PALYNOLOGY OF HOLOCENE LAKES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL MISSOURI

Cores were taken from three shallow lakes in the Rolla Quadrangle, south-central Missouri, and sampled at high resolution to study the palynology of the upper 50 cm of sediment with the aim of reconstructing the vegetation history. AMS ¹⁴C dating is being used to constrain the age of the sediments. Preliminary analysis shows that the sediments are rich in pollen and dispersed organic matter. Structured phytoclasts (wood, cuticles, etc.) are the dominant organic matter components, and degraded and comminuted phytoclasts, and fungal remains are also commonly preserved in the sediments. Recovered pollen specimens are mainly those of Quercus (Oak), Pinus (Pine), Carya (Hickory), Juglans (Walnut), and Salix (Willow). Differences in palynomorph assemblages and palynofacies are being evaluated with respect to the location of the lakes. Two of the lakes are located in residential areas, while the third lake is located in a conservation area. The palynological datasets will also be compared with those from Lake Aerodrome and Twin Lake West in southwestern Australia, which are hypersaline and located in residential and remote settings, respectively. The results of this study may provide insights into the prevailing processes that control lake sedimentation in temperate and arid environments.