Pollen stratigraphy of coal-bearing deposits in the Neogene Jidong Basin,Heilongjiang Province,NE China: New insights on palaeoenvironment and age

The palaeoenvironment and age of coal-bearing lacustrine deposits in the Jidong Basin, Heilongjiang Province, is poorly understood. New pollen data from the Yongqing Formation and the overlying lower part of the Daqingshan Formation recovered in borehole 91-205 revealed a rich and diverse palynoflora representing approximately 70 taxa at the genus/family level. Of these taxa, Ulmus, Quercus, Carya, Liquidambar, Pinus, Tilia, Fagus, and Alnus are the main woody elements; these occur together with numerous pteridophytes, subordinate herbs, and rare algae and acritarchs. Abundant woody taxa suggest a mixed deciduous/conifer forest in the region in association with local shrubs, herbs and algal communities. Some of the pollen types, especially those of climate sensitive genera such as Ulmus, Carya, Liquidambar and Fagus, vary considerably in relative abundances, suggesting climate variability. The reflected climate shows an overall trend towards cooling or deterioration which is largely in agreement with global climate change during the Neogene.Comparisons of the pollen record with representative datasets from neighbouring areas, together with the appearance of the highly-evolved genus Artemisia, suggest that the Yongqing Formation and the lower part of the Daqingshan Formation are of Miocene age.     

Vegetation reconstruction on the basis of pollen in Late Pleistocene hyena coprolites from San Teodoro Cave (Sicily, Italy)

Vegetation reconstruction based on pollen from coprolites of extinct spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea, Goldfuss 1832) recovered from excavations carried out in 1998 at San Teodoro Cave (Sicily, Italy) supports previous indications of pre-Late Glacial conditions. Eight of the twelve coprolites analysed contained well-preserved pollen grains. There is a general similarity between the pollen contents from the coprolites but they show variability. They suggest a main vegetation type dominated by steppic taxa (Poaceae, Artemisia, Ephedra, Chenopodiaceae and Asteraceae) but also including arboreal taxa (Pinus and Cupressaceae). Low percentages of pollen of mesophilous woody taxa (Quercus, Betula, Abies, Alnus, Pistacia, among others) are noticeable, suggesting the existence of nearby refugia for temperate and Mediterranean vegetation. A reconstruction of the landscape, using the coprolite pollen record and other pollen records from Sicily and south Italy, shows the predominance, during the pre-Late Glacial, of a wooded steppe biome, with elements representing a variety of local environmental conditions.     

Vegetation changes around the last glacial maximum and effects of the Aira-Tn ash,at the Itai-Teragatani site,central Japan

On the basis of fossil pollen, plant macrofossils and fossil wood, vegetation existing around the Itai-Teragatani Site between 26000 and 20000 yr ago was reconstructed. On the upland, there were mixed forests of conifers and deciduous broad-leaved trees throughout the studied period. The forests consisted mainly ofPinus subgen.Haploxylon andQuercus subgen.Lepidobalanus, together withTsuga, Cryptomeria andUlmus-Zelkova. In the wetland, there were stands ofBetula andAlnus in grassland consisting of Cyperaceae, Gramineae,Lysichiton, Thalictrum, Sangusiorba, Umbelliferae and Compositae. The vegetation changed three times during the studied period. The first change, which occurred prior to the fall of the Aira-Tn ash, was characterized by an increase inAbies, Pinus subgen.Haploxylon and hygrophytes, and a decrease inCryptomeria andAlnus. This is considered to reflect a cooler climate, and expansion of grassland. The second change was caused by the fall of the Aira-Tn ash, which caused serious damage to the vegetation. Many taxa, except forAlnus, Cyperaceae andLysichiton, decreased or vanished after the ash fall. The third change was the process of recovery after the damage. The regenerated forests differed from those before the ash fall. With the regeneration conifers andArtemisia increased. This seemed to reflect the changes in climate and ground conditions caused by the accumulation of the ash.     

