A Review on Diagnostic Phytoliths for the Application in Paleovegetation Reconstruction and Environmental Archaeology in East Asia

Phytoliths are extensively utilized as an archaeobotanical indicator in paleovegetation reconstruction and environmental archaeology. Over the past two decades, numerous phytolith morphotypes, particularly those exhibiting diagnostic morphological features and over representative of source plants at the genus and species levels, were discovered and reported. These advancements have significantly contributed to phytolith-based vegetation reconstruction on different timescales, enhanced our understanding of prehistoric plant utilization, and elucidated cultivation and domestication processes of key crops in ancient agriculture. However, there are still inconsistencies and misunderstandings regarding the morphological characteristics of diagnostic phytoliths in various plant groups. This review highlighted the standardization in the classification and description of phytolith morphotypes, and summarized the advancements in phytolith morphology research over the past two decades. Morphological illustrations of diagnostic phytoliths from various plant groups, particularly key crops and their relatives from dryland and rice agriculture in East Asia, were presented as references for phytolith identification and application. Finally, this review proposes future directions for phytolith morphological studies, emphasizing the comprehensive consideration of anatomical structure and morphometric parameters, as well as the need for extensive research on modern plant phytoliths and control experiments on phytolith growth.

RECONSTRUCTION OF PALEOVEGETATION AND PALEOCLIMATE OF HOLOCENE HYPSITHERMAL IN THE HEMUDU REGION

In this pater,the paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the Hemudu region of Zhejiang Province during 7000 to 6000 a B.P.are reconstructed.Firstly,using Andersen's method, a correction is made for the percentage of pollens of various plants excavated at Hem

Molecular fossil and paleovegetation records of paleosol S4 and adjacent loess layers in the Luochuan loess section, NW China

Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique, a series of biomarkers were identi- fied, including n-alkanes, n-alkane-2-ones, isoprenoid etc. from the loess-paleosol samples collected from the S4 and adjacent L5, L4 of the Luochuan loess section, Northwestern China. Based on these data, especially n-alkanes and high-resolution magnetic susceptibility and grain size data, the pa- leoenvironment and paleovegetation history during S4 was reconstructed. The CPI (Carbon Predomi- nance Index) and correlation between n-alkanes and magnetic susceptibility and grain size data dem- onstrated that the molecular fossils in paleosol and loess layers can reflect the vegetation condition during the loess-paleosol formation, if the allochthonous organic inputs could be excluded reasonably. The ACL (average chain length) index is correlated well with paleomagnetic susceptibility and grain size variations, displaying their good synchrony with warm and humid climate. However, it relatively lagged behind the paleomagnetic susceptibility and the grain size variations when the climate began to deteriorate. During the formation period of paleosol, the n-alkanes was dominated by C31 homologue, indicating that the primary organic input originated from herbs. Our study also demonstrated that the herbs were more flourish than wood plants in Loess Plateau, especially in the Luochuan area during the warm and humid phase, and there was no typical forest vegetation developed in the studied period.

Paleovegetational and paleoclimatic evolution series on northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in the last 30 ka

Palynological study of 2 lacustrine suites by limnological and 14C dating reveals the local evolutionary history of the paleovegetation and the paleoclimate of Zoige Plateau, northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, since the last 30ka. The territorial paleovegetation evolution experienced 7 stages: alpine desert vegetation, grassland, marsh and sub-alpine meadow, islet forest, marsh and meadow, Picea and Abies forest, marsh and sub-alpine meadow, islet dark conifer, marsh and sub-alpine meadow, and the inferred paleoclimate evolution shared similar variations correspondingly. The major climatic events during the periods of post-glacial and the Holocene left their distinct marks in sediment record.

Comparison Study of Paleovegetation and Paleoclimate in South and North Kunlun Mountains in Pliocene

According to the data of pollen analysis,the vegetation varied greatly between the southand the north of the Kurdun Mountains during the Pliocene.To the south of the Kunlun Mountains,includ-ing their south flank,there was distribution of needle and broad-leaf mixed forest that contained tropical andsubtropical compositions,while to the north of the Kunlun Mountains,including their north flank,therewas distribution of temperate deciduous broad-leaf forest and steppe.In both areas mentioned above,therewere scattered middle Asian arid plants of a lush growth in the late Pliocene.In the Pliocene,the Pamir-Kunlun Ranges acted as the division line of the southern and northern types of plants.Then,with the risingof these mountains,inciuding Pamir,Kunlun and Himalaya,this division line had been moving,until itreached the Xindukushi-Himalaya Mountains at present.

