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ecords.
Vegetation Rscard.
Grass (Graminellel pollen constitutes cs. 601 of the Renews
1660-1680 occupation period pallen spectra that were calculated
from the total pollen sun (solid bar histogram) and up to 838 of
the spectra calculated from non-arboreal pollen only (bollor bar
histogram). Sorrel-typ (RmY aCet08ellalacero~a-type), at up to
15% of the total sun, is the second most prominent type. pine
(ELwsJ, at lo% of the total nun in the exterlor sample (ps 1). is
the third best represented type, and it is followed by dandeliontype
ILiguliflorael, white spruce (Pisaa olauca-type), barel
(-1, and alder (&h&s), at ca. 7%. At least two of the
relatively prominent types, dandelion-type and sorrel-type, are of
European origin.
Herb pollen starts out st a lover altitude than tree pollen.
Wind velocities are lower in this near-ground zone, and the chance
of pollen loss from the wind stream thmugh impact with vegetation
IS hlgher. Herb pollen does not, as a consequence, travel as far cia
tree pollen and rends to doninate locally produced pollen spectra
an open spacer (~ansren 1973:33). Graon pollen. moreover, is a good
indicator of relative boll stability, because the perreoiating
organs of grasses are destroyed by plavinq and other extensive sail
dlsturbanctls (8ehre 1983:227). Herb pollen, dominated by grass, is
clearly more important than tree pollen in the Renews spectra,
indicating that the area around the site vae relatively open and
roils were relatively stabls during deposition of the 17th century
matrices. The extent to which thls varies from the natural, precontact
condition of the locality or the normal situation during
the hrstorlcal era cannot be determined from the pollen data
without a canpararive roil profile.
The historical era spectra in a pollen sequence from a pond on
cape Breton Island (Livingstone and Livingstone 1958:Fiqre 1) have
larger percentages of grass, ragweed-type (--type), and
dock/sorrel-type pollen, than the prehistoric counts. This raisss
the possibility rhat the domination of the Renews pollen spectra Ly
grass pollen nay be at least partially cultural in origin. ~hio is
certainly true of the =xoticr, such as sorrel-type and dandelion
type, but most of the herbs are more characteristic of waste ground
than of actively disturbed soils. and it is probable rhat the
gmundcover around the Renews structure was relatively continuous.
~01Ian sample 1 from outside the house sontamed 28% arboreal
(tree) pollen vhlle the interior samples 2. 3, and 4 had 11.258,
16.3%, and 98, respectively. Thin contrast between the exterior
sanple and the interlor samples is large enough to be siymificlmt.
There are also differences in the dandelion-type, goldonrod-type,
sorrel-type, red baneterry (u-type Ranunculoceae), and heath
family (Ericaceae) counts of the exterlar and interior sampleathat
appear to be sysrenaric. Possible explanations are: different
reasons of deposition, different activities inside the house than
Outside, different sources far the matrix, different exposure to
the atmosphere, different sedimentation rates (more or less years
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