Aerobiological study of Fagaceae pollen in the middle-west of Spain

The concentration of airborne Fagaceae pollen in Salamanca and the correlations with some meteorological parameters have been examined. Castanea and Quercus pollen grains were collected from 1998 to 2004 using a Burkard spore trap. No pollen grains of Fagus were found. The main pollen season took place in April and May for Quercus and in June and July for Castanea. Yearly variations on these dates could be related to the influence of meteorological factors such as rainfall, temperature, or dominant winds. The highest values appeared in the year 2004 for both taxa. The Fagaceae airborne content was mainly due to Quercus pollen, Castanea having a scarce pollen content in the city of Salamanca. The highest counts of Fagaceae pollen grains were found from mid May to early June due to the pollen behavior of oaks. The cumulative counts varied over the years, with a mean value of 2,384 pollen grains, a highest total of 6,036 in 2004 and a lowest total of 954 in 2001. No cyclic variations were observed. Daily pollen concentrations presented positive correlation with temperature, negative with relative humidity and slightly negative with rainfall using Spearman's correlation coefficients, only in the case of Castanea, because the particular hourly distribution of rainfall during the spring might affect Quercus airborne pollen.     

Palynology of a 250-m core from Lake Biwa: a 430,000-year record of glacial–interglacial vegetation change in Japan

Lake Biwa is situated in western Honshu, and is the largest and oldest freshwater lake in Japan. During 1982–1983, a long core was drilled to a bottom depth of 1422 m in order to investigate the palaeolimnological record, which contains 911 m of various sedimentary units overlying Palaeozoic–Mesozoic basements. A 249.5-m core of the uppermost bed (T Bed) was palynologically examined at intervals of ca. 2 m. The investigated part of the core covers approximately the last 430,000 years of the mid-Upper Pleistocene and Holocene, and five glacial–interglacial cycles can be recognized. Ten major vegetational zones could be recognized from the bottom to the surface. The zones bearing even numbers, BW-10, 8, 6, 4 and 2, matched glacial periods in which pollen of subarctic taxa (Pinaceae, Betula) and cool–temperate taxa (Fagus, Lepidobalanus) was dominant. In the glacial periods, high pollen values for temperate conifers such as Cryptomeria, Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys indicate interstadial periods. Zones bearing odd numbers, BW-9, 7, 5, 3 and 1, matched interglacial periods with high pollen values for the warm–temperate taxon Cyclobalanopsis, or showed the characteristic appearance of Lagerstroemia, and temperate coniferous taxa (Cryptomeria, Cupressaceae). There were two vegetational types in the interglacial periods. One was the type indicated by BW-9 and 1 zones, when warm–temperate evergreen broad-leaved trees such as Cyclobalanopsis and Castanopsis showed high pollen values, and the warm–temperate deciduous broad-leaved tree Lagerstroemia was lacking. The climate of these interglacial periods seems to have been cold and dry in winter, and warm and wet in summer. The other was the vegetational type recorded in BW-7, 5 and 3 zones, where Lagerstroemia showed low pollen values, and the warm–temperate evergreen broad-leaved trees mentioned above were poorly represented. The climate seems to have been mild and wet in winter, and cool and wet in summer. The dominant pollen values for cool–temperate deciduous broad-leaved taxa such as Fagus and Lepidobalanus are very important indicators of the initiation of both glacial and interglacial periods in western Japan.     

A 10-year survey of allergenic airborne pollen in the city of Porto (Portugal)

Airborne pollen calendars are useful to estimate the flowering season of the different plants as well as to indicate the allergenic potential present in the atmosphere at a given time. In this study, it is presented a 10-year survey of the atmospheric concentration of allergenic pollen types. Airborne pollen was performed, from 2003 to 2012, using a 7-day Hirst-type volumetric trap. The interannual variation of the daily mean concentration of the number of pollen grains and the main pollen season was determined as well as the hourly variations and correlation with meteorological parameters. During the study period, 18 different allergenic pollen types were considered based on its representativeness on the total annual airborne pollen concentration. The lowest annual concentrations were sampled in 2006 and the highest in 2007. The highest airborne pollen concentration was found during early spring and early summer. On the contrary, December was the month with the lowest pollen concentration. The major pollen sampled belongs to trees followed by weeds and grasses, being the most representative pollen types in the atmosphere: Urticaceae, Platanus, Poaceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Acer, Quercus, Castanea, Plantago, Alnus, Olea europaea, Betula, Myrtaceae and Populus. Intradiurnal distribution patterns of the pollen types studied presented differences with some taxa being predominantly sampled in the morning (9–11 a.m.) while others in first night hours (between 9 and 12 p.m.). Significantly correlations were found between the airborne pollen concentration and meteorological parameters.     

