Palynological Results Research Articles

Stratigraphy of the Northern Pulo do Lobo Domain, SW Iberia Variscides: A palynological contribution

We present palynological results from the northern sector of the Pulo do Lobo Domain, combining sections studied in Portugal and Spain. A total of 139 samples were studied, of which 56 are positive for palynology. The first age determination for the Pulo do Lobo Formation was achieved, indicating a mid-Frasnian age (Verrucosisporites bulliferus and Pustulatisporites rugulatus). The sediments of Peramora Mélange (Spain) yielded the same palyno-assemblage as that of the Pulo do Lobo Fm. and are interpreted as a part of this formation. The Ribeira de Limas Fm. also yielded mid-Frasnian miospore assemblages, indicating the same age as the Pulo do Lobo Fm. The Santa Iria and Horta da Torre formations present spore assemblages assigned to the late Famennian in both Portugal and Spain. The phyllites interbedded with the quartzites of the Alájar Mélange yielded a palyno-assemblage late Famennian in age that can be correlated to the Horta da Torre Fm. Therefore, the Alájar quartzites are interpreted as a lateral equivalent of the Horta da Torre Fm. in Spain. The palynological results obtained for the units of the northern sector of the Pulo do Lobo Domain are highly consistent and in agreement with stratigraphic mapping and structural interpretations. A detailed discussion of the palynological versus geochronological ages based on detrital zircons is included in this study. The palynological results and their comparison with the worldwide Upper Devonian palynological record suggest a close affinity with NW European palynofloras, placing the Pulo do Lobo Domain within the Avalonian paleobiogeographical province.

Another perspective on the age and origin of the Berelyokh mammoth site (northeast Siberia)

AbstractThe Berelyokh site includes an exceptional bone horizon consisting of 8431 remains of Mammuthus primigenius. Previous investigations, spanning ~40 years, concluded that the deaths and bone concentration were caused by spring flooding, possibly related to wetter Bølling climates. We review work from these studies with emphasis on under-reported palynological data to provide more detail on paleoenvironmental reconstructions and an alternative interpretation for the age and origin of the bone bed. Palynological results suggest the horizon formed under cool conditions of the last glacial maximum, rather than during a Bølling-type oscillation. Presence of permafrost features and associated tundra pollen taxa in the Berelyokh sections suggest that thermokarst processes, unrelated to climate change, could account for the formation of the bone horizon. The penetration of surface waters into frozen sediments of a high floodplain terrace resulted in the formation of hidden thaw sinks. As thaw continued, the pits expanded with surface soils supported by a viscous water-sediment mixture. The weakened surface gave way under the weight of the mammoths, with the hillside collapsing either due to the animals’ struggles or destabilization related to the thaw sinks. This scenario highlights the hazards of thermokarst terrain for present and future populations of northern animals.

Early–middle Holocene ecological change and its influence on human subsistence strategies in the Luoyang Basin, north-central China

AbstractIn north-central China, subsistence practices transitioned from hunting and gathering to millet-based agriculture between the early and middle Holocene. To better understand how ancient environmental changes influenced this shift in subsistence strategies and human activities at regional to local levels, we conducted palynological and lithologic analyses on radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from the Luoyang Basin, western Henan Province. Our palynological results suggest that vegetation shifted from broad-leaved deciduous forest (9230–8850 cal yr BP) to steppe-meadow vegetation (8850–7550 cal yr BP), and then to steppe with sparse trees (7550–6920 cal yr BP). Lithologic analyses also indicate that the stabilization of the Luoyang Basin’s floodplain after ~8370 cal yr BP might have attracted people to move into the basin, promoting the emergence of millet-based agriculture during the Peiligang culture period (8500–7000 cal yr BP). Once agricultural practices emerged, the climatic optimum after ~7550 cal yr BP likely facilitated the expansion of the Yangshao culture (7000–5000 cal yr BP) in north-central China. As agriculture intensified, pollen taxa related to human disturbance, such as Urtica, increased in abundance.

