping capacity of the respective media, types of pollen transport (horizontal pollen transport and vertical pollen transport), differences in pollen transport distance, wind speed, its pace and direction, rainfall, specific gravity, climatic conditions, and human activities (including over-cultivation and overgrazing), etc. The study could aid in the preferential selection of natural pollen trapping substrate to understand the pollen deposition pattern in any area in question which has significant proposition for the reconstruction of past vegetation and climate, allowing the improved resolution of palaeoenvironmental changes.

Olympia Interstadial: vegetation, landscape history, and paleoclimatic implications of a mid-Wisconsinan (MIS3) nonglacial sequence from southwest British Columbia, Canada

Lithostratigraphic, 14C, and palynologic analyses of peat and silty peat at three nearby sites reveal a 25 000 year vegetation and climate history of the Olympia Interstade for the Fraser Lowland, British Columbia, 300 km within the southern limit of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. At Lynn Valley, Polypodiaceae fern spores and nonarboreal pollen dominate &gt;47.8 14C ka BP, reflecting unstable and cold landscapes. A Pinus–Poaceae zone follows, representing pine parkland and cool dry climate. Fluctuating values of Picea and Tsuga mertensiana pollen at Lynn and Seymour valleys and Port Moody characterize most of the Olympia Interstade during local peat deposition in Cyperaceae and Myrica wetlands until about 26.7 14C ka BP under a cool and moist climate. A brief Pinus – Tsuga heterophylla zone at Lynn Valley 44–39 14C ka BP suggests a climatic optimum. A Poaceae–Artemisia assemblage and deposition of silty sand after 26.7 14C ka BP reflect cooling and drying after which a unique Lycopodium assemblage at Lynn Valley suggests cold arid climate and Fraser Glaciation onset. These sequences have no progression to vegetation typical of warm, interglacial, Holocene-like climates, indicating an interstadial not an interglacial interval. Correlation with vegetation changes elsewhere in western North America suggests that the Olympia Interstade started about ∼52 14C ka BP (∼57 cal ka BP) and ended about 26 14C ka BP (30 cal ka BP).

Paleoecology and Paleoclimate of Tanjung Formation Deposition, Based on Palynological Data From Siung Malopot, Central Borneo

The northern part of Barito basin is exposed around Siung Malopot area (Central Kalimantan), showing the late cretaceous basement of andesite lavas and granite intrusion. The basement is unconformably overlied by the rocks of Tanjung formation at middle to late Eocene age. Compressive phase during Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene folded and uplifted all existing rocks, made the rocks become relatively north-south structurally oriented. The exposed Tanjung formation consists of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone with intercalation of coals and thin layers of limestone. These lithologies may represent the upper parts of Tanjung formation. Palynology quantitative study is an approach to identify the palaeoclimate and palaeoecology of a certain sedimentation system. Analyses from 18 samples taken from lithologies of Tanjung formation show the presence of palinomorph fossils associated in Proxapertites operculatus zonation indicating the P18-P20 age intervals, or late eocene age. The ratio of spore and non-spore percentage, as well as the comparison between arboreal pollen (AP) and non-arboreal pollen (NAP) show the significant change of environment from time to time during the deposition of the Tanjung formation, also indicating the climate humidity that became more stabile to the younger ages. From 52 observed taxa in the samples, the ratio of marine versus non-marine taxon indicates the influence of sea-water influx in the sedimentation system, explaining the possible presence of thin limestone intercalations at the upper parts of Tanjung formation.Palynology quantitative study on Tanjung Formation indicates the sedimentation of this formation was in backmangrove environment that tends to become more influenced by marine conditions.

