A lack of well-distributed, high-resolution records of Late Quaternary Asian palaeomonsoon variability remains an outstanding issue for palaeoclimatologists, and is especially marked in remote regions such as the mountains of southwestern China (Wang et al., 2005). Characterising the nature, timing and magnitude of climate variability in southwestern China is essential for understanding the regional climate as a whole, and the potential social, economic and environmental impacts that may result from Asian monsoon system changes. The NERC-funded research presented in this thesis focuses on a high altitude lake sediment record obtained from Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, China. The lake is located on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The primary aims of this research were to identify and examine key environmental and climatic shifts which occurred in southwestern China during the Late Pleistocene (Dali) - Early Holocene Period; to examine the possible drivers of these changes; and to compare the findings with other regional proxy records in order to better understand climate dynamics in southwestern China. These aims were chosen in order to test the hypothesis that Late Quaternary millennial to centennial scale climatic and environmental changes in southwestern China were driven by changes in solar insolation and / or glacial climate boundary conditions, characterised by stepwise increases in palaeomonsoon intensity. AMS 14C radiocarbon dates obtained from bulk sediment samples and pollen concentrations indicated that the seven metre core (06SD) that forms the focus of this research spans the last c. 22.6 ka cal. yr BP, making it one of the longest high-resolution Late Quaternary records available for southwestern China. 06SD was examined using a multi-proxy approach incorporating physical, organic and palaeoecological analyses. The record captures the shift from colder, drier Pleistocene (Dali) conditions to warmer, wetter Holocene conditions and is punctuated by two events. The first event, centred at c. 17.3 ka cal. yr BP, possibly represents a phase of warmer and / or wetter conditions in response to rising solar insolation during the deglacial period. The second event, commencing at c. 11.7 ka cal. yr BP, possibly denotes the Pleistocene - Holocene Boundary. Overall, the findings of this research support the view that during the Late Pleistocene, Asian summer monsoon strengthening was non-linear and driven by changes in glacial dynamics and / or solar insolation.

Paleoecological analyses of an alkaline fen in the southern Interior Plateau of British Columbia, Canada were undertaken in association with ancient earth ovens. Local and regional vegetation and natural disturbance regimes were reconstructed using pollen, plant macrofossils and macroscopic charcoal. At White Rock Springs, Artemisia-Poaceae steppe occurred in the early Holocene and the inferred climate from this period was warmer and drier than present. Increasing moisture at 6000 14C yr BP fostered development of open Pinus ponderosa forests surrounding the fen, with Pinus contorta var. latifolia expanding at higher elevations. A slope-wash event likely resulting from root processing activities occurred in the late Holocene that resulted in 13% Asteraceae Tubuliflorae pollen at 2200 ± 80 14C yr BP. Macroscopic charcoal concentrations increased following this disturbance. Shortly after this time a modern open mixed conifer forest with Pseudotsuga menziesii was likely established. A second major ecological disturbance perhaps occurred within the last 200 years as indicated by fluctuating pollen values of P. ponderosa, Poaceae, Asteraceae Liguliflorae and wetland species. The fen’s vegetation history is consistent with regional records, but rapid changes during the late Holocene apparently occurred in response to disturbances. These disturbances are most likely linked to human root food harvesting and earth oven use, and later to ranching. Differentiation of P. ponderosa and P. contorta pollen types reveals intervals of local forest change that were not detected in previous studies. This study is part of a larger research project at Upper Hat Creek Valley including lithics, phytoliths, and patterns of earth oven structure. / Graduate

No description available.