Climate Reconstruction based on Pollen Analysis in Inner Mongolia, North China from 51.9 to 30.6 kaBP

The palynomorph assemblage of lake sediments younger than 51.9 kaBP from Wulagai Gobi in Inner Mongolia was analyzed to reconstruct the vegetation and climate. From 51.9 to 30.6 kaBP, the vegetation was arid to semi-arid grassland with only slight changes. According to the palynomorphs, trees and shrubs were very rare. The large number and diversity of algae indicate the presence of a lake. Quantitative climatic conditions were reconstructed using the Best Analogues Method. The results indicate that the annual mean temperature was higher than that at present. The combination of temperature and annual precipitation suggests a change in the climate from cool dry to warm dry and then cool humid. Our results show that the annual precipitation values were mostly higher than that at present but were lower than 400 mm. It infers that the study area was already within the arid to semi-arid regions but with a stronger influence of the summer monsoon during 51.9 to 30.6 kaBP than at present. With slight differences mainly in time scale, the changing trend of the annual temperature curve is consistent with the other climatic records from Antarctica, Greenland, Hulu Cave （East China）, and the Tibetan Plateau during the last glacial period. From 30.6 kaBP to present, very few palynomorphs were detected in the samples. Hence, no information about the vegetation and climate could be extracted. Combined with other studies during Late Pleistocene, we presume that the reason for the lack of pollen during this period was caused by an abrupt temperature fall after 30.6 kaBP or that the lacustrine conditions were unsuitable for pollen deposition. It was probably incurred by the oxidation on land prior to deposition. But for those samples only with algae, it might be caused by the fact that algae could finish their life history in a very short time in a seasonal lake.

Holocene Vegetation and Climate Changes in the Huangqihai Lake Region, Inner Mongolia

A consensus on Holocene climate variability at the modern northern fringe of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) region remains elusive. Here, we present a pollen-based reconstruction of vegetation history and associated climate variations of a sediment core from Huangqihai Lake, central Inner Mongolia. During 10.7 to 8.8 cal kaBP, typical steppe with small patches of forest dominated the lake area, suggesting a moderately wet climate, followed by ameliorating climatic conditions until 8.0 cal kaBP as deduced by the expansion of forest. Typical steppe recovered the lake area between 8.0 and 7.2 cal kaBP, reflecting a deterioration of climatic conditions;in combination with other proxy records in the study region, we noticed that severe aridity was prevailed in the lake area between 8.0 and 7.6 cal kaBP. During 7.2 to 3.2 cal kaBP, abundant tree pollen indicated dominance of forest-steppe around the lake, marking regionally wet conditions. A notable absence of broadleaved trees after 5.2 cal kaBP reveals a slight drying trend, and climate deterioration from 4.5 to 4.1 cal kaBP might be linked to the 4.2 ka event. After 3.2 cal kaBP, a transition to steppe was associated with dry conditions in the region. Based on our pollen record and prior paleoclimatic reconstructions in the Huangqihai Lake region, there was a generally-accepted, stepwise shift to a wet climate during the early Holocene, an overall humid climate from 7.2 to 3.2 cal kaBP, and then severe drought for the rest of the Holocene. Moreover, regional comparisons among pollen records derived from lakes situated in the temperate steppe region suggested a roughly synchronous pattern of vegetation and climate changes during the Holocene and demonstrated an intensified EASM during the middle Holocene.

