Matching the Spatial Distribution of Upland and Lowland Pollen Grains with the Temperature and Humidity in the Columbia Basin

Abstract

Airborne pollen is a highly influential factor in biosphere and also in anthroposphere; pollen is a source of food for numerous species of animals and is responsible for the transfer of genetic material in the biosphere. Fossil pollen grains are indicators of past climatic changes and play an important role in forensic analysis. Pollen is also an allergen causing rhinitis. In order to properly identify pollen and plant relationships, detailed studies of pollen distribution and accumulation in the environment are needed. In this paper, special attention was paid to the geographic distribution of pollen with respect to biologic and geomorphic conditions. Geomorphology (size and shapes) of land features is closely connected to changes in temperature, moisture, air pressure, wind speed, wind direction and precipitation, which in turn affect the distribution and dynamic of biomass change. The spatial patterns of two bioclimatic variables: temperature and evapotranspiration were studied with respect to the distribution of arid and forest pollen. Results indicate a significant relationship between elevation, pollen depositions patterns, and changes in bioclimatic parameters. This relationship exhibits a concentric pattern which reflects a basin geomorphology. The importance of understanding the correlation between pollen dispersion patterns and actual vegetation communities is one of the essential means used to understand paleo-vegetative records, and it can become an important guide in geolocation questions related to using pollen as a forensic tool.