Palynology (Pollen analysis)
Pollen grains can remain preserved in waterlogged deposits for several millenia, and as such are valuable palaeo-environmental indicators. The vegetation composition of an area directly affects, and is frequently affected by, the local human and animal populations. The fossil pollen record may include indications of these interactions, and so allows us to reconstruct past changes in vegetation against a background of natural change and succession. It provides useful markers in prehistory, when the biogeography of particular species is more understood. Climatic data may also be inferred from the relative presence of species and their pollen deposition rates.