Abstract: This palynostratigraphic study of Mesozoic successions in hydrocarbon-prospective Tanzanian coastal basins utilizes cores, ditch cuttings, and outcrop samples. These contain rich and diverse dinoflagellate suites ranging in age from Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) to earliest late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). Spores and pollen grains are also recorded, but these are, with some exceptions, subordinate to the dinoflagellate components.In the systematic section, one new dinoflagellate cyst genus, Kipatimudinium, is formally described and nine new species are established: Amphorulla ruvuense, Dichadogonyaulax mandawaense, Egmontodinium annaiae, Hystrichodinium playfordii, Kipatimudinium foliatum (type species), Limbodinium patulum, Pseudoceratium redactum, Sentusidinium tanzaniensis, and Yalkalpodinium africanum. Six, informal, stratigraphically successive dinoflagellate assemblages are distinguished:Assemblage I (Bajocian-Bathonian); Assemblage II (Callovian); Assemblage III (Oxfordian); Assemblage IV (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian); Assemblage V (Berriasian-Barremian); and Assemblage VI (Aptian-Cenomanian).Coastal Tanzania appears referable to the Austral dinoflagellate realm due to the presence of, inter alia, Broomea ramosa, Komewuia glabra, Wanaea clathrata, and Wanaea digitata. Some minor biostratigraphic anomalies are noted, including the introduction of Glossodinium dimorphum; this is datable as early Oxfordian in Tanzania whereas in Australasia the species appears earlier (in the Callovian). A few noteworthy quantitative phenomena are evident; for instance, the abundance of Lithodinia jurassica in the vicinity of the Callovian-Oxfordian boundary and the marked increase of Wanaea spp. in the Oxfordian, specifically in the Ruvu Basin of the northern coastal belt. These events are of chronostratigraphic significance and could be applicable to regional correlation. Middle-Late Jurassic assemblages show a conspicuous degree of cosmopolitanism, and include some species previously considered to be restricted to certain regions in the low and high latitudes.The Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Barremian) assemblages show close affinity to the Tethyan Realm. The latest Early Cretaceous (Albian) to earliest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) strata are allied to the Albian-Cenomanian Elaterates province. The presence of elater-bearing pollen in offshore and onshore sections of Tanzania indicates that the elaterates had a wider geographic distribution than previously reported: i.e., extending beyond the northern part of the African and South American continents.The lower part of the Kipatimu Formation, which contains Assemblage IV, yielded Komewuia glabra, Broomea ramosa, and Rigaudella aemula and their presence precludes the Early Cretaceous age previously ascribed to this part of the formation. Likewise the Makonde and Mkindani Beds have yielded typically Early Cretaceous pollen grains including Classopollis braziliensis, Retitricolpites vulgaris, and Elaterocolpites castelainii.The Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary is coincident with the upper limit of Assemblage IV based on the last appearances of, in particular, Komewuia glabra and Rigaudella aemula. Within the Kipatimu Formation (as represented in wells SS-5 and SS-7), the systemic boundary appears conformable. But elsewhere in the coastal belt, the boundary is clearly unconformable.On the basis of palynostratigraphic data, significant biostratigraphic events, such as introductions and exits of certain dinoflagellate species often match sequence boundaries.From palynofacies analyses and palynostratigraphic data the Kipatimu Formation is dominated by phytoclasts indicating high terrestrial inputs during its deposition. Abundance of black wood (of high buoyancy) in the majority of samples implies high energy settings and abundance of brown wood (less buoyant) is an indication of a sudden terrestrial input into the marine system. The organic composition of sedimentary rocks is an important means of which the depositional history of the enclosing sediments can be understood. Different environmental settings clearly influence the character of palynofacies. For example, abundant chorate cysts (e.g., Systematophora spp.) in samples from the upper sections of SS-5 suggest open marine settings. Therefore, palynofacies analyses can be viewed as providing useful pointers to interpreting the environmental circumstances in which the rocks, in this case the Kipatimu Formation, were deposited.

Typescript (Photocopy) / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [181]-206) / vi, 207, [16] leaves, 16 p. of plates : ill., maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, 1989

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S. in botany)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 21, 2010). "School of Biological Sciences." Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-54).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2005. / Principal faculty advisor: Ronald E. Martin, Dept. of Geology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MA (Archaeology))--University of Stellenbosch, 1985. / This thesis consists of five separate studies (Chapters 2-6), each presented in the form of a self contained research paper. Chapter 2 deals with the analysis of palynomorph (pollen and spore) assemblages, while Chapters 3 to 6 deal with the analysis of charcoal assemblages. The pollen record preserved in the 3 m deep Norga Peat, located on the coastal platform west of the town of George (Fig.l.l), was analysed using measures of relative abundance of identified pollen types and by measures of pollen concentration. Evidence for three climatic phases in the last 4 000 years was obtained. In the earliest phase 4000 - 2500 B.P. conditions were favourable for the spread of forest, the climate was equable and adequate rain was received in summer. From 2500 - 1800 B.P. the climate was less favourable and west of George, forest vegetation only survived in protected and relatively well watered kloofs and lower mountain slopes. The climate then ameliorated and since 1800 B.P. conditions have been similar to the present. However, the present day climate is not as favourable for forest vegetation as was the climate during the Holocene climatic optimum before 2500 B. P • The Cango Valley lies 75 km north of the Norga site, inland of the town of Oudtshoorn and below the Swartberg Mountains. ...