New data on the Lower Mesozoic basal series of the Traras mounts (Tlemcen, northwestern Algeria)

The lower Mesozoic of the Traras mount starts with the so-called Red Series, which lays uncomformably on the folded and granitized Paleozoic basement. This series is overlain by Middle Liassic limestones. On the basis of its lower and upper limits and the lack of dating evidence, former authors attribute a Permian to lower Liassic (Sinemurian) age for this series. Palynological results allow to range it in the upper Triassic probably Norian-Rhetian. The Red Series is studied from five sections that depict important thickness and facies variations from southwest to the northeast, inferring the irregularities of the Hercynian erosional surface. In the Central Traras, this series shows over 130-m-thick micaceous sandy conglomeratic units, deposited within alluvial fans, where the bedrock source corresponds to granite of Nedroma or its equivalent. In the southern and eastern Traras, where the series’ thickness respectively does not exceed 30 m and averages 40–80 m, besides alluvial deposits issued from hercynian basement erosion, it exhibits volcanic evidences interbedded by lacustrine deposits. Vertical and spatial distribution depicts synsedimentary infilling of narrow elongated rift basins, typically half-grabens, bounded on one side by a normal fault or a series of normal faults trending NNE-SSW to NW-SE, inherited from the hercynian event. The study of tectonostratigraphic units permitted to put forward geodynamics of the infilling basins.

Forest-savanna boundary shift on the plateau of Serra Sul dos Carajás (southeastern Amazonia) since the mid-Holocene; driving forces and limiting factors

The vegetation history of the savanna on the plateau of Serra Sul dos Carajás (PSSC) is well studied by three palynological records. Nonetheless there is no record from the forests around this plateau so that the long term forest-savanna boundary shift can be investigated. In this study, a sediment core taken from the forests on the slopes of the plateau is studied using a multi-proxy analysis. The palynological result is compared with the records from adjacent savanna. This study reveals that well-established forests have been present around the plateau during the last 6600 cal yr BP. Since the mid-Holocene owing to a change to favorable climatic conditions, forests started to move toward the savanna and after 3400–4000 years reached their modern borders in the savanna region. Because during this long period forest borders moved horizontally a relatively short distance (ca. 250 m), we concluded that there might be limiting factors that delayed forest expansion. Among different possible factors, fire and human may play an important role. However, the evidence suggests that the slow process of soil formation to produce a soil layer with sufficient depth is the main limiting factor that delayed the forest expansion. According to the previous hydroclimatic and palaeo-ecological studies, the southward displacement of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is more likely the trigger of forest expansion in the area since the mid-Holocene.

Timing of fluvial sedimentation in the Upper Rhine Graben since the Middle Pleistocene: constraints from quartz and feldspar luminescence dating

The Heidelberg Basin (HDB) hosts one of the thickest Quaternary sediment successions in central Europe. To establish a reliable Middle and Upper Pleistocene chronology for a recently drilled core from the depocentre of the Heidelberg Basin, we applied multiple luminescence dating approaches, including quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), two feldspar post‐IR IRSL protocols using second IR stimulation temperatures of 225 °C (pIRIR225) and 290 °C (pIRIR290), and two fading correction models. Relatively high anomalous fading was observed for both the pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 signals, with mean fading rates of 2.13±0.27 and 2.08±0.49%/decade, respectively. Poor dose recovery behaviour of the pIRIR290 signal suggests that the pIRIR290 ages are not reliable. The comparison of two fading correction methods for the K‐feldspar ages indicates that the correction method proposed by Kars et al. (2008) Radiation Measurements 43, 786, yields reliable ages, whereas the dose‐rate correction method proposed by Lamothe et al. (2003) Radiation Measurements 37, 493, does not. A chronology for the HDB is established using the quartz ages and reliable fading corrected feldspar pIRIR225 ages. Our chronology shows that the sediments in the upper Mannheim Formation were deposited during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 (c. 70 ka), constrained by two quartz ages in the upper 20 m of the core. Four fading corrected pIRIR225 ages of c. 400 ka show that the upper Ludwigshafen Formation was deposited during MIS 12–11, correlated with the Elsterian‐Holsteinian stage. Two ages of 491±76 and 487±79 ka indicate that the Middle and Upper Ludwigshafen Formation were probably deposited during the Cromerian Complex. This luminescence chronology is consistent with palynological results. It also indicates that the IR‐RF ages reported earlier are probably underestimated due to anomalous fading.

