Modern pollen rain, central-western North Island, New Zealand

Abstract

Moss polsters were analysed for their modern pollen rain from a range of vegetation associations in central-western North Island. The reconstruction of source vegetation and the representation of various taxa in the pollen rain is discussed. The pollen rain presented a rather distorted view of source vegetation, however, the presence of either low pollen percentages of key local taxa with poorly dispersed pollen, or very high pollen percentages for taxa growing locally with wide or poor pollen dispersal capabilities, allowed a general determination of the source vegetation types. Prolific pollen producers, particularly Nothofagus fusca-type, were found to mask out the pollen of other taxa which dominated vegetation associations growing near to Nothofagus forest. Nothofagus fusca-type pollen were below five percent of total in areas of Taranaki where no Nothofagus is present. Under- and severely under-represented taxa were numerous. Ascarina lucida was probably more common in the recent past in Taranaki than it is today.