Vegetation and fire history with their implication for climatic change and fire events since the last deglacial in the Aso Valley, central Kyushu, southwestern Japan: new pollen and charcoal data

To better understand the response of forest vegetation to climate and fire regimes with reference to human activities over the last deglacial period in the Aso Caldera, central Kyushu, southwestern Japan, a 33.9 m long sediment core was examined in order to reconstruct the vegetational and fire history using pollen and charcoal analyses. The results show that a cool temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest, dominated by Quercus (deciduous oaks) with Carpinus and Fagus, prevailed in the Aso Valley from ca. 14.6 ka cal. b.p., indicating warming since the last glacial period. The landscape was presumably covered by a mosaic of deciduous Quercus forests and terrestrial Artemisia communities. Around 12.8–11.7 ka cal. b.p., Quercus dominated the forest and fires occurred frequently. Co-expansion of distinctive Ulmus–Zelkova and Celtis–Aphananthe forests coupled with a progressive retreat of Quercus in the early Holocene could reflect a strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon under mild and humid climate conditions. Around 8 ka cal. b.p., significant increases in Cyclobalanopsis (evergreen oaks), Castanopsis/Castanea and Podocarpus indicate a further warming, in particular an increased winter temperature. Warm temperate lucidophyllous forests, dominated by Cyclobalanopsis, flourished after 7.3 ka cal. b.p., probably corresponding to the “Holocene Climatic Optimum” interval. Progressive expansion of Quercus at the expense of Cyclobalanopsis began around 6.4 ka cal. b.p. and paralleled an increase in charcoal until ca. 4.8 ka cal. b.p.; this could be evidence of fire disturbance induced by the early-middle Jomon people. The disturbed evergreen forest experienced a temporary recovery but then opened again from 3.6 ka cal. b.p. due to extensive fire deforestation, as suggested by the high charcoal levels during this time. Human exploitation and buckwheat (Fagopyrum) agriculture may have contributed to the opening of the forest, which allowed secondary forests (primarily Pinus and Quercus) and herbaceous communities (mainly Poaceae) to spread. These results are discussed in comparison with other high-resolution pollen data from western Japan to better elucidate the vegetation and fire history over the last deglacial in the Aso Caldera.     

Pollen calendar for Vigo, North-West Spain (1995)

This is the first data from a pollen survey in Vigo, an Atlantic city in northwest Spain. The pollen calendar for Vigo is presented, as well as the pollination period for the nine most important allergenic plants. Through 1995, 30 083 pollen grains belonging to 52 taxa, were recorded using the Lanzoni VPPS 2000 volumetric spore-trap. The most relevant taxa found were: Urticaceae,Pinus, Poaceae andQuercus (75% of the total pollen),Betula, Castanea, Cupressaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Ericaceae, Myrtaceae,Olea, Plantago, Platanus andRumex (21%), and the final 4% was distributed mainly among pollen types, such as:Corylus, Alnus, Fabaceae, Compositae,Artemisia andCedrus. Of the total annual pollen count, 56% was found in March and April. Another, secondary peak was recorded in June corresponding to the flowering period of herbaceous species. The high pollen total of Urticaceae (7625 grains, 25% of the total) should be highlighted. The percentages ofOlea europaea (565 grains) should be noted as well, taking into account its geographical distribution.     

