末次冰盛期（LGM）为距今约3万年以来与现代环境反差最大的一个特殊气候时期，其极端严寒气候对生态环境造成了深刻的影响。当时长江下游地区，河谷强烈下切剥蚀、河湖萎缩造成地层缺失以及丘陵平原广布的下蜀黄土、硬土层等不利埋藏环境，极大限制了孢粉重建古环境的能力，一直为孢粉记录的“盲区”。我们优选新近发现的浙江湘湖、安徽巢湖等优质地层及低洼地湖沼相沉积物的孢粉详细分析，基于可靠的植物残体AMS14C等测年手段，重建研究区植被史，旨在揭示地带性植被对冰期气候变化的区域响应。依据新发现的多个以蒿属为主的喜旱型l陆生草本优势孢粉记录，着重判别植被的性质，探讨冰期疏林草地等草原型植被分布的可能性及其南界，捕捉与其关联的夏季风尾闾区北界。本研究将为沿海大陆架植被探讨提供新线索、对深入理解极端气候生物环境效应等具有重要的学术意义。

Last glacial maximum (LGM) is climatically a special geologic period in greatest contrast with that at present during the last 30 ka years. The extreme cold climate exerts a profound impact on ecological environment. At that time, in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River region in eastern China, strong incision and erosion in river valley and retreat of rivers and lakes result in sediment hiatus. Furthermore, widespread aeolian sediments such as Xiashu loess and stiff hard clays in hill and plain area greatly limit ability to reconstruct palaeoclimate. Thus, this area has long been a blind zone in terms of pollen records. We will prefer to select newly-found excellent sediments from Lake Xianghu and Lake Chaohu including fine clays deposited in lowland lakes and swamps for pollen analysis. With a valid plant-based AMS 14C chronology, zonal vegetation history will be reconstructed using pollen data in response to regional climate changes during LGM in the study area. We attempt to understand the vegetation type which is composed by new xerophylious Artemisia-dominant pollen floras and their possible southward migration and southern limit of open forest-grassland communities during the glacial episode. This project is expected to provide new clues for interpreting vegetation pattern on exposed coastal continental shelves and better understanding environmental effects on biology under extreme climatic condition, etc.