Relationships between modern pollen and vegetation and climate on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau ecosystem is fragile and sensitive to climate change. Understanding the relationships between modern pollen and the vegetation and climate of the region is critical for the evaluation of ecological processes.Here, we explore modern pollen assemblages of typical land-cover types at a large spatial scale by analyzing 36surface samples from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, supplemented by typical desert, desert-steppe, and steppe meadow transition data selected from the Chinese...     

东祁连山南坡现代花粉雨与植被

1 Introduction A significant problem in the analysis of pollen spectra is the incomplete comprehension of the relationship between modern pollen spectra and the vegetation that produces them. Pollen precipitation reflects many factors: pollen production,…     

南洛河流域洛南盆地表土孢粉与植被的关系(英文)

The catchment of South Luohe River in Central China is an important region for investigating modern pollen-environment relationship, because it is located in the transitional zone between south and north China, an environment which is sensitive to climate changes. In this study, 40 surface samples under ten vegetation types were collected to reveal the relationship between pollen assemblages and vegetation. The results show that the surface pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation quite well. In forest topsoils, the average of arboreal pollen content is greater than 40%, and the Selaginella sinensis spore is high. As to sparse forest grassland and shrub community, the average arboreal pollen is 13.2% and 16.6% respectively, and the shrub pollen is relatively higher than that of grassland samples. The grassland and farmland are characterized by low percentage of tree and shrub pollen(<10% and <1%), and high percentage of herbs(>80%). Pinus, Quercus and some other arboreal pollen can indicate the regional vegetation because of their dispersal ability. Quercus pollen is under-representative and so is Pinus. Artemisia pollen is significantly over-represented, has poor correlation with the plant coverage, and may reflect human disturbance. Gramineae can indicate plant quite well, but with low representation. High content of Chenopodiaceae probably suggests human impact. Predominant Selaginella sinensis can be used as an indicator of forest environment. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis of pollen assemblages can distinguish forest and non-forest vegetation well. The former method is better at separating pine and mixed forests, while the latter is more stable and could better differentiate farmland and other non-forest area. The first axis of PCA mainly reflects the humidity.     

Climatic and environmental change in Yanchi Lake, Northwest China since the Late Glacial: A comprehensive analysis of lake sediments

Modern climate research has shown that the Asian summer monsoon water vapor transport is limited to the eastern part of the Qilian Mountains. On the Holocene millennial-scale, whether the northwest boundary of the summer monsoon varies according to climate change is a key scientific issue. Yanchi Lake is located in the northern Qilian Mountains and the middle of the Hexi Corridor, where the modern climate is less affected by the Asian summer monsoon. It is a key research area for examining the long-term variations of the Asian summer monsoon. Paleoclimatic data, including AMS ^14C dates of pollen concentrates and bulk organic carbon, lithology, grain-size, mineral composition and geochemical proxies were acquired from sediments of Yanchi Lake. The chronological results show that the lower part of the lacustrine section is formed mainly in the Late Glacial and early Holocene period, while the proxies＇ data indicate the lake expansion is associated with high content of mineral salts. The middle part of this section is formed during the transitional period of the early and middle Holocene. Affected by the reworking effect, the pollen concentrates AMS^14C dates from the middle part of the section are generally older than those from the lower part. Since the mid-Holocene, Yanchi Lake retreated significantly and the deposition rate dropped obvi- ously. The Yanchi Lake record is consistent with the Late Glacial and Holocene lake records in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the climatic records in typical monsoon domain, which indicate the lake expansion and the strong Asian summer monsoon during the Late Glacial and early Holocene. The long-term monsoonal pattern is different from the lake evolution in Central Asia on the Holocene millennial-scale. This study proves the monsoon impacts on the northwestern margin of the summer monsoon, and also proves the fact that the northern boundary of the summer monsoon moves according to millennial-scale climate change.     

