Functional Signatures of Surface Pollen and Vegetation Are Broadly Similar: Good News for Past Reconstructions of Vegetation

• DOI: 10.1111/jbi.15100
• Publication Date: 2025-02-14T13:29:16Z
• Authors: Lucas Dugerdil; Odile Peyron; Cyrille Violle; Sébastien Joannin; Guillemette Ménot; Pierre Denelle; Helge Bruelheide; Milan Chytrý; Richard Field; Mohamed Z. Hatim; Hamid Gholizadeh; Jiri Dolezal; Valério D. Pillar; Kamal H. Shaltout; Franziska Schrodt; Eric Garnier
• Keywords: Biome; Trait; Plant functional type

ABSTRACT Aim Pollen assemblages are widely used to infer paleoenvironment features, aiming at reconstructing both past climates and biomes. However, the functional link between environmental conditions pollen is not straightforward requires thorough testing be confidently. Here, we use a trait‐based approach assess consistency of signatures plant assemblages. Location Arid Central Asia (ACA). Taxon Spermatophytes (pollen‐producing plants). Methods We whether trait values distributions consistent for surface samples extant vegetation in biogeographic region. A working checklist was compiled ACA order assign types taxa. This done two methods aggregation schemes (coarse fine type depend on level identification). The were compared taxon community levels, using large‐scale databases, six traits global spectrum form function (i.e., height, seed mass, leaf area, specific nitrogen content per stem‐specific density). Results Trait bivariate relationships broadly similar taxa, which also case multivariate spaces function. At scale, weighted by abundance significantly differed among biomes, these differences extant. Main Conclusions scheme does impact organisation space function, compares well with that based species actually present plots. true scale. These findings very promising improving climate biome reconstructions from pave way “pollen biogeography”.