Early Wisconsinan (MIS 4) glaciation on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, and implications for biological refugia

Sea cliffs at Cape Ball on Graham Island, British Columbia, expose a thick sequence of Pleistocene sediments deposited during at least two glaciations. In sequence, from the base of the section, the units are (1) stony mud, (2) till, (3) silt, sand, and peat, (4) stony mud, (5) laminated sand and silt, (6) cross-bedded sand, and (7) till. Of special interest is unit 4, a massive to weakly stratified mud containing scattered stones that was deposited during the penultimate Pleistocene glaciation (marine isotope stage (MIS) 4). This unit contains wood and marine shell fragments that have yielded non-finite radiocarbon ages. Sand and silt with thin stringers of peat (unit 3) directly underlie this stony mud, and returned an optical age of 57.3 ± 5.7 ka. The stony mud is unconformably overlain by ponded sediments (unit 5) and advance outwash (unit 6) and till (unit 7) deposited during the Fraser Glaciation (MIS 2). The optically dated unit and a correlative peat and silty sand unit at a nearby exposure have pollen spectra with almost 100% non-arboreal pollen. Very low values of tree pollen, coupled with high frequencies of sedges, grasses, composites, Ericales, and the arctic−alpine indicator Koenigia islandica, indicate tundra vegetation and a cold climate. Abundant coprophilous Sporormiella (69%–91%) and Sordaria type (14%–47%) fungal spores in the peat samples indicate the former presence of grazing mammals at Cape Ball during MIS 4. During the MIS 3 interstade, subalpine forest existed at low elevations on Graham Island, providing environments suitable for the development of genetically distinct bird and mammal populations that survived in lowland refugia during the Fraser Glaciation.

Pollen signals of ground flora in managed woodlands

This paper explores the vegetation signals contained in the non-arboreal pollen and spore (NAPS) components of pollen assemblages from Tauber traps placed in woodlands subject to rotational cutting (coppicing) in lowland England. Sets of three Tauber traps were placed in compartments of different ages at multiple locations within each woodland for 1year, and pollen assemblages recorded along with a vegetation survey using a modified pin-frame method in an area of 10m radius around each trap array. Cluster analysis suggests that, as expected, the ground layer vegetation broadly reflects the different environmental conditions in the three woods, with the main subdivisions within woods apparently driven by changes in ground cover between the early and late stages of the coppice cycle. Non-arboreal pollen and spores (NAPS) assemblages group according to woodland of origin, with subdivisions which relate to pollen abundance but lack a simple relationship with years since cutting. Indices of Association between NAPS records and plant presence in the area around each array were calculated using presence–absence data for multiple distances of vegetation survey. All values tend towards an asymptote, which is interpreted as implying an effective source area for the single taxon presence–absence indicator values of ground flora taxa in coppiced woodlands on the order of a 10m radius. Only four taxa, Poaceae, Ranunculus acris-type, Cyperaceae, and Scilla-type, have an Index of Association (A) greater than 0.5, implying that the presence of pollen can be interpreted in terms of the local presence of the relevant plant taxon with some confidence. Estimates of Pollen Productivity relative to Poaceae are presented for five taxa: Apiaceae, Asteraceae (Cardueae), Cyperaceae, Mercurialis perennis, and Scilla-type.Years since cutting does affect the ground vegetation and NAPS assemblage trapped in these woods, but that the effect is more clearly seen at an assemblage level in the vegetation than in the pollen assemblages. The interpretative significance of NAPS taxa does not seem to be in providing information about the local conditions around the sampling point, but in reflecting the ground flora of the wider woodland.

Great Plains vegetation dynamics in response to fire and climatic fluctuations during the Holocene at Fox Lake, Minnesota (USA)