Holocene development of two calcareous spring fens at the Carpathian-Pannonian interface controlled by climate and human impact

There is still not enough palaeoecological data from the southwestern part of the Western Carpathians, where mountain ridges steeply rise from the dry and warm Pannonian basin. The reason is a low availability of sites with sediments harbouring fossil remains. In the Pova?ský Inovec Mts, two small protected calcareous wetlands occur in different geographical position and contain suitable sediments. One represents a foothill site (initiated ca 13,000 cal. BP) whereas the other a low-mountain site (initiated ca 7,400 cal. BP). We investigated fossil pollen, spores, and macroscopic remains of plants and molluscs from their sediments. We further reviewed archaeological data, constructed a macrophysical climate model (MCM) and confronted it with other palaeoclimatic proxies. Temperate deciduous trees (Quercus, Corylus and Ulmus) occurred since the Allerød, but their expansion was blocked by a harsh climate in Younger Dryas, when Larix, Pinus and Betula nana still occurred. The climate firstly moistened at ca 9,500 cal. BP and more distinctly at ca 8,500 cal. BP, which was reflected by a strong calcium carbonate precipitation and expansion of Tilia cordata t., Hedera helix, and Ustulina. Although the MCM predicted a rather stable climate since 8,000 cal. BP, certain changes in aquatic mollusc abundances may indicate hydrological fluctuations, as they are paralleled by changes in climate humidity indicated by other evidence from the Western Carpathians. Younger hydrological fluctuations may be alternatively explained by human activities as they correspond with macro-charcoal abundance and indicators of wetland openness. During their existence, both fens harboured only few fen plant and mollusc species specialized to low-productive sedge-moss fens. In the Middle Holocene both sites were encroached by woody plants (Alnus, Picea and Salix), as most other spring fens in the Western Carpathians. Contrary to some other spring fens with similar site conditions in the Western Carpathians, few fen specialists established in the study sites since deforestation, presumably because of severe disturbances caused by grazing and/or hemp retting instead of the usual mowing.     

Aerobiology of Fagaceae pollen in Trieste (NE Italy)

The aerobiological behaviour of Fagaceae in Trieste and the correlations with the meteorological parameters were examined. Airborne pollen grains of Castanea, Fagus and Quercus were collected from 1990 to 2003 using a Hirst type spore trap. The main pollen season (MPS) takes place in April and May for Quercus and Fagus, in June and July for Castanea. The highest values occur in year 1993 for Quercus, in 1998 for Castanea and in 1992 for Fagus. The Fagaceae content of the air is mainly due to Quercus and Castanea pollen, Fagus usually having a scarce pollen shedding in Trieste. The highest counts of Fagaceae pollen grains are found from late April to mid May and are mainly due to the pollen shedding of oaks. The cumulative counts vary over the years, with a mean value of 2.719 pollen grains, a lowest total of 1.341 in 2002 and a highest total of 4.704 in 1993. No positive nor negative long-term trends in pollen shedding are found. No cyclic variations were observed. Spearman’s correlation was used to establish the relationship between the daily pollen counts and the daily meteorological data. Daily pollen concentrations present sometimes positive correlation with temperature, negative with rainfall and wind speed, and no correlation with humidity. Fagus and Quercus start dates result positively correlated between themselves. Significant correlations are found between the start of MPS and the mean and maximum temperature in March for Fagus and Quercus, and May for Castanea.     

Postglacial vegetation history as recorded from the subalpine Lake Ribno (NW Rila Mts), Bulgaria

A pollen analysis conducted on a 600 cm core from Lake Ribno (2184 m) in the Northwestern Rila Mountains, supplemented by 13 radiocarbon dates, has revealed the basic stages in its postglacial vegetation dynamics. The lateglacial vegetation, composed of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae, with stands of Pinus and Juniperus-Ephedra shrubland, dominated in the stadials and partly retreated during the B?lling/Aller?d interstadial (14700–12900 cal. yrs. BP). The afforestation in the early Holocene (11600–7800 cal. yrs. BP) started with pioneer Betula forests, with groups of Pinus and Juniperus at mid-high altitudes, and Quercus forests with Tilia, Ulmus, Fraxinus, Corylus below the birch zone. A coniferous belt composed of Pinus sylvestris, P. peuce and Abies was shaped under the conditions of a more humid climate (7800–5800 cal. yrs. BP). The last trees that invaded the study area were Fagus after 4300 cal. yrs. BP and Picea abies after 3400 cal. yrs. BP. Evidence for destructive changes in the vegetation and indications of agricultural and stock-breeding activities (pollen of Triticum, Secale, Plantago lanceolata, Rumex, Juglans) was continuously recorded since the Late Bronze Age (3400–3200 cal. yrs. BP). The postglacial vegetation history in the Northwestern Rila Mountains demonstrated close similarities with that of the Northern Pirin Mountains.     