Regional features of pollen R-values in China

Establishing a quantitative relationship between modern pollen and vegetation remains a pivotal but intricate pursuit within the field of Quaternary palynology.The R-value,a well-established and traditional metric characterized by its simplicity and direct applicability,serves to calibrate the nonlinear disparities between surface pollen and modern vegetation.This study entails the construction of a comprehensive pollen R-value dataset for China derived from R-values published between 1987 and 2021.The dataset,compiled after rigorous screening,calibration,and standardization processes,encompasses 898 modern pollen sampling sites and 2115 pollen R-value data entries,encapsulating 152 pollen taxa spanning 65 families and 113 genera.Synthesizing the extracted R-values yielded the following insights:(1)A macrospatial analysis validates previously established knowledge at a site-specific scale.Evidently,pollen R-value variations across China are statistically significant.Approximately two-thirds of pollen taxa exhibit underrepresentation(e.g.,Taxodiaceae,Corylus,Nitraria,Tamarix,Cyperaceae,Poaceae,and Fabaceae),while the remaining one-third display overrepresentation(e.g.,Pinus,Picea,Betula,Ephedra,Chenopodiaceae,and Artemisia).The degree of underrepresentation surpasses that of overrepresentation,and the representation patterns of Castanea,Quercus,Polygonaceae,and Asteraceae are contingent upon vegetation types.(2)Pollen R-values follow distinct spatial distribution patterns within China.In the woody vegetation region of eastern China,R-values progressively decline from north to south,correlating with rising temperatures and precipitation.Conversely,in herbaceous vegetation regions of northern and western China,R-values decrease from east to west and from northeast to southwest,corresponding to increased aridity.Nevertheless,pollen R-values manifest variation contingent on pollen taxa,vegetation types,and climatic regions,even differing for the same taxa across varying vegetation types and climatic conditions.This highlights the intricate nature of pollen R-values and their interpretation of pollen-vegetation relationships.(3)Pollen R-values and relative pollen production estimates exhibit resemblances and a modest positive correlation.However,adjudicating between them as representatives of vegetation requires nuanced consideration,as both metrics convey pollen representation within vegetation,demonstrating the multifaceted relationships they share with modern vegetation.Further recommendations suggest that when assessing pollen representation in modern vegetation,fossil pollen content should be weighted using either the median or log-transformed R-value.This approach underscores the necessity of comprehensively accounting for divergences and convergences across various spatial scales and vegetation types,particularly the disparities observed within identical pollen taxa across dissimilar regions.

Challenges and opportunities in Quaternary palynology

Quaternary palynology plays a pivotal role in investigating global climate change and various other research fields,serving as an essential tool for the quantitative analysis of paleoenvironment changes.However,due to the vast diversity of terrestrial ecosystems and intricate interactions between vegetation,climate,and human activities,further advancements are required in the following aspects within this discipline.(1)The accuracy of classification in pollen morphology and fossil pollen identification needs improvement,particularly at the species level.This represents a significant challenge in present Quaternary palynology.Computer-aided intelligent recognition holds promise as a solution for species identification based on more detail pollen morphology.(2)Most pollen-based vegetation and climate reconstructions overlook the significance of bare ground.Neglecting bare ground can lead to substantial inaccuracies when quantitatively reconstructing past vegetation and climate.(3)While pollen records provide reliable information on paleoclimate changes,current quantitative climate reconstruction models heavily rely on modern pollen datasets derived from present-day vegetation disturbed more or less by human activities.This introduces bias and uncertainties into paleoclimate reconstruction.(4)Although pollen can serve as an indicator of human activities,accurately quantifying the intensity of human influence remains challenging.Improving accurate identification of crop pollen,reconstructing reliable land cover/use data,and integrating multidisciplinary data may enhance the identification and quantification of signals related to human activity in pollen records.

Holocene vegetational and climatic variation in westerly-dominated areas of Central Asia inferred from the Sayram Lake in northern Xinjiang,China

Changes in the vegetation and climate of the westerly-dominated areas in Central Asia during the Holocene were interpreted using pollen-assemblages and charcoal data from a 300-cm-long sediment core of the Sayram Lake,northern Xinjiang.Accele-rator Mass Spectrometry(AMS) radiocarbon dating methods were applied to bulk organic matter of the samples.Artemisia spp./Chenopodiaceae ratios and results from principal component analysis were used to infer that the lake basin was dominated by desert vegetation before ca.9.6 cal.ka BP,which suggests a warm and dry climate in the early Holocene.Desert steppe/steppe expanded during 9.6-5.5 cal.ka BP,indicating a remarkable increase both in the precipitation and temperature during the mid-Holocene.Desert vegetation dominated between 6.5 and 5.5 cal.ka BP,marking an extreme warmer and drier interval.The steppe/meadow steppe recovered,and temperatures decreased from 5.5 cal.ka BP in the late Holocene,as indicated by the increased abundance of Artemisia and the development of meadows.Holocene temperatures and moisture variations in the Sayram Lake areas were similar to those of adjacent areas.This consistency implies that solar radiation was the main driving factor for regional temperature changes,and that the effect of temperature variations was significant on regional changes in humidity.The evolution of climate and environment in the Sayram Lake areas,which were characterized as dry in the early Holocene and relatively humid in the middle-late Holocene,are clearly different from those in monsoonal areas.Dry conditions in the early Holocene in the Sayram Lake areas were closely related to decreased water vapor advection.These conditions were a result of reduced westerly wind speeds and less evaporation upstream,which in turn were caused by seasonal changes in solar radiation superimposed by strong evaporation following warming and drying local climate.