河北省中南部农田孢粉组合特征

The study on 82 surface soil pollen samples from different types of cultivated vegetations in central and southern parts of Hebei Province indicates that the pollen assemblages from farmlands in the plain have not only their own plant types, but also the pollen components from the nearby mountains. Arboreal pollen percentages and concentrations (dominated by Pinus) from farmlands in mountain area are higher than those in the plain, and it reduces gradually with the increasing distance away from the mountains. Taking Pinus pollen in Taihang Mountains as an example, its content is 20%-30%, 10%-20%, 20%-30% and below 16% respectively for the samples from the area of 0-50, 50-100, 100-150 and more than 150 km away from the east Taihang Mountains. The increase of Pinus pollen proportion in the central plain is probably related to the fohn effect. The spatial variation of AP from mountains to the plain in Hebei Province may be similar to the forests clearance by human activities in the early historical period. Shrubby pollen proportion is small both in mountains and in the plain, but their major components are different. Elaeagnaceae, Corylus, Ostryopsis and Oleaceae are common in mountain areas, while there are relatively high contents of Rosaceae and Vitaceae in the plain. Herbs content in the plain (about 60%) is 15% higher than that in mountains, among which the Cereals and Cruciferae pollen percentages are 5% and 2% higher respectively. Artemisia pollen percentage in the plain is lower than that in mountains. Since the human activities are weaker in mountains compared with that in the plain, the general trend is that Chenopodiaceae pollen increases from mountains to the plain gradually, reflecting the raising intensity of human activities. The fern spores of Selaginella sinensis in mountains are higher than that in the plain, but it still reaches to about 7% in the plain. The fern spores of Selaginella sinensis are not prone to be spread by wind, indicating that those in the surface soil of the plain may be carried by river water from mountains during the deposition of the plain.     

A paleo-hydrological simulation experiment and its verification in an inland basin

Hydrological circulation, as the most basic material cycle and active natural phenomenon on earth, exerts a significant influence on climate change. The mid-Holocene is an important period to better understand modern environmental change;however, little research has focused on its quantitative simulation of paleo-hydrological process. In this research, we first collected chronological evidence and sediment records from six Holocene sedimentary sections in the Shiyang River Basin to reconstruct the mid-Holocene environment and terminal paleo-lake area. Secondly, we comprehensively analyzed modern pollen combinations and their propagation characteristics in surface soil, air, river and lacustrine sediments in the Shiyang River Basin, and combined the pollen records, as well as quantitatively reconstructed the millennial-scale vegetation zones. Finally, based on the land-cover adjustment results during the mid-Holocene, we successfully used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model, a modern distributed hydrological watershed model, to simulate mid-Holocene runoff in the basin. Results show that the reconstructed climate in the basin was warmer and moister than that in recent times. Vegetation types in the mid-Holocene mainly consisted of sub-alpine shrub distributed between 2,550 m and 2,750 m,forest at an elevation of 2,550-2,750 m, steppe at an elevation of 1,550-2,150 m and desert steppe below 1,550 m. The upstream, midstream, downstream and average annual runoff of the mid-Holocene in the basin were 16.76×10~8 m~3, 22.86×10~8 m~3, 9.00×10~8 m~3 and 16.20×10~8 m~3 respectively, compared to 15.61×10~8 m~3 of modern annual runoff. Also, the area of terminal paleo-lake in the mid-Holocene was 628 km~2. Thus, this study provides a new quantitative method for paleo-hydrological simulation.     

Relationship between pollen assemblages and organic geochemical proxies and the response to climate change in the Zhuye Lake sediments

This paper examines the relationship among organic geochemical proxies （TOC, C/N ratio and ~13C） and pollen assemblages in Zhuye Lake sediments since the Late Glacial. Results show that the reaction extent of organic geochemical proxies and pollen as- semblages to environment changes are different. Organic geochemical proxies are sensitive to overall environmental change, while pollen assemblages indicate detailed information of environmental change. For the entire sedimentary section （except the sand layer fi＇om the bottom of the section）, when values of TOC, C/N ratio and total pollen concentrations are high, 813C values are low, and vice versa. The different responses of organic geochemical proxies and pollen records in Zhuye Lake are mainly due to their different sensitivity and diverse influencing factors in different environmental conditions.     

