Doctoral Dissertation Research: Pollen Dispersal and Deposition on Tropical Andean Ice Caps: Quelccaya, Peru, and Nevada Sajama, Bolivia

热带冰芯孢粉学这门新科学的最新发展表明，从高山冰川和极地冰帽中提取的冰芯中发现的花粉化石可以提供过去植被和气候变化的敏感记录。 然而，到目前为止，这门科学已经在热带高山环境中完成，没有充分了解花粉传播和沉积特征;这是可靠和准确解释冰芯孢粉记录的关键因素。 本博士论文研究项目将研究秘鲁的奎尔卡亚和玻利维亚的内华达州萨哈马的热带安第斯冰盖上花粉传播和沉积的模式和过程。 该项目将分析在冰帽本身和周围植被区发现的现代花粉。 除冰帽外，还将从安第斯山脉中部的主要植被区以及西部（延伸到太平洋）和东部（进入亚马逊低地）的亚高山和低地区收集花粉表面样本。 地理学表面花粉研究将有助于解决散布模式，花粉来源，区域花粉雨签名，冰芯花粉记录的敏感性，以及如何在冰帽上发现的花粉的分布和组合中反映这些因素的问题。该项目将推进在迅速发展的冰芯孢粉学领域的基本理解。 它将为安第斯山脉中部及其附近的植被变化提供新的见解，从而补充正在研究该区域环境变化的其他来源的数据。 该项目将扩大对该地区花粉、植被和气候之间现代关系的了解，从而为推导花粉-气候传递函数和响应面奠定基础，从而进一步提高安第斯山脉中部未来花粉研究的有效性。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

Recent developments in the new science of tropical ice-core palynology have demonstrated that the fossil pollen found in ice cores drawn from alpine glaciers and polar ice caps can provide sensitive records of past vegetational and climatic changes. To date, however, this science has been done in tropical alpine environments without the full understanding of pollen dispersal and depositional characteristics; a key factor for a reliable and accurate interpretation of ice-core palynological records. This doctoral dissertation research project will study the patterns and processes of pollen dispersal and deposition on the tropical Andean ice caps of Quelccaya in Peru and Nevada Sajama in Bolivia. This project will analyze the modern pollen found on the ice caps themselves and in the surrounding vegetation zones. Aside from the ice caps, pollen surface samples will be collected from the major vegetation zones in the central Andes as well as from the subalpine and lowland zones to the west (extending to the Pacific Ocean) and east (into the Amazon lowlands). A biogeographical surface pollen study will help address questions of dispersal patterns, pollen provenance, regional pollen-rain signatures, sensitivity of the ice-core pollen records, and how each of these factors are reflected in the distribution and assemblages of pollen found on the ice caps.This project will advance fundamental understandings in the rapidly growing field of ice-core palynology. It will provide new insights into vegetation change in and near the central Andes, thereby complementing data from other sources that is examining environmental change in the region. The project will further the effectiveness of future pollen studies in the central Andes by broadening knowledge about modern relationships among pollen, vegetation, and climate in the region, thus laying the groundwork for the derivation of pollen-climate transfer functions and response surfaces. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.