Data from: Amazonian pollen assemblages reflect biogeographic gradients and forest cover

Aim: We aim to assess i) how pollen assemblages vary across biogeographic
and environmental gradients, ii) the source area of pollen assemblages
from lake sediment samples, and iii) which pollen taxa can best be used to
quantify deforested landscapes. Location: Amazonia Taxon: Plantae Methods:
Pollen assemblages (N = 65) from mud-water interface samples (representing
modern conditions) of lake sediment cores were analysed and compared with
modern gradients of temperature, precipitation, and elevation. Pollen
assemblages were also compared with local scale estimates of forest cover
at 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 km buffers around each lake. Results: Over 250
pollen types were identified in the samples, and pollen assemblages were
able to accurately differentiate biographic regions across the basin,
corresponding with gradients in temperature and precipitation. Poaceae
percentages had a significant negative relationship with forest cover
estimates, which were stronger at the 1 km buffer and weaker as buffer
sizes increased. Main conclusions: The diverse Amazonian pollen
assemblages strongly reflect environmental gradients, and percentages of
Poaceae best reflect local scale variability in forest cover. Our results
of modern pollen-landscape relationships can be used to provide a
foundation for quantitative reconstructions of climate and deforestation
in Amazonian landscapes.