Relationship between pollen assemblages and organic geochemical proxies and the response to climate change in the Zhuye Lake sediments

This paper examines the relationship among organic geochemical proxies (TOC, C/N ratio and δ¹³C) and pollen assemblages in Zhuye Lake sediments since the Late Glacial. Results show that the reaction extent of organic geochemical proxies and pollen assemblages to environment changes are different. Organic geochemical proxies are sensitive to overall environmental change, while pollen assemblages indicate detailed information of environmental change. For the entire sedimentary section (except the sand layer from the bottom of the section), when values of TOC, C/N ratio and total pollen concentrations are high, δ¹³C values are low, and vice versa. The different responses of organic geochemical proxies and pollen records in Zhuye Lake are mainly due to their different sensitivity and diverse influencing factors in different environmental conditions.     

青藏高原东北部共和盆地末次冰消期以来古植被和环境演变(英文)

Paleoenvironmental history in the monsoonal margin in the northeast Tibetan Pla-teau provides important clue to the regional climate. Previous researches have been limited by either poor chronology or low resolution. Here we present a high-resolution pollen record from a 40.92-m-long sediment core (DLH) taken from Dalianhai, a terminal lake situated in the Gonghe Basin, the northeast Tibetan Plateau for reconstructing the vegetation and climate history since the last deglacial on the basis of a chronology controlled by 10 AMS 14C dates on plant remains preserved in the core sediments. The pollen assemblages in DLH core can be partitioned into 6 pollen zones and each zone is mainly characterized by the growth and decline of tree or herb pollen percentage. During the periods of 14.8-12.9 ka and 9.4-3.9 ka, the subalpine arboreal and local herbaceous pollen increased, indicating the subalpine forest developed in the surrounding mountains and a desert steppe or typical steppe developed in Gonghe Basin under a relatively moister climate. During the periods of 15.8-14.8 ka, 12.9-9.4 ka and 3.9-1.4 ka, the forest shrank or disappeared according to different degrees of aridity, and the desert steppe degraded to a more arid steppe desert in the basin, indicating a dry climate. After 1.4 ka, vegetation type around Dalianhai was mainly dominated by steppe suggested by increased Artemisia. Our results suggested the climate history in this region was dry from 15.8-14.8 ka, humid from 14.8-12.9 ka and dry from 12.9-9.4 ka, after which the climate was humid during 9.4-3.9 ka, followed by dry conditions during 3.9-1.4 ka and humid conditions in the last 1.4 ka. The change of pollen percentage and the evolution of palaeovegetation in Dalianhai since the last deglacial were similar to those recorded in Qinghai Lake. The forest expanded in the mountains around Dalianhai during the B?l-ling-Aller?d period, shrank during the Younger Dryas and the early Holocene, then it devel-oped and reached its maximum in the mid-Holocene. During the late Holocene, the vegetation began to shrink till disappearance. However, the timing of forest expansion in the Holocene lagged behind that of Qinghai Lake, and this spatial heterogeneity was probably caused by the different forest species between these two places. The maximum of forest development in the mid-Holocene was inconsistent with the period of stronger summer monsoon in the early Holocene indicated by stalagmite records, the reason might be related to the complexity of vegetation response to a large-scale climatic change.     

Spatio-temporal analysis of cropland change in the Guanzhong area,China, from 1650 to 2016

As one of the most critical impact factors of global change, historical land-use change is an indispensable input in climate and environment simulations. To better understand the cropland change in the Guanzhong area, gazetteers, statistics, and survey data were collected as data sources. Methods of registered tax-paying cropland data collection, selection of time points, and data interpolation and calibration were used to reconstruct changes in the cropland area. The cropland area data at the county level were allocated to 1 km×1 km grid cells. The total cropland area in the Guanzhong area was influenced by changes in population, wars, natural disasters, and land-use types, and it fluctuated from 1650 to 2016. From 1780 to 1830, the cropland expanded in the northern and western parts of Guanzhong area, and the cropland in the north of Qinling Mountains increased slightly. The spatial pattern of cropland reached its maximum range in 1980, and the cropland area declined in the whole study area, especially in the cities of Xi'an and Xianyang in 2016. The comparison between HYDE 3.2 and the data obtained in this study showed that the grid cells of HYDE 3.2 exhibit lower values of cropland area fractions in the Guanzhong Basin and higher values in high-altitude areas around the Guanzhong Basin as compared to those in this study.     