Vegetation composition and fire frequency are tightly linked in North American grasslands and have varied considerably throughout the Holocene in response to different drivers. Yet, detailed records of both long-term changes in grassland vegetation composition and diversity, coupled with fire history, are still relatively sparse. In this study, we examine a sediment core from Fox Lake, Minnesota, using pollen, charcoal, magnetic susceptibility, organic carbon (%C), and silica (%Si) records with the aim of understanding grassland structure and function during the Holocene, particularly in the context of vegetation composition and diversity, erosion, and fire activity. Nonarboreal pollen comprises between 37% and 86% of the assemblage throughout the record with the largest percentages occurring during the mid-Holocene (~8000–4000 yr BP). The pollen record also suggests that at 8200 yr BP, there was an abrupt shift from oak-elm woodland to a more open landscape of grassland or savanna, which remained throughout the mid-Holocene. Additionally, the pollen data suggest that vegetation composition exhibited little change in diversity through time despite recurring fire. Charcoal concentrations varied from 30 to nearly 1200 particles cm−3, indicating changes in relative amount of biomass burned, but the morphotypes of charcoal pieces indicate that woody fuels persisted during the mid-Holocene despite the apparent grassland-dominated landscape. Magnetic susceptibility in the sediment ranges from −0.9 to 22.4 (×10−5 SI) throughout the record, with the biggest increase occurring as the vegetation shifted from woodland to grassland entering the mid-Holocene. Organic carbon ranges from 4.6% to 20.0% and exhibits a slow but steady increase after the 8200 yr BP event. Silica decreases slightly but remains generally high between 20.4% and 22.5%.

Pollen–spore distribution in the surface sediments of the western Bohai Sea, China

Eighty-six seafloor surface sediment samples from the western Bohai Sea were analyzed palynologically to understand the distribution pattern and transport paths of pollen and spores. The results reveal that the pollen assemblages are dominated by arboreal pollen, which accounts for an average of 52% and mainly includes Pinus, deciduous Quercus, Carpinus, Betula, Nitraria, Castanea, and Ulmus. The pollen percentages of herbaceous taxa reach an average of 25%, mostly represented by Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia, Gramineae, Liliaceae, Polygonum, Typha, and Cyperaceae. The fern spores are mostly Selaginella, Osmunda, Triletes, and Monoletes. The distribution characteristic of pollen and spores implies that the pollen assemblages correspond well with the watershed vegetation. Variation in the pollen assemblages in different parts of the marine area could reflect differences in local vegetation, especially the vegetation along the inflowing rivers. The spatial distribution of pollen assemblages further suggests that the discharge from the Yellow River and Luanhe River has a great contribution to the pollen inputs into the western Bohai Sea. Pollen concentrations are lower in the nearshore sea area (water depth < 20m) due to the combined effects of dynamic sedimentary environment and inflowing rivers. By contrast, pollen concentrations show higher values in the deeper waters of fine sediments near estuaries of Yellow River and Luanhe River and the sea area north of 39.5°N, reaching a maximum concentration of 7000 grains/g. Based on the distribution characteristics of pollen and spores, the PCA analysis results of the distribution of the dominant pollen taxa confirm that pollen grains and spores deposition into the western Bohai Sea was primarily affected by the hydrodynamic condition or water sorted effect (including river flows and ocean currents), and secondarily through aeolian transportation. Non-arboreal pollen were mainly carried by fluvial input and deposited in the nearshore shallow water area. Arboreal pollen dominated by Pinus were mainly transported by winds and ocean currents, and fern spores mainly by river flows and ocean currents. The latter two types were mostly concentrated in relatively deeper water area.

Late Pleistocene–Holocene vegetation and Indian summer monsoon record from the Lahaul, Northwest Himalaya, India

