Implications of Pinus L. pollen abundance for reconstructing the Holocene palaeoclimate from the Himalayas, India

Abstract

Pinus L. is a genus of coniferous trees, belonging to the class Pinopsida and the family Pinaceae of the division Gymnosperms (naked-seeded plants). Being anemophilous (wind pollinated), Pinus produces huge quantities of pollen grains, which often completely overwhelm the other pollen taxa in the palynological assemblages. This, coupled with its efficient transport by wind (due to its excellent buoyancy) and good preservation potential in the sediments, makes it abundant in the pollen assemblages. This over-representation of Pinus pollen creates an ambiguity in both the modern and fossil pollen records. Moreover, the over-representation of Pinus pollen often hampers in the understanding of modern pollen–vegetation relationship, as well as in the interpretation of fossil pollen records, for the reconstruction of past vegetation dynamics and contemporary climate (change). In the present article, the bountiful abundance of Pinus pollen in the palynological assemblages is assessed, and the implications of its over-representation in reconstructing the fossil pollen records and interpreting the past climatic changes are reviewed from the Indian Himalayas.