Modern pollen assemblages and their relationships with vegetation and climate on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

The reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate requires an understanding of the relationships between surface pollen assemblages and modern vegetation and climate. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of surface pollen assemblages across different vegetation zones in the Tianshan Mountains. Using surface pollen analysis and vegetation sample surveys at 75 sites on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, we determined the correlation between the percentage of dominant pollen types and the corresponding vegetation cover. Redundancy analysis was used to investigate the relationships between surface pollen assemblages and environmental factors. Our results show that the Tianshan Mountains contain several distinct ecological regions, which can be divided into five main vegetation zones from low to high altitudes: mountain desert zone(Hutubi County(HTB): 500–1300 m; Qitai County(QT): 1000–1600 m), mountain steppe zone(HTB: 1400–1600 m; QT: 1650–1800 m), mountain forest zone(HTB: 1650–2525 m; QT: 1850–2450 m), subalpine meadow zone(HTB: 2550–2600 m; QT: 2500–2600 m), and alpine mat vegetation zone(HTB: 2625–2700 m; QT: 2625–2750 m). The surface pollen assemblages of different vegetation zones can accurately reflect the characteristics of the mountainous vegetation patterns on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains when excluding the widespread occurrence of Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia, and Picea pollen. Both average annual precipitation(Pann) and annual average temperature(Tann) affect the distribution of surface pollen assemblages. Moreover, Pann is the primary environmental factor affecting surface pollen assemblages in this region. A significant correlation exists between the pollen percentage and vegetation cover of Picea, Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia, and Asteraceae. Moreover, Picea, Chenopodiaceae, and Artemisia pollen are over-represented compared with their corresponding vegetation cover. The Asteraceae pollen percentage roughly reflects the distribution of a species within the local vegetation. These results have important implications for enhancing our understanding of the relationship between surface pollen assemblages and modern vegetation and climate.