Surface pollen spectra from Shennongjia Mountains, central China: An interpretation aid to Quaternary pollen deposits

•Modern pollen spectra from central China are presented•Pollen spectra of forested sites reflect more local vegetation landscape than regional one•Pollen spectra from the Dajiuhu swamp reflect regional vegetation with more deciduous than evergreen broadleaf trees•Pollen ratio of D/E is developed, giving an alternative to interpret palaeoelevation and/or temperature changes•The quantitative distribution of key pollen taxa and their source areas are discussed.

As an initial step to aid Quaternary pollen interpretation, we investigated modern pollen deposits from both moss polsters within the forests and surface sediments from an open swamp (Dajiuhu swamp) in the Shennongjia Mountains, central China. Pollen spectra from the moss polsters show similar patterns to local vegetation zones following an elevation gradient. Such pollen spectra reflect more local vegetation landscape than regional one. However, the pollen spectra from the Dajiuhu swamp (especially in the center area) reflect regional vegetation with more deciduous than evergreen broadleaf trees. The pollen ratio of D/E (deciduous/evergreen tree pollen) is developed and its variations in different forest zones show a rising trend with increasing elevation, which gives an alternative to interpret palaeoelevation and/or temperature changes based on Quaternary pollen in monsoon climate controlled areas. The quantitative distribution of key pollen taxa and their source areas are also discussed in this paper. Our study contributes robust bases for palaeoecological interpretation in reconstructing past vegetation and climate changes using Quaternary pollen data in Shennongjia Mountains, central China.