Taphonomy of plant remains on floodplains of tundra rivers, present and Pleistocene

• Published in: New Phytologist
• Main Authors: WEST, R. G., ANDREW, R., PETTIT, M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1993
• Subjects: north slope; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1993.tb04546.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-8137.1993.tb04546.x; https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1993.tb04546.x

SUMMARY Plant remains in fine sediments on the floodplains of the Sagavanirklok and Atigun Rivers on the North Slope of Alaska have been analysed and related to sedimentary processes. The pollen spectra are very different from those from pool or surface samples from the wider regional vegetation. The difference is explained by rapidity and time of deposition. The macroscopic remains include elements of the floodplain and moist tundra communities, and include shrubs, heath taxa and herbs. The relation between the macroscopic remains and pollen spectra is examined. The results are compared with pollen spectra from Pleistocene cold‐stage fluviatile sequences in East Anglia, where similar differences have been found between the pollen spectra and macroscopic remains from sediments of floodplains and pools. The importance of a knowledge of taphonomy in interpreting pollen and macroscopic assemblages is stressed.