Carbon isotopic composition of modern soil and paleosol as a response to vegetation change on the Chinese Loess Plateau

The relationship between the carbon isotopic composition of paleosols and paleovegetation on the Loess Plateau is still unclear. One of the main reasons is that we are short of knowledge about the characteristics of the carbon isotopic composition of modern soil in this area. A preliminary investigation of the carbon isotopic compositions of the modern soil and the loess/paleosol sequence on the Loess Plateau shows that the carbon isotopic composition of modern soil is consistent with the distribution of modern plants on the Loess Plateau, where the ecosystem is dominated by a mixture of C4 and C3 plants. Comparing theδ13C values of modern soil and loess-paleosol sequences from the Xunyi profile, we conclude that C3 plants dominated the landscape during loess sediment stages, while C4 plants expanded during paleosol stages.

Changes in South Asian monsoon: New high-resolution paleoclimatic records from Tibet, China

High-resolution pollen records from 6 small lakes in the Tibetan Plateau provided the details of evolution of South Asian monsoon since the Last Glacial Maximum. Prior to 16 kaBP, the region was a desert-steppe characterized by cold and dry climates, the January temperature was 7 -10℃lower than that of present and the annual precipitation only accounted for 40% of the present. The temperature and precipitation increased gradually and trees began to live in the region after 12 kaBP, but during the interval from 9.2 to 6.3 kaBP, forest and forest-meadow appeared occasionally. From 8 to 5 kaBP, both January and July temperature was 2-3℃ higher and annual precipitation was also about 200 mm higher than that of the present. After 5 kaBP, temperature and precipitation decreased linearly and steppe vegetation began to degenerate.

Evolution of vegetation and climate since the last glacial maximum recorded at Dahu peat site, South China

Sporopollen analysis on a 346 cm peat record at Dahu, Jiangxi, chronologically constrained by 16 AMS 14C datings, provides an opportunity to reconstruct the vegetation evolution stages responding to cli-mate change in South China since the last glacial maximum. The result shows that during 18330-15630 cal a B.P., broad-leaved forest dominated the area, corresponding to mild, cool and fairly humid climate. At the interval of 15630-11600 cal a B.P., several evergreen broad-leaved species appeared within the broad-leaved forest, indicating moderate and humid condition. During early Holocene, broad-leaved evergreen forest community was constructed as Castanopsis/Lithorcarpus principally developed, suggesting a warm and humid scenario until 6000 cal a B. P. Since 6000 cal a B. P., abrupt forest deterioration happened with an contemporary increase of fern and herb communities, repre-senting a turnover to relatively cool and dry condition and as well, possible impact from human activi-ties. Meanwhile, several relatively cool and dry events can be identified in the sporopollen record, they can be correlated to the North Atlantic Heinrich event, YD and Holocene millennial-scale oscillations, implying that the low latitude climate was coupled with high latitude influences. Moreover, the varia-tions of temperature and humidity since LGM at Dahu were much smaller when compared with the re-cords in north monsoonal China.

A^200 ka pollen record from Okinawa Trough:Paleoenvironment reconstruction of glacial-interglacial cycles

Pollen analysis was carried out on the Core MD982194 of 29.78 m retrieved from the Middle Okinawa Trough which was dated as old as -200 ka BP. The results revealed that pollen assemblages mainly presented an alternation of coniferous and herb pollen. The coniferous saccate pollen, principally Pinus and Tsuga, predominated in most parts of the core, especially highlighted in the interstadial stages including MIS 1,3, 5 and MIS7, whereas the herb pollen significantly increased in the gla- cial periods. Thus the pollen flora and their percentages showed the sensitive changes under the influence of ice volume during the glacial and interglacial periods. Our record from this core has first documented that the percentage of Cyperaceae was ex- tremely high in the glacial stages with a notable increase in Artemisia, Gramineae, Asteraceae, Cbenopodiaceae, and freshwa- ter algae, which can be used as a proxy for sea-level change at the study site because of their close negative correlation of the orbital-scale changes in sea level. The distance between the continental coastline and the Okinawa Trough has deeply short- ened due to the sea-level drop in the LGM. As a result, the sediment materials from Yangtze River were extensively deposited on the flat, exposed continental shelf owing to the rapid decline of river flow speed, leading to that pollen grains from Okinawa Trough are derived mainly from the flat coastal vegetation of exposed continental shelf at glacial stages. Changes of pollen as- semblage were consistent with the variation of temperature and humidity, which showed that the percentage of arboreal pollen was highly augmented at MIS 7, 5 and MIS 1, corresponding to the strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon and in- creasing of rainfall. Moreover, the peak of Pinus percentage in MIS 5.3, 5.1 and MIS 3.3 may be closely linked by orbital and sub-orbital cycles of solar radiation and monsoonal variability. The present study of core MD981294 implied lower tempera- ture and precipitation during the lowest sea-level stage （LGM）, and more visibly testified that the vegetation of the flat plain on the exposed continental shelf was dominated by intrazonal communities such as halophyte grasslands and freshwater wetlands instead of zonal steppe or semi-arid desert. All above evidence demonstrated that the fundamental changes of pollen assem- blage and their origins in Okinawa Trough since -200 ka BP were affected by combine factors including the coastline position and climate fluctuation. Moreover, the substantial shortening of distance between shoreline and the Okinawa Trough driven by orbital insolation cycles was clearly indicated by the pollen spectra, whereas the source-area climate signal of the pollen record was largely weakened.