The occurrence and transformation of lacustrine sediment gravity flow related to depositional variation and paleoclimate in the Lower Cretaceous Prosopis Formation of the Bongor Basin, Chad

Bed variability of sediment-gravity-flow deposits is quite prevalent in deep-marine settings, but it has not been well investigated in lacustrine settings. The depositional characteristics of various event beds are characterized in the North Slope Belt of the Bongor Basin (Chad), using detailed sedimentological, petrographic, geochemical as well as palynological analysis. Four bed types including classical turbidite bed, debrite bed, hybrid event bed, and hyperpycnite bed were distinguished based on their interpreted depositional processes. Variable mud contents of debrite beds and classic turbidite beds show distinct genetic characteristics in four core wells, whilst the high mud content of cohesive debrite interval and the low mud content of turbidite interval in hybrid event bed demonstrate the existence of flow transformation. Generally, several trace element and rare earth element proxy parameters show that these gravity-flow deposits of BS1-1 and D-3 cores are formed in more distal depositional settings than them of BN8 and BNE3 cores, which is also well consistent with sedimentological understandings achieved by seismic facies analysis. Although palynological results show a general hot arid climate during the deposition of the Prosopis Formation, but the climate-sensitive Sr/Cu ratio demonstrates that most sampled turbidite beds are postulated to be formed within a short humid pulse. The multi-approach analysis has illustrated that two potential forming mechanisms (delta-front-failure and flood-related origin) can be derived in different cored wells of such a small lacustrine rift basin. Differentiated flow transformation plays a significant role in the depositional characteristics and heterogenetic distribution of these event deposits.

Mid-Late Miocene vegetation and environments in Southeast China: Insights from a marine palynological record in northwestern Taiwan

Taiwan Island represents the exposed accretionary prism developed by eastward subduction of South China Sea (SCS) oceanic lithosphere beneath the Philippine Sea Plate since the middle Miocene. There are many well-documented data about the biostratigraphic correlation, except for palynological studies. Here, we present a new palynological record of mid-Late Miocene deposits from the Chuhuangkeng section, Miaoli, northwestern Taiwan, which reveals a vegetation and paleoelevation reconstruction in Southeast China, during the Middle to Late Miocene, corresponding to the time interval of about 14.5–5.5Ma. Most samples yielded well-preserved palynomorphs, and the palynological results suggest that the dominant vegetation was the mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests in the Coastal Mountains of Southeast China (CMSC) during the Mid-Late Miocene. Moreover, based on large amounts of Tsuga and Picea pollen, we hypothesized that a subalpine conifer forest then flourished in the CMSC, and the estimated maximum paleoelevation might be up to ∼3000m above sea level (a.s.l.) during the Mid-Late Miocene, being 1000–1500m higher than today. These findings offer a new perspective to comprehend the paleotopographic evolution of China and the source area of Taiwan’s spruce forests. Additionally, the high abundance of Pinus, Tsuga, Picea pollen and fern spores also suggests an enhancement of the EASM during the Mid-Late Miocene.