四川螺髻山表土和化石孢粉揭示的环境生态意义

通过四川螺髻山（1984、2017年）表土和化石孢粉与植被的关系分析发现：孢粉组合中木本植物含量（91.0%）占绝对优势,松属、冷杉属、青冈属、常绿栎类、落叶栎类、桤木属、杜鹃花科、禾本科和蒿属为主要花粉类型;人工次生林花粉组合能很好地反映母体植被的群落特征,并可指示优势种的存在和人类活动痕迹;针阔混交林花粉组合能较好地反映群落整体特征,花粉类型能与母体植被中优势种较好地对应;常绿阔叶林、针叶林和灌丛草甸的花粉组合难以反映母体植被的群落特征。DCA表明,花粉谱的百分含量,能较好地区分人工扰动植被和天然植被,但人工次生林、常绿阔叶林和针阔混交林之间以及针叶林和灌丛草甸之间未能区分。30年前后表土孢粉组合变化明显,1984年样品以松属、青冈属和桤木属等花粉为主,而2017年采样分析中松属、桤木属花粉占绝对优势。随着人类活动的加强,部分地区松树和桤木大面积飞播或种植,表土孢粉组合对当地植被指示意义与扰动强度呈负相关关系。现生植被与表土孢粉组合的差异能为恢复古植被和古环境提供参考,但原生植被已经被破坏地区的孢粉图谱,就很难作为重建历史时期植被的根据。本研究可以为亚热带山地利用孢粉学恢复第四纪时期植被与气候,探讨人类活动与环境的关系提供理论依据和实践参考。     

Airborne pollen sampling in Toledo, Central Spain

Toledo is one of the main tourist spots of Spain, attracting around two million visitors per year. Its geographical situation in the vast and scarcely monitored Region of Castilla La Mancha and the high number of tourists (especially in the spring) has resulted in the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA) making this city a major study objective. Air monitoring studies carried out using REA sampling procedures commenced in October 2002. Thirty-two pollen types were identified during the sampling period (October 2002 to October 2004). The annual Pollen Index (PI) was 44124 for the agricultural year October 2002–October 2003, and 29666 in the same period of 2003–2004. The most abundant taxa were, in decreasing order of dominance: Cupressaceae, Quercus, Poaceae, Populus, Olea, Urticaceae, Platanus, Pinus and Ulmus. Other, less well-represented pollen taxa included Salix, Alnus, Fraxinus and Tamarix, which were characteristic of riverside areas, and Morus, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. The presence of Castanea pollen grains originating from chestnut crops far away from the city was clearly an example of long-distance transport. The highest concentrations of airborne pollen were detected from March to May and also in January, due to the flowering of Cupressaceae species. In general, there was a correlation between pollen and meteorological parameters: a positive correlation with temperature and a negative correlation with rainfall and humidity during the pre-peak period. A negative correlation between temperature and some tree pollen taxa was detected in the principal pollen period correlation analysis due to their long pollination periods.     

Pollen analysis of coal-bearing Miocene sedimentary rocks from the Seyitömer Basin (Kütahya), Western Anatolia

The late Early-Middle Miocene sequences of the Seyitömer Basin (western Anatolia) were palynologically investigated. Fifty-five taxa belonging to seven gymnospermous and 48 angiospermous pollen genera were identified in the 19 productive samples. Two pollen zones were recognised based on the changing abundance of individual tree taxa. Zone 1 is characterized by predominance of Pinus and Cedrus. Zone 2 is characterized by predominance of deciduous Quercus and evergreen Quercus and a marked reduction in representation of Taxodiaceae. The differences in the pollen spectra between Zone 1 and Zone 2 may reflect the global Middle Miocene cooling. These results are largely comparable to pollen data derived from the neighbouring areas. The vegetation of the Seyitömer Basin was dominated by trees. This palynological analysis reveals the existence of a swamp-forest developed in a subtropical to warm-temperate humid climate.     

