POLLEN COMPOSITION IN OWL PELLETS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

Pollen records provide valuable insights into past environments, but s ometimes this record may be biased by taphonomic processes. In order t o investigate how assemblages are disturbed, pollen composition of owl pellets from different areas are here compared with local pollen rain from these areas. The results of this preliminary investigation sugge st that pollen from. pellets is biased by the hunting behaviour of pre dators and the selective incorporation of rodent species in their diet . Differences between pollen composition in pellets and the surroundin gs where they accumulate have implications for the interpretation of p ast environments based on material derived from owl pellets. Taphonomi c investigation of pollen in pellets not only helps in recognizing bia ses in the pollen composition, but also provides a more detailed inter pretation of the local environment.