Research paper
Deteriorated pollen grains and the interpretation of quaternary pollen diagrams

https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-6667(81)90003-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Pollen assemblages are often altered by deterioration, which results in biased grain counts and possibly erroneous paleoecologic interpretations. Distorted counts are caused by (1) progressive pollen deterioration (a new preservation category), (2) differential pollen preservation, (3) differential recognition of poorly preserved grains, and (4) different kinds of deterioration in different sediment types. The best indicators that pollen assemblages have been altered are high frequencies of deteriorated grains and low total pollen concentrations.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    Pedofeatures include calcitic coatings, small gypsum crystals, and Fe-bearing nodules and rare Fe impregnation of the groundmass. Despite sediments’ compaction and composition could affect pollen preservation in archaeological deposition (Hall, 1981; Dimbleby, 1985), only a few pollen grains were observed crumpled or folded in both the near-site trenches. Some secondary pollen types (pollen grains redeposited from erosion of older strata) were observed.

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