Proxy comparison in ancient peat sediments: pollen,macrofossil and plant DNA

We compared DNA, pollen and macrofossil data obtained from Weichselian interstadial (age more than 40 kyr) and Holocene (maximum age 8400 cal yr BP) peat sediments from northern Europe and used them to reconstruct contemporary floristic compositions at two sites. The majority of the samples provided plant DNA sequences of good quality with success amplification rates depending on age. DNA and sequencing analysis provided five plant taxa from the older site and nine taxa from the younger site, corresponding to 7% and 15% of the total number of taxa identified by the three proxies together. At both sites, pollen analysis detected the largest (54) and DNA the lowest (10) number of taxa, but five of the DNA taxa were not detected by pollen and macrofossils. The finding of a larger overlap between DNA and pollen than between DNA and macrofossils proxies seems to go against our previous suggestion based on lacustrine sediments that DNA originates principally from plant tissues and less from pollen. At both sites, we also detected Quercus spp. DNA, but few pollen grains were found in the record, and these are normally interpreted as long-distance dispersal. We confirm that in palaeoecological investigations, sedimentary DNA analysis is less comprehensive than classical morphological analysis, but is a complementary and important tool to obtain a more complete picture of past flora.     

Linkages between surface and deep circulations in the southern Japan Sea during the last 27,000 years: Evidence from planktic foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotope records

We analyzed planktic foraminiferal assemblages, oxygen and carbon isotope records, and the presence or absence of laminations to reconstruct the paleoenvironments of the southern Japan Sea since the last glacial period. Data were collected from two well-dated cores. One core (water depth 999 m) included thinly laminated mud layers, the other (water depth 283 m) contained nonlaminated sediments. Tephrochronology and accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating of 14 horizons revealed that the two cores contained continuous records of the last 27 cal kyr. A total of 13 planktic foraminiferal species belonging to six genera were identified in down-core samples. The typical indicators of the Tsushima Current water, Globigerinoides ruber, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata, Globigerinoides tenellus, and Globigerinita glutinata occurred since 9.3 cal kyr BP. Neogloboquadrina incompta, which was the dominant species in the Tsushima Current region of the modern Japan Sea, first occurred at 8.2 cal kyr BP and dominated the assemblage since 7.3 cal kyr BP. These results clearly indicate that the warm Tsushima Current started to inflow into the Japan Sea at 9.3 cal kyr BP, and the modern surface conditions in the southern Japan Sea were essentially established at 7.3 cal kyr BP. Our data and comparison of the presence or absence of laminated sediments in three locations from the southern Japan Sea suggest that deep circulation during the deglacial period was weaker than that at present. In addition, deep circulation in the modern Japan Sea, which supplies oxygen-rich water to the entire basin, started probably in association with the first inflow of the Tsushima Current beginning at 9.3 cal kyr BP.     

Late Miocene vegetation and climate reconstruction based on pollen data from the Sofia Basin (West Bulgaria)

The analysis of fossil palynomorh assemblages in the Late Miocene freshwater sediments of the Sofia Basin (West Bulgaria) was done to collect data on the vegetation and climate dynamics during the Late Miocene. On the basis of pollen data, we described the main palaeocomunities developed in the region. The mixed mesophytic forests dominated the vegetation in which species of Quercus, Ulmus, Zelkova, Fagus, Carpinus, Betula, Castanea, Corylus, Pterocarya, Carya, Juglans, and Eucommia played important roles. Swamp forests were also recorded, including Taxodiaceae, Alnus, Glyptostrobus, Nyssa, and Myrica. Herbaceous vegetation was distributed in the middle part of the section, with a maximum of 35.5%. The vegetation dynamic passes through several phases, which were associated with changes in paleoclimate and palaeoecological conditions. Coexistence Approach (CA) was applied to palynological data to calculate four climatic parameters. The values of coexistence intervals for mean annual temperatures are 13.6–16.6 °C, with winter temperatures being 3.7–6.6 °C and summer temperatures being 23.6–27.8 °C. Mean annual precipitation ranged most frequently between 828 and 1308 mm. The palaeoclimatic reconstruction illustrates existence of a warm-temperate and relatively humid climate with higher mean annual temperature than the present day climate.     

