Surface pollen and modern vegetation in Southern Xinjiang, China

The study of modern pollen, and vegetation can improve the accuracy of paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on fossil pollen data. A total of 188 pollen surface samples were collected from Southern Xinjiang(34°00’–43°00’N, 74°00’–94°00’E) in China, with an elevation range of 888–4530 m. Surface pollen and vegetation were studied in the northern region of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern region of the Tianshan Mountains. The results showed that the surface pollen assemblages on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(3530–1124 m) were divided into three pollen zones, namely, montane steppe, montane desert steppe, and montane desert. These zones were dominated by Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, and Ephedra pollen. The surface pollen assemblages in the eastern Pamir Plateau(4530–1287 m) could be divided into alpine meadow,montane desert steppe, and montane desert zones, which were predominantly characterized by Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, and Asteraceae pollen. However, the Southern Tarim Basin(3548–888 m) comprised montane desert steppe and montane desert zones, which was dominated by Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae pollen. The geographic distribution of the surface pollen sites obtained using ArcGIS, the R-value, and Pearson correlation analyses indicated that the over-represented Picea and Pinus pollen were of external origin and were transported by wind, water(rivers), and ice(glacier movement). Over-representation of Ephedra and Nitraria pollen was mainly distributed in the montane desert and desert steppe zones, respectively. Pollen from Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia were over-represented and broadly distributed across Southern Xinjiang. Juglans pollen was concentrated in areas with walnut trees, strongly indicating the presence of local parent plants. According to the Hybrid Singleparticle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model, more Pinus pollen was transported to the Pamir region by external airflows during spring and summer, resulting in its higher surface pollen content. Research elucidating the relationship between modern pollen and vegetation in southern Xinjiang could provide data describing the surface palynological database of Xinjiang for use in large-scale paleoenvironmental reconstructions.