Temporal and spatial changes of vegetation cover on the Chinese Loess Plateau through the last glacial cycle: evidence from spore-pollen records

To reconstruct the palaeovegetation cover of the Chinese Loess Plateau over different time intervals of the last glacial-interglacial cycle, the spore-pollen representation of loess-soil samples in six loess sections along a north-south transect is analyzed and previously published pollen data reviewed. Results show that the temporal changes in the vegetation cover of the Plateau are controlled essentially by the history of the East-Asian summer monsoon; there is a general pattern that the pollen components indicating relatively humid climatic conditions are better represented during interglacial and interstadial periods than during glacial and stadial periods. The herbaceous pollen concentrations show a general increase from south to north with the decrease of monsoonal precipitation over the Loess Plateau. Through the last 130 ka or so, the main body of the Loess Plateau has been covered by an Artemisia-dominated grassland vegetation, suggesting that future rehabilitation of the landscape that aims for soil-water preservation on the Loess Plateau should focus on the planting of herbs.