Surface pollen in the east of Qaidam Basin

Pollen analysis of 23 surface samples in the east of Qaidam Basin reveals the characteristics of pollen assemblages and their relationships with vegetation and climate. In pollen assemblages, Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia are preponderant types in all the samples, and Ephedra, Gramineae and Compositae are common types. The results of DCA (Detrended Correspondance Analysis) and Correlation Analysis show different pollen assemblages indicate different vegetations, coincided with respective vegetation types. A/C (Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae) in the desert can indicate the aridity. Depending on the aridity, the vegetation communities are divided into four groups: severe drought group, moderate drought group, slight drought group and tropophilous group. A/C value is less 0.2 in the severe drought group, 0.2–0.5 in the moderate drought group, 1.63 in the slight drought group and 5.72 slight-wetness group.     

柴达木盆地东部表土花粉分析

柴达木盆地东部荒漠区 8个样地、 2 3个样点的表土花粉分析较好地揭示了荒漠区花粉组合的特点及其与植被、环境的关系。研究发现 ,荒漠区表土花粉以藜科 (Chenopodiaceae)和蒿属 (Artemisia)为主 ,并以前者占优势地位 ,麻黄属 (Ephedra)亦较常见 ,禾本科(Gramineae)、菊科 (Compositae)植物在群落中也占有一定的比例。花粉百分比含量DCA排序与相关分析发现 ,荒漠区不同植物群落下表土花粉组合特征各不相同 ,而且与相应的植物群落及其所代表的环境特征相一致。荒漠区表土花粉蒿 /藜 (Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae)比对干旱程度具有指示作用 ,比值越小 ,越干旱。     

北方草原区主要群落类型表土花粉分析

建立花粉与现代植被的关系是利用地层沉积物中的花粉记录恢复古植被、古气候研究的基础工作之一。中国北方草原区39个表土花粉研究表明,蒿属、藜科是草原区花粉组合的主要成分,以禾本科为建群种的草原群落花粉组合以蒿属花粉为主,禾本科花粉多低于10%。禾本科花粉的低代表性可能与其分蘖繁殖、花粉产量低有关。草原区表土花粉浓度与植被盖度相关不明显。典型草原与荒漠草原花粉组合存在着明显的区别,典型草原区藜科花粉百分比一般低于25%,荒漠草原区一般高于25%。DCA分析表明,草原区针叶树、莎草科、石竹科花粉代表较湿润的环境,蒿、藜科、锦鸡儿、柽柳、白刺花粉代表较干燥的环境,阔叶树、禾本科、菊科、毛茛科、蓼科、豆科、唇形科(百里香)、虎榛子+榛、蔷薇科花粉代表的环境介于前两组之间。DCA分析用于草原区花粉组合研究具有较好的环境指示意义。     

哈拉湖流域表土花粉与植被关系研究

哈拉湖位于青海省境内祁连山系西部,属于高山内陆湖泊。对哈拉湖域进行了植被样方调查及表土、湖底表层沉积物花粉分析,结果显示该流域表土花粉组合能较好地反映样方植被群落特征,高寒荒漠草原植被样点花粉组合以蒿属、菊科、藜科花粉为主,高寒草甸样点莎草科花粉占绝对优势。R值分析结果显示藜科、莎草科和蒿属花粉具有超代表性,而禾本科、菊科、豆科花粉具有低代表性特征。湖底表层沉积物中的花粉分析结果显示湖泊沉积物花粉受控于湖泊近源植被,花粉组合能较好反映湖区整体植被特征,花粉分布具有均一性。沉积物表层花粉组合以蒿属、藜科为主,双气囊型花粉如云杉属、松属等少量出现,表明河流和风力是哈拉湖沉积物花粉输入的主要动力。该研究为在哈拉湖地区利用花粉重建古植被提供了重要的参考依据。     