The effects of the inception of Amazonian transcontinental drainage during the Neogene on the landscape and vegetation of the Solimões Basin, Brazil

ABSTRACTAmazonia covers nearly 50% of Brazil. The history of this biome is marked by many changes in the landscape caused mainly by the Central and Northern Andes uplift. This event has influenced the palaeogeography of the Amazon and therefore its biogeography and possibly biodiversity. Herein we present palynological and lithostratigraphical results from the Solimões Formation in the well 1AS-33-AM. It was drilled in the Solimões Basin, Amazonas State, Brazil, reaching 405 m in depth. We identified 152 palynomorphs, in 32 samples, among them some biostratigraphical markers, such as Crassoretitriletes vanraadshoovenii, Fenestrites spinosus, Cichoreacidites longispinosus, Ladakhipollenites? caribbiensis and Echitricolporites mcneillyi, allowing us to recognise four biozones sensu Lorente (1986): Crassoretitriletes Interval Zone (399.10–276.70 m), Asteraceae Interval Zone (276.70–262.00 m), Psilatricolporites caribbiensis Interval Subzone (239.90–70.00 m) and Echitricolporites–Alnipollenites Interval Subzone (70–32 m). The palynological and lithostratigraphical results indicate two environmental phases. The palynomorph association presents a change marked by the sudden appearance and predominance of Grimsdalea magnaclavata from 239.90 m upwards and a general increase in the number of species. The lithostratigraphy shows from approximately the same depth greater amounts of sandstones towards the top of the well, suggesting a change from a paralic to a fluvial environment of higher energy. The first phase can be associated with the Pebas/Acre depositional systems, wetlands composed by lakes and swamps with seasonal floods that existed from 23 to 7–5 Ma. The second phase indicates a fluvial system that may be interpreted as a record of the modern Amazon transcontinental fluvial system, which was already established in the Pliocene.

Competing hypotheses, ordination and pollen preservation: Landscape impacts of Norse landnám in southern Greenland

Peat sequences in close proximity to former Norse farmsteads in southern Greenland are valuable palaeoecological archives for exploring the impacts of the 10th century Norse colonisation. Unfortunately they are far from widespread and many would be considered suboptimal for palaeoecological analysis owing to the taphonomic complexities perceived to be associated with their depositional environments. This paper explores the value of one such archive from the Vatnahverfi region of southern Greenland. On the basis of field observations, a problematic depositional context was anticipated and this is borne out in the contradictory palynological results which demonstrate evidence for agriculture and abandonment in contemporary horizons and radiocarbon age-depth reversals. Multiple working hypotheses are developed to explicitly demonstrate the equally plausible, but starkly different, interpretations that are possible from these data. To refine our interpretations we apply pollen preservation analysis and multivariate statistical analysis of this dataset with a large well dated fossil dataset from the same region. In so doing, this paper highlights the value of ordination as a chronological tool and the importance of pollen preservation analysis in interpreting taphonomically-complex depositional environments.

Historia ambiental de la Laguna Seca, Tartagal Salta, Noroeste Argentino

Fil: Fierro, Pamela Tatiana. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ingenieria; Argentina

Was it ‘terra desolata’? Conquering and colonizing the medieval Prussian wilderness in the context of climate change.

Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and geochemical analyses of sediments from Lakes Salęt and Ruskowiejskie (NE Poland) were used to reconstruct vegetation changes in the former Galindia territory (Old Prussia) related to human activity and the climatic instability of the medieval period. Among archaeologists and historians, there is a widespread opinion that the permanent transformations of the environment in Prussia (south-eastern Baltic region) began not earlier than after its conquest by the Teutonic Order and resulted from its economic activity and intensive colonization. The impact of previous inhabitants of this land on the environment has been considered as definitely weak. Our results provide entirely contrasting evidence and demonstrate that strong and permanent deforestation started as early as in the early 11th century AD, in the pre-Teutonic Order time, and were associated with the economic activity of the Prussian Galinditae tribes. In this paper, we also discuss a possible interpretation of the medieval distribution patterns of Quercus. We assume that human activity catalysed and amplified both its spreading process and decline, primarily driven by the ‘Little Ice Age’ climatic deterioration. Our palynological results indicate the significant spread of Picea from ca. AD 1000, which we interpret as reflecting hydrological and climatic changes. Moreover, we hypothesize that the spread of Carpinus in the early medieval period (11th–13th centuries), which occurred in connection with more intense human activity, was largely because of woodland pasturing.

A Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Two Prehistoric Burnt Mound Sites in Northern Ireland

This paper provides a summary of the palaeoenvironmental evidence from a spread of late Mesolithic burnt material and two late Neolithic to early Bronze Age burnt mounds. The burnt mounds were up to 10 m diameter, had an amorphous shape, and were consistently less than 0.8 m thick. Monoliths were collected from two sites, Ballygawley and Roughan, in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This provided an opportunity to use a detailed palaeoecological approach for the first time to investigate the use and function of burnt mounds. Pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs, micro‐ and macroscopic charcoal were used to place these features within their environmental context, and to establish if such an approach could provide further insights into their function. The palynological results shared similar characteristics: high microscopic charcoal values, repetitive fluctuations in tree and shrub taxa, increased Sphagnum, and the presence of non‐pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) HdV‐114 and HdV‐146, all of which could be diagnostic indicators of burnt mounds in palynological records. While the data do not allow us to ascribe a specific function for the burnt mounds, their environmental setting is discussed. A “see‐saw” pattern of arboreal pollen, combined with the macroscopic charcoal data, indicate possible species selection and management of local woodland for fuelwood.

Holocene landscape development along the Portuguese Algarve coast – A high resolution palynological approach

Along the Algarve coast, multi-proxy investigations of four estuaries detail the Holocene landscape evolution through high-resolution pollen and sediment analyses. This approach focuses on palynological results and enables the reconstruction of differentiated human impact around the studied archives between the Neolithic and modern times. During the Chalcolithic and Phoenician periods anthropogenic land use increases clearly and triggers erosional processes in the catchment. The increased agricultural area and the change in land use methods since the beginning of the second Islamic epoch form the actual landscape. According to the palynological results, since 8200 cal BP highly variable climatic conditions in terms of moisture availability have occurred during the entire Holocene. Arid periods occurred during the early Holocene prior to 8000 cal BP, around 7000 cal BP and between 6400 and 6200 cal BP. During the mid Holocene, two further dry periods with very different duration could be identified between 5000 and 3300 cal BP and between 2800 and 2500 cal BP. Finally, during the late Holocene between 1300 and 1050 cal BP and between 700 and 500 cal BP, further arid periods appeared. In conclusion, climatic and anthropogenic influences caused erosion in the catchments and in this way silting up of the estuaries along the Portuguese Algarve coast.

Pollen-based paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic change at Lake Ohrid (south-eastern Europe) during the past 500 ka

Abstract. Lake Ohrid is located at the border between FYROM (Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia) and Albania and formed during the latest phases of Alpine orogenesis. It is the deepest, the largest and the oldest tectonic lake in Europe. To better understand the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental evolution of Lake Ohrid, deep drilling was carried out in 2013 within the framework of the Scientific Collaboration on Past Speciation Conditions (SCOPSCO) project that was funded by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). Preliminary results indicate that lacustrine sedimentation of Lake Ohrid started between 1.2 and 1.9 Ma ago. Here we present new pollen data (selected percentage and concentration taxa/groups) of the uppermost ∼ 200 m of the 569 m long DEEP core drilled in the depocentre of Lake Ohrid. The study is the fruit of a cooperative work carried out in several European palynological laboratories. The age model of this part of the core is based on 10 tephra layers and on tuning of biogeochemical proxy data to orbital parameters. According to the age model, the studied sequence covers the last ∼ 500 000 years at a millennial-scale resolution ( ∼ 1.6 ka) and records the major vegetation and climate changes that occurred during the last 12 (13 only pro parte) marine isotope stages (MIS). Our results indicate that there is a general good correspondence between forested/non-forested periods and glacial–interglacial cycles of the marine isotope stratigraphy. The record shows a progressive change from cooler and wetter to warmer and drier interglacial conditions. This shift in temperature and moisture availability is visible also in vegetation during glacial periods. The period corresponding to MIS11 (pollen assemblage zone OD-10, 428–368 ka BP) is dominated by montane trees such as conifers. Mesophilous elements such as deciduous and semi-deciduous oaks dominate forest periods of MIS5 (PASZ OD-3, 129–70 ka BP) and MIS1 (PASZ OD-1, 14 ka BP to present). Moreover, MIS7 (PASZ OD-6, 245–190 ka) shows a very high interglacial variability, with alternating expansions of montane and mesophilous arboreal taxa. Grasslands (open vegetation formations requiring relatively humid conditions) characterize the earlier glacial phases of MIS12 (PASZ OD-12, 488–459 ka), MIS10 (corresponding to the central part of PASZ OD-10, 428–366 ka) and MIS8 (PASZ OD-7, 288–245 ka). Steppes (open vegetation formations typical of dry environments) prevail during MIS6 (OD-5 and OD-4, 190–129 ka) and during MIS4-2 (PASZ OD-2, 70–14 ka). Our palynological results support the notion that Lake Ohrid has been a refugium area for both temperate and montane trees during glacials. Closer comparisons with other long southern European and Near Eastern pollen records will be achieved through ongoing high-resolution studies.

