Potential in paleoclimate reconstruction of modern pollen assemblages from natural and human-induced vegetation along the Heilongjiang River basin, NE China

The relationships among modern pollen, vegetation, climate and human activities can help improving the reliability of reconstruction of past vegetation, regional climate and human activities based on fossil pollen records. We used a dataset of 114 surface soil pollen samples from natural vegetation (wetlands, forests and grasslands) and human-induced vegetation (farmlands and residences) along the Heilongjiang River basin in northeast China to explore the relationships among modern pollen, vegetation, climate and human activities. The results indicated that surface pollen assemblages differentiated modern vegetation well in natural and human-induced vegetation types. The wetlands were mainly composed of Cyperaceae, along with Artemisia, weeds Poaceae (