Name________________________
How do paleobotanists use ancient pollen to find out about the Earth's climatic past?
This activity is based on actual pollen data collected from a peat bog in Colorados Rocky Mountains. You will analyze sediment samples with other material mixed in to represent pollen grains and determine the type and amount of the "pollen" in the samples. From this information ,you will determine the type of vegetation and age of the samples and will present conclusions about the likely climate at the time the pollen was shed.
What You Need:
What You Do:
Observations and Questions:
Pollen Key
Code | Color and Shape | Plant Species | Climatic Characteristics |
---|---|---|---|
A | ponderosa pine | Long-needled pines, ponderosas occupy warm, dry slopes. | |
B | meadow grasses and wildflowers | Growing in warm summer temperatures and summer drought, this pollen is a mixture of herbaceous plants common to warm - temperate meadowlands. | |
C | aspen | Aspens can live in wetlands, but cannot survive in deep snow. | |
D | Engelmann spruce | Found in cold, usually sub-alpine sites. | |
E | limber pine | Enduring the harshest of climates, these pines live high on ridge tops, where extremes in weather are the norm - strong winds, cold temperatures, drought, and poor soils. | |
F | lodgepole pine | Found in cold, usually sub-alpine sites. | |
G | bristlecone pine | Growing close to and in association with the lodgepole pine, these trees survive the coldest of temperatures. | |
H | Douglas fir | The Douglas fir usually prefers moderately cool to warm sites, growing best under temperate moist conditions. | |
I | sedges and mosses | The pollen from these low growing plants is often found in very cool alpine/subalpine meadow sites, characterized by very cool, short summers, and harsh winters. | |
J | alpine grasses and daisies | These low growing plants are typically found in cool, moist, short summers and cold winters. | |
K | willows | Willows grow avidly in wetland areas. Their habitat is one of transition, often being replaced by the spruce-fir forests. | |
L/td> | alpine sage | Low-growing shrub that’s found only at high-altitude, cold sites. |
Data Table
Sediment Layer | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plant Species | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
ponderosa pine | ||||||
meadow grasses and wildflowers | ||||||
aspen | ||||||
Engelmann spruce | ||||||
limber pine | ||||||
lodgepole pine | ||||||
bristlecone pine | ||||||
Douglas fir | ||||||
sedges and mosses | ||||||
alpine grasses and daisies | ||||||
willows | ||||||
alpine sage |