POLLEN-VEGETATION RELATIONSHIPS ON THE SUB-ANTARCTIC AUCKLAND ISLANDS, NEW-ZEALAND

A modern pollen-vegetation cover data set of 51 sites from the subanta rctic Auckland Islands is presented. The islands are completely peat c overed, and extensive bogs occur throughout. Low forest and scrub cove rs the lowland areas of the islands, with maritime tussock and herbfie ld associations on exposed coasts. With increasing altitude low scrub and shrubland-grassland predominate and, above 300 m altitude, tussock grassland and fellfield. Tall, wind-pollinated species do not occur o n the island, and pollen deposition is thus largely local. The broad v egetation communities are clearly recognisable by detrended correspond ence analysis (DCA) of the pollen data. Although percentage cover of t he major plant taxa correlates significantly in most cases with pollen percentages, reliable quantitative inferences are not possible becaus e of the high variability. Pollen types derived from Australia and the New Zealand mainland are consistently represented in the pollen rain, averaging 0.9% and not exceeding 5%. Comparison by DCA of fossil samp les from a Holocene peat core with the modern data set demonstrate a c lose resemblance between modern and fossil samples. This survey shows that when tall wind-pollinated trees are excluded, low-growing vegetat ion with poorly dispersed pollen can be accurately characterised by it s pollen rain.