Relative pollen productivities of typical steppe species in northern China and their potential in past vegetation reconstruction

The Relative Pollen Productivities(RPPs)of common steppe species are estimated using Extended R-value(ERV)model based on pollen analysis and vegetation survey of 30 surface soil samples from typical steppe area of northern China.Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,Poaceae,Cyperaceae,and Asteraceae are the dominant pollen types in pollen assemblages,reflecting the typical steppe communities well.The five dominant pollen types and six common types(Thalictrum,Iridaceae,Potentilla,Ephedra,Brassicaceae,and Ulmus)have strong wind transport abilities;the estimated Relevant Source Area of Pollen(RSAP)is ca.1000 m when the sediment basin radius is set at 0.5 m.Ulmus,Artemisia,Brassicaceae,Chenopodiaceae,and Thalictrum have relative high RPPs;Poaceae,Cyperaceae,Potentilla,and Ephedra pollen have moderate RPPs;Asteraceae and Iridaceae have low RPPs.The reliability test of RPPs revealed that most of the RPPs are reliable in past vegetation reconstruction.However,the RPPs of Asteraceae and Iridaceae are obviously underestimated,and those of Poaceae,Chenopodiaceae,and Ephedra are either slightly underestimated or slightly overestimated,suggesting that those RPPs should be considered with caution.These RPPs were applied to estimating plant abundances for two fossil pollen spectra(from the Lake Bayanchagan and Lake Haoluku)covering the Holocene in typical steppe area,using the"Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites"(REVEALS)model.The RPPs-based vegetation reconstruction revealed that meadow-steppe dominated by Poaceae,Cyperaceae,and Artemisia plants flourished in this area before 6500–5600 cal yr BP,and then was replaced by present typical steppe.

Phytolith records of the climate change since the past 15000 years in the middle reach of the Yangtze River in China

Based on 14C dating and core sediments survey, phytolith records are employed to reconstruct paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the Jianghan Plain in the middle reach of the Yangtze River. Phytoliths identified are assigned into 21 well-described morphotypes and divided into four groups （Poaceae, fern, coniferous and broad-leaved）. The phytolith assemblages together with warmth index （Iw） are divided into 18 ecological zones, which reflect a complete vegetation history related to climate change in the middle reach of the Yangtze River during the past 15000 years. On the basis of the correlation ofphytolith records with the paleoclimatic indicators from stalagmite, peatland, North Atlantic deep-sea sediments, Loess Plateau of Central China, and Arabic Sea sediments, eight climatic phases are identified included Last Glacial Maximum （LGM） （20- 14.8 cal kaBP）, Last Deglaciation （LDG） （14.8-11.9 cal kaBP）, low-temperature phase in the Early Holocene （11.9-8 cal kaBP）, Holocene Opti- mum （8-4.9cal kaBP）, Holocene Katathermal （4.9- 1.1 cal kaBP）, Medieval Warmth Period （MWP） （1.1- 0.7 cal kaBP）, Little Ice Age （LIA） （0.7-0.15 cal kaBP）, and Modem Warming （0.15 cal kaBP-present）. Climatic events such as Bolling-Allerod warm intervals, Older Dryas, Inter-Allerod Cold Period, and Younger Dryas, and eight Holocene Bond events （B1-8） have been identified since the LDG. Our results demonstrate that the evolution of the climate in the research area has a strong link with the Indian Summer Monsoon （SW Monsoon）, Asian Summer Monsoon （SE Monsoon）, and Holocene events in North Atlantic simultaneously, which might indicate that solar variability affects the Earth surface climate system at the centennial and millennial scales.

