Potential in paleoclimate reconstruction of modern pollen assemblages from natural and human-induced vegetation along the Heilongjiang River basin, NE China

The relationships among modern pollen, vegetation, climate and human activities can help improving the reliability of reconstruction of past vegetation, regional climate and human activities based on fossil pollen records. We used a dataset of 114 surface soil pollen samples from natural vegetation (wetlands, forests and grasslands) and human-induced vegetation (farmlands and residences) along the Heilongjiang River basin in northeast China to explore the relationships among modern pollen, vegetation, climate and human activities. The results indicated that surface pollen assemblages differentiated modern vegetation well in natural and human-induced vegetation types. The wetlands were mainly composed of Cyperaceae, along with Artemisia, weeds Poaceae (35 mu m) and Taraxacum. The pollen assemblages of residences were composed of weeds Poaceae (35 mu m). Pollen concentrations of human-induced vegetation were lower than natural vegetation types, which could be used as an indicator of human influence intensity. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved