Maize pollen deposition in modern lake sediments: A case study from Northeastern Wisconsin

While maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) pollen preserved in lake sediments is often used as evidence of local prehistoric agriculture, maize pollen distribution and subsequent deposition has not been studied in modern lakes. We analyze maize pollen deposition patterns in surface sediment samples from four lakes with differing morphometry and surrounding land use. We found that maize pollen deposition varies within and between lakes depending on several landscape variables. Maize pollen concentrations are significantly positively correlated with the area of maize cultivated within 200 m of the sample location and negatively correlated with the distance to the nearest maize field and the thickness of vegetative buffers around the lake. Despite variable intra-basin deposition patterns and the fact that maize pollen is typically considered a rare pollen type typically making up less than 5% of the total pollen count, it appears that maize pollen concentrations can be used to at least semi-quantitatively to reconstruct temporal variations in the relative spatial extent of maize agriculture in the surrounding area, especially if the probable location of former agricultural fields can be identified or field positions relative to the lake remain stable over time.