The East Asian Monsoon since the Last Glacial Maximum:Evidence from geological records in northern China

The impact of global warming on the climate of northern China has been investigated intensively, and the behavior of the East Asian monsoon during previous intervals of climatic warming may provide insight into future changes. In this study, we use paleovegetation records from loess and lake sediments in the marginal zone of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) to reconstruct the EASM during the interval of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) to the Holocene. The results show that during the LGM, desert steppe or dry steppe dominated much of northern China;in addition, the southeastern margin of the deserts east of the Helan Mountains had a distribution similar to that of the present-day, or was located slightly further south, due to the cold and dry climate caused by a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) and weakened EASM. During the last deglaciation, with the strengthening of the EASM and concomitant weakening of the EAWM, northern China gradually became humid. However, this trend was interrupted by abrupt cooling during the Heinrich 1(H1) and Younger Dryas(YD) events. The EASM intensified substantially during the Holocene, and the monsoon rain belt migrated at least 300 km northwestwards, which led to the substantial shrinking of the desert area in the central and eastern part of northern China, and to the large expansion of plants favored by warm and humid conditions. Paleoclimatic records from the marginal zone of the EASM all show that the EASM reached its peak in the mid-Holocene, and past global climatic warming significantly strengthened the EASM, thereby greatly improving the ecological environment in northern China. Thus, northern China is expected to become wetter as global warming continues. Finally, high resolution Holocene vegetation records are sparse compared with the numerous records on the orbital timescale, and there is a need for more studies of Holocene climatic variability on the centennial-to-decadal scale.

Pliocene flora and paleoenvironment of Zanda Basin, Tibet, China

This paper describes a plant megafossil assemblage from the Pliocene strata of Xiangzi, Zanda Basin in the western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Twenty-one species belonging to 12 genera and 10 families were identified. Studies show that the Pliocene vegetation in Zanda Basin was mostly deciduous shrub composed of Cotoneaster, Spiraea, Caragana, Hippophae,Rhododendron, Potentilla fruticosa, etc. Leaf sizes of these taxa were generally small. Paleoclimate reconstruction using Coexistence Analysis and CLAMP showed that this area had higher temperature and precipitation in the Pliocene than today, and distinct seasonal precipitation variability was established. The reconstructed paleoelevation of Zanda Basin in the Pliocene was similar to modern times. In the context of central Asian aridification, the gradual drought in the area beginning in the late Cenozoic caused vegetation to transition from shrub to desert, and the flora composition also changed.

Fifty years of Quaternary palynology in the Tibetan Plateau

Quaternary palynology in the Tibetan Plateau(TP)was initiated in the 1960s to meet the needs of economic development in western China.Pollen analysis was conducted for the first time on a 200-m long core of Quaternary lacustrine sediments taken from the main body of the TP in order to study pollen assemblages as well as vegetation and climate changes of glacial(cold)/interglacial(warm)periods.Pollen analysis of alpine snow and ice began at the first scientific expedition to the TP in the 1970s.After the 1980s,a series of international collaborative programs were carried out under Sino-French,Sino-German,Sino-Australian,and Sino-American cooperation,marking the integration of Chinese Quaternary palynology society with the international community.New methods for Quaternary palynology were gradually promoted and applied,changing the vegetational and climatic interpretation of Quaternary palynology from qualitative to quantitative.Since the 1990s,many palynologists have carried out extensive Quaternary palynological studies on fossil pollen sites of more than 60 lakes/sections and alpine glaciers in the TP to discuss the spatiotemporal vegetation changes and climatic and environmental evolution of the TP since the Pleistocene.Over the past half-century,Quaternary palynology in the TP has contributed to the establishment of the Chinese Quaternary pollen database and the study of vegetation and climate evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM)in the TP.Currently available pollen records revealed the spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation in the TP since the LGM,exhibiting expansions and shrinkages of forest,meadow,grassland and desert in different periods such as the LGM,the last deglaciation,and Holocene optimum period.The paleomonsoon reflected by paleovegetation since the LGM has undergone the changes of weak-strengthening-strong-weakening but still active-shrinking,which is mainly affected by solar insolation.

Quantitative study on pollen-based reconstructions of vegetation history from central Canada

Based on high-resolution pollen records from lake cores in central Canada, the present study instructed pollen taxa assignations in ecosystem groups and modern analogue technique, reported major results of quantitative reconstructions of vegetation histor