Pollen preservation and Quaternary environmental history in the southeastern United States
Reconstructions of Quaternary environmental history based upon modern pollen/vegetation/climate calibrations are more tenable if the factors responsible for variation in pollen assemblages are evaluated. Examination of the state of preservation of Quaternary palynomorphs provides quantitative data concerning the degree of information loss due to alteration of pollen assemblages by syndepositional and post-depositional deterioration. The percentage, concentration, and influx values for total indeterminable pollen are useful criteria in providing an objective and quantitative basis for evaluating the comparability of pollen spectra within and between sites. Supporting data concerning sediment particle-size distribution, organic matter content, and concentration, influx, and taxonomic composition of both determinable pollen and plant macrofossils aid in reconstructing past depositional environments. The potential is high for deterioration of pollen in sediments from the southeastern United States, although considerable variation is found in both kind and degree of deterioration between lacustrine and alluvial sites of different ages and in different latitudes. Modern analogs are a basis for late Quaternary environmental reconstructions when pollen deterioration has not significantly biased the information content of fossil pollen assemblages.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville
- OSTI ID:
- 6030542
- Journal Information:
- Palynology; (United States), Vol. 4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
FOSSILS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
POLLEN
DEPOSITION
CLIMATES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ENVIRONMENT
PLANTS
QUANTITY RATIO
QUATERNARY PERIOD
SEDIMENTS
SOUTHEAST REGION
CENOZOIC ERA
GAMETES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GERM CELLS
NORTH AMERICA
USA
510100* - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (-1989)