Quantitative paleoclimate reconstruction based on a 130 ka pollen record from the C9001C core off NE Japan

Although monsoons are an important climatic factor in the Indo-Pacific region, the mechanism responsible for monsoon variations is not fully understood, particularly at the 105 year-scale, which includes the Milankovitch orbital cycles. Here, we provide a palynological result from the C9001C marine core drilled in the NW Pacific off the Shimokita Peninsula, eastern Japan. Based on the parallel δ18O record, the pollen record covers the past 130,000 years. During the interglacial periods (MIS1 and 5e), the C9001C core is dominated by cool temperate pollen of Fagus (beech) and Quercus subgenus Lepidobalanus (deciduous oak) that is similar to the present-day Shimokita vegetation. However, during the glacial periods (MIS2-4), the pollen spectra are dominated by subarctic elements of Betula (birch) and Picea (spruce), similar to the vegetation of Sakhalin and northern Hokkaido. These fossil pollen data are converted into quantitative climate variables by using the modern analog technique. Of the reconstructed paleoclimate variables, the mean annual temperature (Tann) correlates with the parallel δ18O record. By contrast, reconstructed precipitation in the summer (Psum) shows a similar pattern to the northern insolation variations particularly during MIS5, though the phase relation between the two curves requires further studies.

Pollen morphology and fossil record of the feathery mistletoe family Misodendraceae

Misodendraceae is a small family of mistletoes in the order Santalales. Its distribution is restricted to the southern South American temperate forests. The family comprises the sole genus Misodendrum with eight species of hemiparasitic shrubs, mainly parasitising the southern beech Nothofagus. This contribution presents palynological evidence from seven species, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are consistently small, periporate and echinate, although differences in the length of echini and number and size of pores were noted. Pollen features can be used to distinguish groups of species and, in some cases, individual species. Cluster analysis of pollen characters differentiates two main groups: one includes M. brachystachyum, M. oblongifolium and M. quadriflorum; and the other includes M. gayanum, M. linearifolium, M. punctulatum and M. angulatum. Palynological results are compared with previous systematic studies of the family. The South American fossil pollen record is summarised and characters of the fossil pollen are analysed using UPGMA to test the relationships between extant and fossil species. Miocene pollen resulted similar to species of subgenus Angelopogon while Eocene pollen is disimilar to extant species of Misodendraceae.

Late Messinian palynoflora from Central Anatolian Plateau (Çankırı Basin) [abstract

