Analysis of pollen in soils: processes of incorporation and redistributionof pollen in five soil profile types

In order to interpret soil pollen diagrams, knowledge on the processes of p ollen incorporation and redistribution is essential. It has been suggested, with little direct supporting evidence, that pollen can move in soils thro ugh association with translocated organic matter, with soil water or as a r esult of soil faunal activity. We report the results of investigating polle n redistribution in a range of soil types through micromorphological analys is. It was possible to categorise, using fluorescent microscopy, the locati on of pollen grains within soil thin sections. The overall conclusion is th e key role of soil fauna in causing the redistribution of pollen. It is onl y in accumulating organic horizons of peaty soils or podzols that pollen ca n be stratified and thus interpreted for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.