Contemporary pollen-rain patterns and their associations with natural vegetation in the Banni Plain, Kachchh Basin, western India

Understanding the relationship between present-day pollen rain and natural vegetation provides a valuable analogue for interpreting fossil pollen records. In this study we obtained modern pollen assemblage data from 24 samples, collected from eastern, central and western parts of the Banni Plain, Kachchh Basin (Gujarat), India. The primary objective was to examine the relationship between the modern pollen-rain, extant vegetation and geomorphic surfaces in order to construct a reliable analogue for interpreting fossil pollen records with the aim of understanding the vegetation history and contemporary climate change within a defined area. The results showed over-representation of Rhizophora spp. (cf. Rhizophora mucronata), likely due to its anemophilous nature, whereas Sonneratia spp. (cf. Sonneratia apetala) and Avicennia spp. (cf. Avicennia marinata) are comparatively under-represented, suggesting their local presence. Aegiceras spp., and Bruguiera spp. (core mangrove taxa), as well as Nypa as a peripheral mangrove taxon and mangrove associates, have also comparatively lesser frequencies owing to entomophily. Herbaceous taxa like Poaceae, Cerealia and cultural pollen taxa are more prominent than arboreal taxa, suggesting human activity, soil erosion and grazing supported by cultural pollen and fungal spores (Sordaria, Podospora, and Glomus). These findings highlight the impact of both anthropogenic and ecological factors on western India's landscape facilitating palaeoecological research.