ABSTRACT Within the framework of the Marie Curie FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN program, the ALErT project targets on tectonic and climatic boundary conditions in the regions along the densely populated in the Central Anatolian Plateau and the associated with natural hazards. The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) extends in a wide area in between zone the Aegean extensional zone and Bitlis /Zagros compressional zone. The Cankiri Basin was opened in Late Cretaceous between the Kirsehir block in the south and Sakarya continents in the north in central Anatolia. During the Neo-Tethys closure, the history of the basin became a large intermontane basin which covered with continental sedimentary environments (Kazanci et al., 1999). During the Late Miocene, there were different types of lacustrine environments in between the northern and southern parts. Age evidence of the Cankiri Basin has been obtained from the European mammalian faunal zones, because of the fact that Sr analysis results has not be significant to interpreted age (Mazzini 2015) and based on this, the late Messinian age Bozkir Formation and the Plio – Quaternary Degim Formation have seasonally dominant aridity. To figure out the paleoenvironmental and palaeoclimate changes in Cankiri Basin were analyzed Biotic (Paynology) and abiotic proxy data (geochemical, δ18O - δ13C isotopes analyses and CaCO3). Fifteen samples from Hancili Formation, Tuglu Suleymanli crossing border, Bozkir Formation and Degim Formation were collected from claystone, dark silty clay, gypsum and breccia with silty gypsum layers in the Cankiri Basin. The samples were treated standard palynological procedures described by Cour (1974). For pollen step all samples, residues, and slides are stored in Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Pollen grains for each sample were accounted 150 pollen grains, without Pinus in the Cankiri Basin. Pollen identification was performed under a Zeiss light microscope, and under a Quanta FEG250 Scanning electron microscope (SEM) used for high resolution imaging of pollen grains in Institute of Electrical Engineering Slovak Academy of Sciences. The pollen diagram was prepared with Tilia*Graph (2.0) (http://www.chrono.qub.ac.uk/datah/tilia.html). According to Mosbrugger and Utescher (1997); coexistence approach derived quantative paleoclimate parameters. To explain the ecological characteristic, we used version of the Past 3.x- the Past of the Future free software scientific statistical data analysis program (http://folk.uio.no/ohammer/past/). Head map was prepared with this program for four formations. Palynological data by evaluating head map, the uplift during the Late Messinian in Cankiri Basin has been confirmed. To illustrate for those vegetational composition, we applied Xact 8 for the graphic presentation. According to Traverse (1978) developed Steppe-Forest Index using a ratio of appropriate species of pollen, that save as a climatic indicator (warm to cold) on the other hand interpretation of aridity we follow Cour & Duzer (1978). As a consequence, the Poaceae/total Asteraceae ratio in a pollen diagram can be used as a climate index used Poaceae /Asteraceae ratio to find out dry to wet zones lines (Popescu, 2006) and it was calculated based on palynological results (using cluster analysis) show four climate cycles with three dry periods. Based on those calculations we confirmed long term cooling trend during Late Messinian to Plio-Pleistocene in Cankiri Basin. In most pollen spectra are mainly presented by Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Poaceae and by trees with Pinus, Cathaya , and Fagus. The group of herbs is important in the pollen sum and mainly consist of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Asteraceae, which document open grassland type of vegetation with warm – temperate climate.

Paleoenvironment and possibilities of plant exploitation in the Middle Pleistocene of Schöningen (Germany). Insights from botanical macro-remains and pollen

Plant use is an elusive issue in Paleolithic archaeology. Due to poor organic preservation in many sites, botanical material is not always present. The sediments in Schöningen, however, contain abundant botanical macro-remains like wood, fruits, seeds, and other parts of plants which offer the opportunity to reconstruct the local vegetation. Combined with palynological results, it is possible to reveal the full potential of this environment to hominins. Ethnobotanical studies of hunter-gatherer societies living in similar environments illustrate the importance of plants for subsistence purposes. The identified taxa from the archaeological horizons at Schöningen include a broad spectrum of potentially exploitable species that could be sources of food, raw material, and firewood.

First palynological results from the archaeological site Sopot, Croatia

This paper presents first results of research drilling and pollen analysis at the eponymous site of Sopot. Drilling was conducted in 2010 to give an overview of the spatial relationship of the “tell” with the immediate surroundings and preliminary data on geological and cultural layering of Sopot. Among other things, the goal of the research was finding suitable organic sediments, in order to take test for palynological analysis, to try to reconstruct the vegetation cover, agricultural development and land use.