Palynological Record of the History of Vegetation in the Sandy Areas of Southern Poland

Resumo

A palynological analysis was made of the paleosoil (less than 20 cm in thickness) of the age of 4110 ± 110 BP which had formed on the top of river sediments and was subsequently covered with aeolian sands (3.6 m thick) of the so–called Bledow Desert. The results of the palynological analysis indicate: (1) the dominant role of pollen from lime (Tilia) among the tree species; (2) substantial amounts of pollen from maple (Acer); (3) a significant presence of pollen from heather (Ericaceae), and 4) an increase in the contribution of pollen from plants (including grains) associated with human activity. A comparison of data obtained with results from analyzing the contemporary pollen rain in different plant communities of the other parts of Poland indicates that during the formation stage of the Holocene soils in the Bledow Desert, the aforementioned tree species were dominant in the composition of forests and that the presence of a large contribution of pollen from lime and pollen in the soil was determined by their properties and ability to persist in the paleosol.