Characterization of the quaternary mountain flora based on palynological studies of the Foz do Amazonas Basin, Brazil
Authors
Alessandra da Silva dos Santos
Marcelo de Araujo Carvalho
Thiago Macedo dos Santos
Aline Gonçalves de Freitas
Keywords:
Palynology, Paleoclimate, Quaternary, Foz do Amazonas Basin
Abstract
Quaternary mountain flora was characterized based on palynological study of 38 samples of a well drilled in the Foz do Amazonas Basin. Five genera of the mountain flora were recognized: Podocarpus, Alnus, Hemitelia, Nothofagus, cf. Myrica. The genera recorded are related to the mountain flora of the Andean cordillera and allow inferring about the paleoclimate of the region. The high abundance of the mountain flora in detriment of the typically tropical flora possibly denotes low temperatures related the glacial periods during the Quaternary. These data disagree of the refuge theory, which suggests an increase of the typical savannah vegetation resulting in the confinement of the tropical flora.
