Studies of modern pollen assemblages for pollen dispersal- deposition- preservation process understanding and for pollen-based reconstructions of past vegetation, climate, and human impact: A review based on case studies in China

Xu, Qinghai; Zhang, Shengrui; Gaillard, Marie-José; Li, Manyue; Cao, Xianyong; Tian, Fang; Li, Furong

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.07.017

Cited by 103 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…In forest hollows or wet ditches, however, the palynological profile is influenced less by pollen morphology (e.g. Xu et al, 2016) and more by the sheltered nature of the area. Only very local vegetation tends to be represented in the profile as the surrounding canopy will prevent pollen dispersing from the site or being introduced from elsewhere via air currents.…”

Section: Use Of Palynology In Woodland Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning the reliability of “ancient” woodland indicators: Resilience to interruptions and persistence following deforestation

Webb

Goodenough

2018

Ecological Indicators

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Indicator species can provide invaluable insights into environmental conditions but robust empirical testing of their effectiveness is essential. Ancient woodland indicators (AWIs) are plant species considered indicative of sites that have been continuously wooded for a long period by virtue of poor dispersal ability and intolerance of nonwoodland habitats. Many countries now utilise AWI species lists to classify ancient woodlands. Here we use a metastudy approach to test resilience of AWIs to interruptions and persistence following deforestation-and thus the robustness of using AWI lists-using a novel approach. We compare current AWI assemblage with woodland history based on pollen evidence at nine sites across the UK with a robustly-dated and spatially-precise palynological profile. Sites were split into: (1) proven continuous woodland; (2) previously interrupted woodland; and (3) previously but not currently wooded. Vegetation history was >1000 years at most sites. Assessment of ancientness using AWIs agreed with palynologically-proven ancient woodland at two sites, including a species-poor woodland of previously-uncertain age. However, four interrupted woodland sites and three clear-felled sites supported extensive AWI floristic communities. This suggests AWIs are resilient to interruptions, possibly by remaining in the seed bank longer than expected, and persistent following deforestation. Persistence might be due to other species (e.g. heathland plants) acting as pseudo-canopy or because some AWIs are more tolerant of nonwoodland locations than previously thought. We conclude that use of floristic AWIs alone in defining ancient woodland should be reviewed, especially where status links to planning policy and conservation prioritisation. We suggest species on AWI lists be reviewed under expert and local guidance and a system of weighting species based on their strict or strong affinity solely with ancient woodland be developed. The use of multi-taxa indicators is recommended to allow stakeholders globally to make informed decisions about ancient woodland status.

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Section: Use Of Palynology In Woodland Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning the reliability of “ancient” woodland indicators: Resilience to interruptions and persistence following deforestation

Webb

Goodenough

2018

Ecological Indicators

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“…Based on the widely accepted assumption in pollen-based climatic reconstructions that pollen spectra from lake sediments may reflect the signals of regional vegetation and climate in the drainage basin [e.g., Seppä et al, 2004;Zhao et al, 2009;Birks et al, 2010;Xu et al, 2016], pollen-inferred numerical estimates for PANN on the northeastern QTP were based on two high-resolution pollen sequences from Lake Dalianhai spanning the last 16,000 years [Cheng et al, 2013] (36°114 0 50″N, 100°24 0 25″E, 2850 m above sea level (asl)) and its nearby Lake Qinghai spanning the last 18,000 years…”

Section: Quantitative Precipitation Reconstructionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative precipitation estimates for the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau over the last 18,000 years

Dodson

Yan

et al. 2017

JGR Atmospheres

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Quantitative information regarding the long‐term variability of precipitation and vegetation during the period covering both the Late Glacial and the Holocene on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is scarce. Herein, we provide new and numerical reconstructions for annual mean precipitation (PANN) and vegetation history over the last 18,000 years using high‐resolution pollen data from Lakes Dalianhai and Qinghai on the northeastern QTP. Hitherto, five calibration techniques including weighted averaging, weighted average‐partial least squares regression, modern analogue technique, locally weighted weighted averaging regression, and maximum likelihood were first employed to construct robust inference models and to produce reliable PANN estimates on the QTP. The biomization method was applied for reconstructing the vegetation dynamics. The study area was dominated by steppe and characterized with a highly variable, relatively dry climate at ~18,000–11,000 cal years B.P. PANN increased since the early Holocene, obtained a maximum at ~8000–3000 cal years B.P. with coniferous‐temperate mixed forest as the dominant biome, and thereafter declined to present. The PANN reconstructions are broadly consistent with other proxy‐based paleoclimatic records from the northeastern QTP and the northern region of monsoonal China. The possible mechanisms behind the precipitation changes may be tentatively attributed to the internal feedback processes of higher latitude (e.g., North Atlantic) and lower latitude (e.g., subtropical monsoon) competing climatic regimes, which are primarily modulated by solar energy output as the external driving force. These findings may provide important insights into understanding the future Asian precipitation dynamics under the projected global warming.

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“…Rowley and Rowley 1956;Salmi 1962;Davis 1967cDavis , 1968Davis , 1973Davis et al 1971Davis et al , 1984, and transportation by water (e.g. Crowder and Cuddy 1973;Peck 1973;Pennington 1973;Bonny 1976Bonny , 1978) (see Birks and Birks (1980) and Xu et al (2016) for additional studies). As Jackson (2012) notes, "Taphonomy is an unglamorous pursuit, yet it buttresses the inferential structure of paleoecology.…”

Section: Pollen-representation Studies Pollen Taphonomy and Pollen-mentioning

confidence: 99%

One hundred years of Quaternary pollen analysis 1916–2016

Birks

Berglund

2017

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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We review the history of Quaternary pollen analysis from 1916 to the present-day, with particular emphasis on methodological and conceptual developments and on the early pioneers of the subject. The history is divided into three phases-the pioneer phase 1916-1950, the building phase 1951-1973, and the mature phase 1974-present-day. We also explore relevant studies prior to Lennart von Post's seminal lecture in 1916 in Kristiania (Oslo) in an attempt to trace how the idea of Quaternary pollen analysis with quantitative pollen counting and stratigraphical pollen diagrams developed. Keywords Concepts  Gunnar Erdtman  History  Human impact  Johs Iversen  Knut Faegri  Lennart von Post  Methods  Palaeoclimatology  Pioneer, building, and mature phases  Pioneers  Pollen-representation studies  Relative and radiocarbon dating  Quaternary geology  Quaternary pollen analysis  Taphonomy This paper is based in part on the lectures we gave at the Centenary (1916-2016) of Pollen Analysis and the Legacy of Lennart von Post held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm on 24-25 November 2016. This meeting was generously supported by the Linnaeus University, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. We are very grateful to Marie-José Gaillard and Kevin J Edwards for the invitation to present our lectures; to Hilary Birks for many helpful discussions and invaluable practical assistance, to the late Svend Th.

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Studies of modern pollen assemblages for pollen dispersal- deposition- preservation process understanding and for pollen-based reconstructions of past vegetation, climate, and human impact: A review based on case studies in China

Cited by 103 publications

References 115 publications

Questioning the reliability of “ancient” woodland indicators: Resilience to interruptions and persistence following deforestation

Questioning the reliability of “ancient” woodland indicators: Resilience to interruptions and persistence following deforestation

Quantitative precipitation estimates for the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau over the last 18,000 years

One hundred years of Quaternary pollen analysis 1916–2016

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