Open AccessPollen assemblages and their environmental implications in the Q aidam B asin, NW C hina
Author(s) -
Zhang Shengrui,
Xu Qinghai,
Nielsen Anne Birgitte,
Chen Hui,
Li Yuecong,
Li Manyue,
Hun Lingyun,
Li Jianyong
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2012.00264.x
Subject(s) - pollen , precipitation , vegetation (pathology) , grain size , physical geography , geology , botany , biology , geography , geomorphology , meteorology , medicine , pathology
The Qaidam B asin is one of the most sensitive areas to climate change in C hina, owing to its unique geographical position and ecological condition. In this study, 32 surface‐soil pollen samples were collected to reveal the relationship between modern pollen assemblages, vegetation and precipitation in the eastern region of the Q aidam B asin. The results show that C henopodiaceae (3.8–87%, average 48%), A rtemisia (1.7–64.2%, average 17.5%) and E phedra (0–90%, average 16.3%) are the dominant pollen types in all samples, and that different pollen assemblages correspond to different vegetation types. DCA and CCA of major pollen types demonstrate that precipitation is an important factor in the control of the distribution of vegetation in the study area. The content and concentration of the three major pollen types ( A rtemisia , C henopodiaceae and E phedra ) change with the mean annual precipitation, and the optimum mean annual precipitation for E phedra , C henopodiaceae and A rtemisia is <80, 80–200 and >160 mm, respectively. Correlation analysis between the variation in grain size of the three major pollen types and the main environmental variables shows that the grain size of the three pollen types is positively correlated with precipitation in the Q aidam B asin. The results confirm that precipitation is the most important environmental factor in the Q aidam B asin, and that it has an important effect on pollen grain size in the study area.