Pollen taphonomy in Cueva del Ardacho (Albacete, Spain)

Abstract

A palynological study of surface sediments from Cueva del Ardacho (Albacete, Spain) is presented. Results confirm that all types occurring in local and regional vegetation are collected in internal samples, although pollen spectra show high spatial variation because of the complexity of cave morphology. It is confirmed the existence of a negative gradient for pollen concentration with increasing distance to the entrance, accompanied with an increase in zoophilous taxa and a decrease in anemophilous taxa. There is great taphonomical complexity in cave sites, being necessary to use all the available information (percentages, pollen concentrations, pollen taxa diversity) to establish a robust taphonomical model which allows making reliable inferences of the vegetation around the site.