SOIL POLLEN ANALYSIS

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Abstract
Summary: Acidic soils (pH below 5.5) may contain a great deal of pollen through the profile, and the floristic composition of this pollen may vary greatly in samples from successively greater depths.Various attempts have been made in the past to interpret pollen diagrams from soils, but they have usually broken down through the application of methods of interpretation which are only applicable to properly stratified materials such as peats or lake sediments. Once it is appreciated that downwash of pollen through the soil confers on each species a depth distribution pattern characteristic of its history on the site, broad conclusions about the vegetative history of a site can frequently be drawn.The preservation of pollen depends on the biological activity of the soil, which is closely correlated with pH. Soils which have only been decalcified recently will have a short pollen record, perhaps only a few centuries, but intrinsically base‐poor parent material may permit preservation for several millennia.

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