Paleovegetation of a Late Middle Pleistocene Fossil Site in Northeastern Thailand
Keywords:
palynology, late Middle Pleistocene, gallery forest, open woodland, Northeastern ThailandAbstract
Vegetation and environment during the cooler and drier periods of the Pleistocene in mainland Southeast Asia are still a controversial issue and need more evidence. In this study, a late Middle Pleistocene sediment sample from a prominent fossil site in northeastern Thailand was processed for pollen analysis and plant community reconstruction. The sediment layer was interpreted as an ancient river terrace from the late Middle Pleistocene. Pollen investigation revealed plants from various habitats: riparian, evergreen and deciduous forests, and also a high proportion of grasses. The evidence therefore suggests that the ecosystems of the area consisted of gallery forest and open woodland, where the gallery forest persisted along the ancient river and the landscape farther from the river appeared to be open woodland in which Quercus dominated.
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