The Relative Pollen Productivities(RPPs)of common steppe species are estimated using Extended R-value(ERV)model based on pollen analysis and vegetation survey of 30 surface soil samples from typical steppe area of northern China.Artemisia,Chenopodiaceae,Poaceae,Cyperaceae,and Asteraceae are the dominant pollen types in pollen assemblages,reflecting the typical steppe communities well.The five dominant pollen types and six common types(Thalictrum,Iridaceae,Potentilla,Ephedra,Brassicaceae,and Ulmus)have strong wind transport abilities;the estimated Relevant Source Area of Pollen(RSAP)is ca.1000 m when the sediment basin radius is set at 0.5 m.Ulmus,Artemisia,Brassicaceae,Chenopodiaceae,and Thalictrum have relative high RPPs;Poaceae,Cyperaceae,Potentilla,and Ephedra pollen have moderate RPPs;Asteraceae and Iridaceae have low RPPs.The reliability test of RPPs revealed that most of the RPPs are reliable in past vegetation reconstruction.However,the RPPs of Asteraceae and Iridaceae are obviously underestimated,and those of Poaceae,Chenopodiaceae,and Ephedra are either slightly underestimated or slightly overestimated,suggesting that those RPPs should be considered with caution.These RPPs were applied to estimating plant abundances for two fossil pollen spectra(from the Lake Bayanchagan and Lake Haoluku)covering the Holocene in typical steppe area,using the"Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites"(REVEALS)model.The RPPs-based vegetation reconstruction revealed that meadow-steppe dominated by Poaceae,Cyperaceae,and Artemisia plants flourished in this area before 6500–5600 cal yr BP,and then was replaced by present typical steppe.
花粉产量是定量重建古植被、古气候的必要条件,目前花粉产量包括相对花粉产量和绝对花粉产量。由于较难获得多年连续的花粉沉积数据,学者多倾向于使用相对花粉产量进行古植被定量重建。相对花粉产量是某一花粉类型相对于同一参考种的花粉产量的比值(参考种通常选取植物群落和花粉组合中出现频率较高的同一花粉类型),可通过ERV(Extended R-value)模型进行估算,但其准确性受植被调查方法和模型假设条件影响较大。本文介绍了估算相对花粉产量所需的植被调查方法和利用花粉产量定量重建植被景观的模型。目前较成熟的模型为景观重建模型(Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm),包括REVEALS模型(Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites,适用于面积≥1~5km^2的沉积盆地植被重建)和LOVE模型(Local Vegetation Estimates,适用于面积为0.1~1.0km^2的沉积盆地植被重建)。欧洲及我国不同区域相对花粉产量和REVEALS模型定量重建研究结果均表明,重建后的古植被景观能较好反映当地的古植被组成。
