Associations among modern pollen, vegetation, and climate in western North America

摘要: Abstract A compilation of 1884 modern pollen surface samples was analyzed to explore the relationships between spatial distributions percentage data vs. climate and vegetation in western North America. Modern spectra capture many unique traits regional patterns reflect diversity. Large-scale differences were identifiable by their signatures. At coarsest scale, forested regions dominated arboreal Pinus abundances typically >30%. In contrast, non-forested shrub herbaceous types with percentages Picea a good first-order indicator boreal spruce forest relatively high median (22%), whereas Quercus desert low (1%). Pollen abundance also provided climatic information. High Betula occurred over narrow range corresponding latitudinal distribution, Artemisia registered winter-cold dry climates interior basins. Arboreal abundant cool wet climates, while non-arboreal dominate that are warm dry. Using assemblages predict local conditions shows well predicted given knowledge nearest analogues. Low accuracy evident pollen-based predictions temperate rainforests because either poor sample density (in case former) or extremes temperature and/or precipitation both). other regions, space accurately even when proximal samples, within 100 km, excluded as possible These results show that, this region, modern-analogue technique is useful for quantifying broad-scale changes.