中国东部淤泥质海岸盐沼植被藜科花粉数量研究

选取中国东部江苏盐城和辽宁盘锦两地淤泥质海岸盐沼植被带,经植被调查和表土孢粉分析,讨论藜科(Chenopodiaceae)花粉数量与沿岸潮上带密布的碱蓬属(Suaeda. sp)植物群落的数量关系,论证藜科花粉含量与淤泥质岸线位置的关系。研究认为,当沿海古淤泥质地层中的孢粉组合,藜科花粉超过30%,可以判定为古海岸线潮上带。如果藜科花粉为20%~30%,多见禾本科(Poaceae/Gramineae)、莎草科(Cyperaceae)的花粉,表明为海滨盐沼植被景观,古海岸线潮上带离之不远。第四纪古岸线变化研究,验证了藜科花粉数量可以作为判定淤泥质古岸线的代用指标。     

东祁连山表土花粉组合及其数量特征

应用TWINSPAN分类和DCA排序对东祁连山地区7个不同植被类型的表土花粉组合及其与环境的关系进行定量研究。表土花粉类型可分为3组：Group1为花粉产量大的本地花粉，可较好地反映当地植被的特征；Group2为产量小的本地花粉，反映植被特征较差；Group3为外来花粉，在土壤地层中较常见。样地排序结果可划分出6个组：(1)山地草原化荒漠，(2)青海云杉林，(3)祁连圆柏林，(4)金露梅灌丛，(5)矮嵩草草甸，(6)小嵩草草甸，各组具有不同的花粉组合特征；但山杨—白桦林可能是由于花粉自身和花粉保存等原因，花粉组合无突出特征，难以区分。海拔高度和干燥度是影响表土花粉和植被分布的重要因素。藜科／蒿属(C／A)、木本花粉／非木本花粉(AP／NAP)随植被变化也反映出与植被分布的一致性。     

Late-glacial vegetation and environment on the eastern slope foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada

Stratigraphic pollen analysis done on sediment cores from two sites in the upper North Saskatchewan drainage basin of the eastern slopes foothills of the Rocky Mountains in west central Alberta, Canada combined with sedimentological data provide a local vegetational and environmental history. Radiocarbon AMS dates provide a chronology back to 17960 BP. Reconstruction and interpretation of the local pollen zones includes reevaluation of steppe and grassland as analogs for full- and late-glacial vegetation. Regional vegetation from c. 17960 to 16 100 BP is interpreted as an extremely cold semi-arid Artemisia steppe, the vegetation c. 16 100 to 11 900 BP as an Artemisia-Betula shrubland, and the vegetation c. 11 900–10 200 BP as a Picea woodland, in an environment characterized by consistently arid and windy conditions. This reconstruction emphasizes the significance of aridity, as opposed to simply low temperatures, as the critical factor in determining the late Quaternary vegetation of Alberta.This is the 18th in a series of papers published in this special AMQUA issue. These papers were presented at the 1994 meeting of the American Quaternary Association held 19–22 June, 1994, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Linda C. K. Shane served as guest editor for these papers.     

中国北方几种灌丛群落表土花粉与植被关系研究

中国北方20个典型灌丛群落主要花粉类型的百分比与植被盖度关系表明:除蒿及沙棘外,其它灌丛群落中,优势植物种的花粉百分比多低于20%。灌木花粉对植被的指示性研究表明:皂荚花粉为适中代表性类型,对植被指示明显。苦豆子、霸王柴、荆条、四合木、锦鸡儿、鼠李、绣线菊、虎榛子、榛、白刺、柽柳、柳等为低代表性类型(R值低于0.3),对植被有一定的指示意义;沙棘、蒿属、藜科花粉为超代表性类型(R值高于1或O值高于0.5),对植被也只有一定的指示意义。虎耳草科、豆科花粉对植被指示意义不明显。