The high resolution Holocene paleomonsoon records from Northwest (NW) Himalaya are limited. The carbon isotope (δ13C), Total organic carbon (TOC) and pollen analysis were therefore carried out from a peat-lake sediment sequence developed in alpine meadows of the Chandra valley, Lahaul, NW Himalaya, in order to reconstruct centennial to millennial scale vegetational changes and Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability during the Holocene. The chronology of peat-lake sediments is constrained with 9 AMS 14C dates. The recovered non-arboreal pollen (NAP) suggested that during Holocene alpine desert-steppe, meadows and shrubs growing along the stream had developed in the Lahaul valley whereas arboreal pollens (AP) e.g. Pinus, Quercus, Cedrus and Ulmus presently growing in the southern hill slopes of Pir Panjal range indicated moisture carrying monsoonal air flow from the South. The increased δ13C and low TOC values between ∼12,880 and 11,640 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP) suggested weakening of ISM and low organic carbon production corresponding to the Younger Dryas (YD) cold event. The gradual depletion in carbon isotope ratio from ∼11,640 to 8810 cal yr BP indicated enhanced precipitation in the Chandra valley in response of increased ISM strength in early Holocene. The short spell of cold and dry climate with gradual decrease in ISM intensity between ca 10,398 and 9778 cal yr BP is closely linked with Bond event-7. The other prominent cold-dry events recorded in present study are (i) ∼8810 to 8117 cal yr BP roughly corresponding to global 8.2 ka cold event, (ii) ∼4808 to 4327 cal yr BP closely preceding the global 4.2 ka cold-arid period, and (iii) ∼1303 to 1609 cal AD corresponding to Little Ice Age (LIA) event. The expansion of thermophillous broad leaved taxa viz. Betula utilis, Alnus nepalensis, Quercus semicarpifolia and Juglans regia and effective growth of meadow vegetation such as grasses, Caryophyllaceae and Artemisia along with marshy elements i.e. Polygonum and Liliaceae between ∼6732 and 3337 cal yr BP marked warm and wet Holocene climate optimum (HCO) period. The warm and moist climate from ∼1158–647 cal yr BP corresponded with global Medieval Warm Period (MWP).

Effects of changes in land management practices on pollen productivity of open vegetation during the last century derived from varved lake sediments

Pollen productivity is a key parameter to quantify past plant abundances and vegetation openness. In this study we explore how changes in land management influence pollen productivity. We study pollen deposition in largely annually laminated sediments from Lake Tiefer See in the Northeastern German lowlands deposited between AD 1880 and 2010. During this period, land use intensity has increased predominantly through the widespread introduction of artificial fertilizers, herbicides and heavy machinery mainly since the 1950s. Although land use statistics show that overall vegetation openness remained largely constant, non-arboreal pollen deposition (from herbs and grasses) sharply declined over the study period. This decline can be partly explained by a shift towards crops that emit little pollen such as wheat and oilseed rape. Furthermore, intensified grassland management, including drainage, also contributed to lower pollen deposition because of the decline of Plantago lanceolata and Rumex from grassland communities. However, the most important effect is a decline in pollen productivity of grasses of about 60%, which most likely is a response to earlier and more frequent mowing, although changes in grass species composition may also have played a role. Our results show that the type and intensity of land use have a strong effect on pollen productivity of grasses (and smaller effects on further crops). Since grass pollen deposition is a main proxy for vegetation openness and grasses are the common reference taxon in most PPE studies, variations in the pollen productivity of grasses introduce so far neglected errors in the reconstruction of the past vegetation cover. Our study provides a first estimate about the magnitude of this effect.

Modern Pollen Distribution at İğneada Waterlogged Forests Between the Periods September 2007 – August 2009

Study has been worked to find out arboreal and non-arboreal pollen influx (cm2/mo) fallen to the ground and relations between striking meteorological parameters at Kırklareli-Igneada waterlogged forests 6 plots between 2007-2009 where significantly high vegetation diversity was provided. Tauber style pollen traps have been installed into the 6 field plots and were replaced monthly. The pollen traps transferred to the laboratory Lycopodium spore tablets were used in accordance with European Pollen Monitoring Program and pollen slides were prepared. The annual pollen influx of Carpinus sp., Fraxinus sp., Hedera helix , Alnus sp., Corylus sp., Acer sp., and Quercus sp. was higher respectively between the period 2007 and 2009. Also, the annual pollen influx of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Plantago sp., and Ambrosia sp. was higher respectively for the same period. Pollen influx increase significantly along open field conditions and forest canopy for herbaceous plant and arboreal plants respectively. Pollen density was lower at the period between 2008 and 2009 due to higher rain. Keywords: Igneada waterlogged forest, Tauber style pollen trap, Lycopodium , pollen influx.