Pollen analysis of spider webs from Yunnan, China

This study concerns the palynological analysis of 19 spider webs, which were collected from the northwestern, central and southern parts of Yunnan, China. Pollen grains and spores of 20 taxa belonging to 16 families were recorded from northwestern Yunnan and 28 taxa from 23 families from central Yunnan. Spider webs from southern Yunnan yielded 28 taxa belonging to 25 families from Mengla County, 38 taxa in 34 families from Wangtianshu Garden and 11 taxa representing 10 families from Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden. The pollen grains and spores extracted from spider webs reflect the distinct characteristics of the regional vegetation which changes from north to south Yunnan. This demonstrates the potential of spider webs as a natural trap for the study of modern pollen rain.