TITLE

Detecting differences in vegetation among paired sites using pollen records

AUTHOR(S)

Sugita, Shinya; Parshall, Tim; Calcote, Randy

PUB. DATE

December 2006

SOURCE

Holocene;Dec2006, Vol. 16 Issue 8, p1123

SOURCE TYPE

Academic Journal

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

The 'Qualitative Assessment of Difference' method (QAD) is proposed to objectively detect differences in the relative abundance of vegetation between paired sites using pollen percentages. This method corrects for intertaxonomic differences in pollen productivity and neutralizes influences of background pollen on pollen representation of vegetation, using an inverse form of the Extended R-value model. We test the method using modern pollen�vegetation data from small hollows in northern Michigan (6 taxa; 45 sites) and from northwestern Wisconsin (7 taxa; 43 sites) in the USA. Compared with pollen percentages, the one-tailed Fisher Exact test shows that the QAD method significantly improves the accuracy of the results for all taxa. The rank order of sites based on QAD is significantly correlated to the rank order of sites based on a survey of vegetation composition surrounding the hollow for each taxon (Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients; p < 0.001). We apply QAD to 9000-yr pollen records from two forest hollows c. 6 km apart in northern Michigan. Among seven taxa compared, Pinus, a taxon with well-dispersed pollen and a high pollen producer, often displays discrepancies in the direction of difference between QAD and the percentage-based method, demonstrating that pollen percentages alone do not always reflect differences in vegetation composition accurately. When several similarly sized sites are available in the same vegetation zone, QAD can objectively rank-order sites for individual taxa in relation to, for example, differences in soils, topography, patterns of species invasion, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and other factors.

ACCESSION #

23561988

Tags: VEGETATION dynamics;  QUALITATIVE research;  PALEONTOLOGY -- Holocene;  VEGETATION mapping;  PALYNOLOGY -- History;  POLLEN -- Research

 

Related Articles

• Surface pollen deposition on glacier forelands in southern Norway I: local patterns of representation and source area at Storbreen, Jotunheimen. Pardoe, H. S. // Holocene;Dec2006, Vol. 16 Issue 8, p1149 

  The relationship between vegetation and surface pollen deposition is examined at Storbreen glacier foreland where a clear plant succession exists. The aim is to determine whether the distinct plant communities present produce characteristic pollen assemblages. The influence of environmental...

• Pilot Study for an Assessment of Vegetation Structure for Steppe Rangelands of Central Anatolia. Firincioğlu, Hüseyin Kansur; Şahİn, Bilal; Seefeldt, Steven; Mert, Fehmi; Hakyemez, Basri Hakan; Vural, Mecit // Turkish Journal of Agriculture & Forestry;2008, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p401 

  In the last 50 years, rangelands in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey have been converted to cropping lands, which has negatively accelerated vegetation change, resulting in overgrazing and poor condition and productivity. In these steppe rangelands, to develop a rational basis for making...

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (L band) and Optical Vegetation Indices for Discriminating the Brazilian Savanna Physiognomies: A Comparative Analysis. Sano, Edson E.; Ferreira, Laerte G.; Huete, Alfredo R. // Earth Interactions;2005, Vol. 9 Issue 1, p1 

  The all-weather capability, signal independence to the solar illumination angle, and response to 3D vegetation structures are the highlights of active radar systems for natural vegetation mapping and monitoring. However, they may present significant soil background effects. This study addresses...

• Contribution of topographically based landslide hazard modelling to the analysis of the spatial distribution and ecology of kauri (Agathis australis). Claessens, Lieven; Verburg, Peter H.; Schoorl, Jeroen M.; Veldkamp, Anthony // Landscape Ecology;Jan2006, Vol. 21 Issue 1, p63 

  in this paper the use of topographical attributes for the analysis of the spatial distribution and ecological cycle of kauri (Agathis australis), a canopy emergent conifer tree from northern New Zealand, is studied. Several primary and secondary topographical attributes are derived from a...

• Climate changes in East Siberia (Russia) in the Holocene based on diatom, chironomid and pollen records from the sediments of Lake Kotokel. Fedotov, A.; Vorobyeva, S.; Vershinin, K.; Nurgaliev, D.; Enushchenko, I.; Krapivina, S.; Tarakanova, K.; Ziborova, G.; Yassonov, P.; Borissov, A. // Journal of Paleolimnology;Apr2012, Vol. 47 Issue 4, p617 

  We analysed a 620-cm-long sediment record from Lake Kotokel located in East Siberia (Russia) for subfossil diatoms, chironomids and pollen to provide a reconstruction of the climate history of the area for the last 12.2 kyr. The subfossil records show differing time lags in their responses to...

• Holocene humans at Pontnewydd and Cae Gronw caves. Aldhouse-Green, Stephen; Pettitt, Paul // Antiquity;Jun96, Vol. 70 Issue 268, p444 

  Describes the Holocene human remains excavated from Pontewydd and Cae Gronw caves in north Wales. Radiocarbon dating; Cataloguing hominid finds; Implications on Post Glacial study context.

• A 1416-year reconstruction of annual, multidecadal, and centennial variability in area burned for ponderosa pine forests of the southern Colorado Plateau region, Southwest USA. Roos, Christopher I.; Swetnam, Thomas W. // Holocene;May2012, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p281 

  Fire history reconstructions from fire scars in tree rings have been valuable for assessing fire regime changes and their climatic controls. It has been asserted, however, that these two- to four-century long records from the western USA are unrepresentative of longer periods of the Holocene and...

• Deep-Sea Benthic Foraminiferal Distribution in South West Indian Ocean: Implications to Paleoecology. Jayaraju, Nadimikeri; Raja Reddy, Balam Chinnapolla Sundara; Reddy, Kambham Reddeppa; Reddy, Addula Nallappa // International Journal of Geosciences;Aug2010, Vol. 1 Issue 2, p79 

  Five grab samples from the southwestern part of the Indian ocean were collected by ORV Sagar Kanya during the third expedition to the southern Indian ocean in June 2009. The sediment samples have been analyzed and recorded 36 benthic foraminiferal species belonging to 21 genera and 3 suborders....

• The sedimentary and palynological records of Serpent River Bog, and revised early Holocene lake-level changes in the Lake Huron and Georgian Bay region. Lewis, C.; Anderson, T. // Journal of Paleolimnology;Mar2012, Vol. 47 Issue 3, p391 

  Serpent River Bog lies north of North Channel, 10 m above Lake Huron and 15 m below the Nipissing Great Lake level. A 2.3 m Holocene sequence contains distinct alternating beds of inorganic clastic clay and organic peat that are interpreted as evidence of successive inundation and isolation by...

Read the Article