Modern pollen assemblages of surface samples from Cherrapunjee and its adjoining areas, Meghalaya, northeast India

Modern Pollen Record on Bat Guano Deposit from Siju Cave and its Implication to Palaeoecological Study in South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India

“…Caves with a large entrance and strong air circulation are likely to have higher pollen presence resulting from wind than caves with smaller entrances and minimal air circulation (Burney and Burney, 1993). However, the occurrence of terrestrial ferns, especially Gleichenia, Dryopteris, and Lycopodium, signifies high rainfall and humid climatic conditions in the area (Basumatary et al, 2013), which is exactly reflected in the palynoassemblage of the studied samples. The abundance of fungal remains such as Meliola, Cookeina, Microthyriaceae, and Diplodia, along with degraded palynomorphs, is strongly indicative of warm and humid climatic condition during sedimentation in the region.…”

“…Although there are some scattered small lakes like Napak Lake in the South Garo Hills, these are not suitable for proper coring for palynological study. Previously, only a few preliminary palynological studies have been carried out in Meghalaya (Gupta and Sharma, 1985;Basumatary and Bera, 2007, Basumatary et al, 2013. Considering these previous limits to pollen studies in the region, we initiated the present palynological study on bat guano in Siju Cave in the South Garo Hills.…”

Modern pollen deposition in relation to vegetation and climate of Balpakram valley, Meghalaya, northeast India: Implications for Indo-Burma palaeoecological contexts

“…A number of methods have been developed to interpret the modern vegetation in relation to climate (Singh et al, 1973;Barboni and Bonnefille, 2001;Barboni et al, 2003;Zhao et al, 2012;Basumatary et al, 2013;Bera and Basumatary, 2013). The characteristic pollen assemblages were identified with a view to assess the forest vegetation and climate relationship ( Table 2).…”

“…The absence of Nepenthes pollen along with Dendropthoe (epiphytic) in the palynoassemblage strongly indicates the poor representation of tree taxa under drier climate and hydrological conditions. The absence of Euphorbiaceae, Piperaceae and Impatiens is strongly suggestive of poor rainfall with long winter dryness in the region (Nair et al, 2010;Basumatary et al, 2013) as these taxa are annual in nature and grow only in high rainfall zones. The savanna forest of Garo hills in the Balpakram valley is identified as a rain shadow area with high seasonal variability (Momin, 1984), which is reflected in the palynoassemblage data by the high abundance of Poaceae along with Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae (Fig.…”

“…Limited palynological work has been carried out in the Khasi hills and east and west Garo hills of the Meghalaya (Gupta and Sharma, 1985;Basumatary and Bera, 2007Basumatary et al, 2013). The modern pollen spectra could be employed as a background database for better representation of fossil palynoassemblages, to reconstruct palaeovegetation and climate (Bent and Wright, 1963;Janssen, 1967;Wright, 1967;Overpeck et al, 1985;Prentice, 1985;Bunting et al, 2004;Wilmshurst and Mcglone, 2005;Xu et al, 2005;Gosling et al, 2009;Chen et al, 2010).…”