Human impact on the Kiso-hinoki cypress woodland in Japan: a history of exploitation and regeneration

The Kiso-hinoki (Kiso-Japanese cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa) woodland underwent severe deforestation in the early 17th century, then regenerated through conservation during the Edo period. Now, a suitable management strategy is sought in order to maintain its ecological function in the forest. To understand the vegetation changes and human impact, sediment cores were recovered from Lake Tadachi in the Kiso-hinoki cypress woodland in the central uphill region of Honshu island. In addition, stratigraphic pollen analysis on two cores (Nos. 6 and 10) and phytolith analysis on three strata of one core (No. 6) was conducted. The age-depth models were constructed based on ¹⁴C dating, greyscale analysis on the sediments, and the increasing level of Cryptomeria pollen (about a.d. 1960) from the pollen profiles. In all periods, the dominant pollen taxa were Cupressaceae and Quercus subgen. Lepidobalanus type. Our analysis indicates that after the commencement of Shikinen-sengu, which is the rebuilding of the Ise Grand Shrine every 20 years, Cupressaceae pollen decreased and the woodland was gradually replaced by Quercus subgen. Lepidobalanus. The percentages of Cupressaceae pollen decreased dramatically and the expansion of secondary woodlands was accompanied by an increase of Quercus subgen. Lepidobalanus in the early 17th century cal. a.d. However, depletion of the woodland was determined from a decrease in concentration of Quercus pollen. The conservation activity during the Edo period and after the Meiji Restoration brought about woodland recovery. However, based on our pollen and phytolith analysis, significant changes to the woodland habitats can be detected. These were probably due to human impacts, most notably in the years after World War II. Four major turning points as the result of human influence were identified: the 10th century, the late 16th century, the Meiji restoration (a.d. 1863), and the end of World War II. The original cypress woodland mixed with deciduous broad-leaved elements has been greatly reduced, preventing future cypress woodland regeneration after World War II.     

Airborne pollen grains in Yalova,Turkey, 2004

In this study, airborne pollen grains of Yalova province were investigated using VPSS 2000 from January to December 2004. During studying period, a total of 22409 pollen grains/m³ which belonged to 46 taxa and 74 unidentified pollen grains were recorded. From the identified taxa, 26 belong to arboreal and 20 to non-arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consist of 80.50% arboreal, 19.17% non-arboreal plants and 0.33% unidentified pollen grains. In the investigated region, from arboreal plant taxa Platanus spp. (29.08%), Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (21.22%), Pinus spp. (7.34%), Alnus spp. (4.75%), Castanea spp. (3.03%), Quercus spp. (3.07%), Olea spp. (2.50%), Acer spp. (2.21%), Corylus spp. (1.41%) and Fagus spp. (1.15%), and from non-arboreal plant taxa Poaceae (10.01%), Asteraceae (2.86%), Plantago spp. (1.47%) and Artemisia spp. (1.11%) were responsible for the greatest amounts of pollen.     

Miocene spores and pollen from Pelitçik Basin,Turkey–environmental and climatic implications

The palynological investigation of the early Middle Miocene fluviolacustrine sedimentary rocks interfingering with volcanics of the Galatean Volcanic Province at Pelitçik Basin (Central Turkey) have yielded palynomorphs belonging to 51 spore and pollen taxa. The pollen record is dominated by Ulmus, Pinaceae, Quercus, Carpinus and Carya, and appears to reflect climatic conditions. Two pollen zones were established based on changing abundances of plant taxa. Zone 1 is characterized by dominance of Ulmus and Pinaceae. Zone 2 is differentiated and characterized by a dramatic increase in, and predominance of, Ulmus, Carya, deciduous Quercus, Carpinus, Salix and Pinaceae. Mixed mesophytic forests were widespread in the basin suggesting warm and temperate climate. The decreasing relative percentage of thermophilous taxa, with Engelhardia as the main component, and warm temperate taxa, such as Carya, at the upper part of Zone 2 generally indicates a climatic deterioration, probably related to the Middle Miocene cooling.