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:30:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1380587 bytes, checksum: 96680ca0026b6f9b3f2cd4f9bac738a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-07-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Pollen collected from flower anther is essential for the nutrition of Apis mellifera honeybees, providing protein resource, especially to larvae and adults. Honeybee pollen is important to human nutrition for its high protein content, which varies among the plant species. This study was developed in Vicosa (UFV Apiary), and Paula Candido (Mesmel Apiary), Minas Gerais and aimed to characterize the local polliniferous flora with beekeeping potential, to study forage behavior and the nutritional composition of the trophic resources collected by the bees Five Africanized honeybee (Apis mellifera) hives were installed in each apiary. The plants, which were under observation during flowering, were harvested and identified. The pollen grains collected by the bees were harvested from August to December 2005 with the help of an intermediary pollen collecting device coupled to each hive. The microscopy laminas for melissopalynology analyses were prepared using the standard European method of Maurizio & Louveaux. In order to assess the nutritional composition of the pollen, routine analyses were carried out to determine percentage of dry matter, organic matter, mineral matter, raw protein, ether extract and total carbohydrates. The pollen-bearing plants were mainly located in flower gardens, cultivation and pasture areas. The pollinic types collected were grouped differently by the apiaries and among the hives studied, both in terms of months and collection times. The time of highest pollen collection and richest in pollinic types collected was between 6:00 pm and 12:00 am. The results suggest that the major factors influencing honeybee collection behavior are previous learning intrinsic to each colony, genetic characteristics, availability of trophic resources and different levels of competition. Nutritional composition of the pollen collected seems to be related to predominance of specific pollinic types; thus, honeybees should collect pollen from several sources to obtain a more balanced diet. / O pólen coletado das anteras de flores é essencial para a nutrição de abelhas Apis mellifera, provendo recurso de proteína principalmente para larvas e adultos. Para a nutrição humana, o pólen apícola vale pelo seu alto teor de proteína que varia entre as espécies vegetais. Com o objetivo de caracterizar a flora polinífera regional com potencial apícola, conhecer o comportamento forrageiro e a composição nutricional dos recursos tróficos coletados pelas abelhas, este estudo foi desenvolvido nos municípios de Viçosa (apiário UFV) e de Paula Cândido (Apiário Mesmel), Minas Gerais. Em cada apiário foram instaladas cinco colméias de abelhas africanizadas (Apis mellifera). As plantas observadas em floração foram coletadas e identificadas. As bolotas de pólen coletadas pelas abelhas foram recolhidas de agosto a dezembro de 2005, com o auxílio de um coletor intermediário de pólen acoplado em cada colméia. As lâminas de microscopia para análise melissopalinológica foram preparadas utilizando o método padrão europeu de Maurizio & Louveaux. Para conhecer a composição nutricional do pólen foram realizadas análises de rotina para percentagem de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, matéria mineral, proteína bruta, extrato etéreo e carboidratos totais. As plantas que contribuíram com pólen para as abelhas estiveram, principalmente, localizadas em jardins, áreas de cultivo e pasto sujo. Os tipos polínicos coletados foram agrupados de maneira diferente entre os apiários e entre as colméias estudadas, tanto nos meses quanto nos horários de coleta. O horário de maior coleta de pólen e maior riqueza em tipos polínicos coletados, foi entre 18:00 e 12:00 horas. Os resultados sugerem que os principais fatores influentes no comportamento de coleta pelas abelhas são, aprendizagem anterior intrínseca de cada colônia, características genéticas, disponibilidade de recursos tróficos e níveis de competição diferentes. A composição nutricional do pólen coletado parece estar relacionada com a predominância de tipos polínicos específicos, desta maneira, é importante para as abelhas a coleta em diversas fontes de alimento para a obtenção de uma dieta mais equilibrada.