Year: 2021, Number: 1, Pages: 3-30
The composition and ratio of the main components of pollen spectra from the surface layer of soils, peatlands and fluvial silts and silt from the bench on the Shikotan, Polonsky, Zeleny, Yuri, Tanfilev islands, which are part of the “Malie Kuriles” Reserve (State Nature Reserve “Kurilskiy”), were analyzed. The purpose of the work is to determine the degree of adequacy of pollen spectra to island vegetation, to determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of air transport of allochthonous pollen from adjacent territories. We have shown differences in pollen spectra on Shikotan Island with developed forest vegetation and on small treeless islands in the south of the ridge with wide development of peatland and meadows. On the island of Shikotan, arboreal pollen contents reach 98 %, in the south of the island, where meadow-swamp communities are developed, its value is less than 32 %. On small islands, almost all arboreal pollen is allochthonous and brought from neighboring islands. In pollen spectra with a high arboreal pollen content, pollen of Myrica tomentosa, widespread in swamp massifs, falls into this group. Generally, pollen spectra adequately describe vegetation at the biome level. On small islands genesis of sediments does not have such an influence on the formation of pollen spectra, unlike continental territories with large river basins. The wind input of arboreal pollen from neighboring islands, which reaches on the Shikotan Island 5 % for shrub pine, 3 % for oak, is estimated, single pollen grains of nut, hazel, hornbeam, linden, Cryptomeria japonica, pine, and Myrica were found. On small islands, the amount of allochthonous pollen reaches 7 %, the maximum amount (45 %) is recorded on Zeleniy Island.