1995-96 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

BSIP
interplay of poilen-spores and also to interpret the face value of the pollen diagranl to be
constructed from the area.
Pollen analysed a 1.7 m deep soil profile from Marian Shola dating back to 30.000
years B.P. The evaluation and interpretation of pollen diagram are in progress. Moreover
the study has revealed the overall dominance of non-tree taxa over trees. The tree taxa arc
rare or lowly represented by Oleaceae, Sapotaceae, flex, Symplocos, Eurya and Rhododendron,
etc. Among non-tree taxa grasses maintained erratically high value throughout. Whereas,
other shola associated herbaceous elements like Rammcl/lus, Heraclel/m, Impatiens, Senecio
and Arlemisia appeared in good values. Ferns, both monolete as well as trilete spores
show stable values throughout. Fungal spores are also encountered in good values. Since
shola arboreals are not adequately represented in the sediments, their palynological interpretation
could be done in association with the shola associated ephimerals. Construction
of pollen diagram is in progress. Photography of various pollen/spore taxa recovered from
sediments has been made.
Finalized one pollen diagram prepared from 30 soil samples from Berijam Lake
profile, Palni Hills, depicting the relative values of all the taxa encountered from the sediments.
The pollen evidence has enabled us to group the vegetation into three phases for the
past 20,000 years B.P.
H.P. Gupta, S.K. Bera & Anjum Farooqui
Pollen morphology of Indian Nymphaeaceae was worked out in the context of
Silent Valley. Finalized pollen morphology of some tree taxa of the area. Also finalized
pollen morphology of Apocynaceae.
H.A. Khan
Out of 80 modem plant taxa collected from Palni Hills, Kodaikanal 36 plants
have been identified. The following modem pollen taxa, viz., Ageratum conyzoides, Ardisia
sp., Cassine glauca, Commelina spp., Cytisus sp., Ficus sp., Crewia sp., Hypericum
mysorense, Litsea wighliana, Mimosa pudica, Myriaclis wallichii. Myrsine aFicana,
Osbeckia leschennaullii, O. ste/lala, Rhododendron nilgiricum, Rubus e/liplicus,
Ternstroemia sp., Trifolium dubium, Verbena bipinnalifida and Vernonia sp. were studied
and photographed under light microscope to get acquainted with various morphotypes of
Shola forest.
Anjum Farooqui
Programme 7.2 Depositional environment and climate during the Quaternary
Period in the Himalaya: a palynological approach
Objective To build up a fine resolulion climalic sequence of Quaternary
Period in the Himalayan region
Pollen analysis of 4 samples gathered from deforested region on way from Gangtok
to Kupup, eastem Himalaya has revealed the overall dominance of non-arboreals over
arboreals as witnessed by high values of grasses, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Ranunculaceae,
etc., whereas among the arboreals Alnus is over-represented and other taxa such as Belula,
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