Pollen analysis

Pollen analysis identifies and counts pollen and spores preserved in sediments to reconstruct past vegetation and environmental conditions.

Palynology: The study of pollen, spores, and other organic-walled microfossils, both living and fossil. Pollen analysis is a core method within this broader study of microscopic organic remains.
Sediment core: A cylindrical sample of layered sediment extracted to study its composition through depth. Cores provide ordered sequences of deposits that can contain fossil pollen.
Paleoclimatology: The study of past climates using evidence preserved in natural archives. Pollen shifts can indicate past changes in temperature and moisture.
Lake sediments: Deposits that accumulate on lake beds, often preserving layered environmental evidence. Lake deposits can collect pollen from surrounding landscapes over long periods.
Pollen grain: A pollen grain is the microscopic male reproductive structure of a seed plant, protected by a distinctive outer wall. Its durable, recognizable wall allows fossil pollen to survive and be identified.
Palynomorph: A microscopic organic-walled fossil, including pollen, spores, and some algal remains. Pollen is one type of palynomorph recovered and examined in these records.
Paleoecology: The study of past organisms and their relationships with one another and the environment. Pollen assemblages help reconstruct former plant communities and ecosystems.
Peat bog: A wetland where partially decomposed plant material accumulates as peat. Peat layers preserve pollen from vegetation and environmental conditions around the bog.
Pollen diagram: A graph showing the abundance of different pollen types across sediment depth or time. It displays how plant representation changes through a sediment sequence.
Radiocarbon dating: A method for estimating the age of once-living material from its remaining carbon-14. It can date organic material associated with pollen-bearing sediment layers.

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