Modern pollen assemblages from Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir), India: a tool for interpreting fossil pollen records

Abstract

Twenty five surface samples/moss cushions were collected for palynological analysis from open areas of Reasi District, Jammu and Kashmir (India). These samples were used to investigate the relationships between extant vegetation and modern pollen spectra, which serve as modern analogue for the reliable ecological interpretation of fossil pollen records. The present vegetation in the region comprises tropical dry deciduous forests and subtropical pine forests with scattered stands of oak. The pollen analysis reveals that Pinus sp. (average 69% in the pollen assemblages), amongst the conifers, dominates the pollen rain, which can be attributed to its high pollen productivity and exceptional pollen dispersal efficiency. Cedrus sp. and Podocarpus sp. pollen contribute with an average of 16 and 5% to the total pollen rain. Other conifers such as Picea sp., Abies sp., Juniperus sp. and Tsuga sp., as well as broad-leaved taxa such as Quercus sp., Alnus sp., Betula sp., Carpinus sp., Corylus sp., Juglans sp., Ulmus sp., Salix sp., Elaeocarpus sp., Mallotus sp. and Aesculus sp., have lower averages of 1 to 4.5% in the total pollen rain which could be either due to their poor pollen dispersal efficiency or to the poor preservation in the samples. Tubuliflorae (average 25%), Poaceae (average 6.26%), Cerealia and other crop plants (average 7.68%) are other prominent taxa in the pollen rain. The nearly complete absence of members of tropical dry deciduous forests in the pollen spectra likely is due to the fact that most species in this vegetation type are not wind pollinated.

Keywords:

• pollen assemblages
• pollen–vegetation relationships
• palaeoclimate
• Reasi
• Jammu and Kashmir
• India

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Professor Sunil Bajpai, Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India for providing the infrastructure facilities to complete the research work and also for permission to publish. MFQ thanks the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India for financial assistance in the form of a DST Fast Track Young Scientist Project (SR/FTP/ES-81/2013, dated 20 January 2014) to conduct the study. The authors are also thankful to the reviewers for their insightful comments that helped improve an earlier version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Governtment of India, India [SR/FTP/ES-81/2013, dated 20 January 2014].