Contribution à la connaissance de la dispersion pollinique en mer : une étude au large du delta du Rhône / Contribution to the knowledge of pollen dispersal in sea : a study of Rhône delta

Abstract

A study of sea-bottom pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, carried out by the «Station Marine d'Endoume », has given us the opportunity to sample a hundred cores from the upper layer of sea-bottom deposits, at regular intervals between the longitudes of Fos-sur-Mer and Sète, from the shore to about 50 km off shore. Seventy-seven cores provided pollen spectra. The study of the variations in space of these spectra shows that the distribution of spores and pollen grains in sea-bottom reflects the currents and the importance of rivers ; it also suggests that there occurs a hard and complex selection resulting from the preservation and transport capacity of each taxon.