Research papersA modern pollen rain study from the Black Sea coast of Romania

This paper documents the modern pollen rain in southeast Romania and explores the potential factors influencing vegetation communities. The analysis should help in the interpretation of the region's fossil pollen records. Thirty surface soil samples were collected along a southeast-northwest transect in Dobrogea, in a low plateau region separating the Razelm and Sinoie Lakes, near the Danube Delta. Numerical analysis of the surface samples revealed four palynologically distinct assemblages: coastal steppe, delta-marshland, forest-steppe and forest. A mixture of low rainfall and strong maritime winds, with high inputs of salty spindrifts, explains the steppe-like vegetation of the low coastal areas. Increasing inland moisture along the slopes controls the progressive gradient from wooded to forested areas. Human impact is nowadays of secondary importance in northern Dobrogea, due to a fall in agriculture pressures since the breakup of socialism in Eastern Europe.

► This study is the first modern pollen transect for the coastal area of Romania. ► Our study provides accurate analogs for fossil pollen records from this region. ► Numerical analyses performed on pollen data-set isolate three major vegetation zones. ► Environmental pressures mainly control vegetation composition and distribution.