Morphology and indicator value of non-pollen palynomorphs in Arctic ice-wedge polygon mires in NE Siberia

Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) are important ecological indicators and are increasingly used in the study of Arctic ice-wedge polygon mires in Siberia. This paper provides an overview of NPPs found in high-spatial-resolution (1 m sample distance) surface samples along transects crossing various polygon microtopographical elements, and in high-temporal-resolution (sample distance 0.5 cm) contiguous samples in peat profiles. Whereas algal palynomorphs - of e.g. Botryococcus , Pediastrum , and various Zygnemataceae - show a distinct presence in open water settings, testate amoebae tests - of Arcella, Assulina , and Amphitrema flavum - are typical for dry peatland settings such as polygon rims. Various other NPPs were encountered including types not yet described. The latter have been denominated using morphological terms to facilitate future identification. These types are often typical for distinct polygon microhabitats and thus have indicator values that allow the reconstruction of past ecological settings without knowing the taxa that produce them.