New England Note Comparison of Pollen and Stomata in Late-glacial and Early-holocene Lake Sediments from Eastern Massachusetts

The analysis of stomata in lake-sediment cores is increasingly used as a paleoecological tool. Stomata are less likely than pollen grains to be dispersed over long distances, and thus stomate records supplement and enhance interpretations based on pollen data by providing information about patterns and composition of local vegetation (e.g., Froyd 2005; Hansen 1995; Parshall 1999; Pisaric et al. 2000, 2003; Yu 1997). Stomata have been analyzed in modern and fossil sediments in many regions, oftentimes to gain a better understanding of past changes in the position of boreal treeline (e.g., Clayden et al. 1996, 1997; Gervais and MacDonald 2001; Gervais et al. 2002; Hansen et al. 1996; Leitner and Gajewski 2004; Pisaric et al. 2001). We have conducted the first study of this type in New England, analyzing conifer stomata in the late-glacial and early-Holocene sediments of Berry Pond, Massachusetts. Comparison of the stomate record with pollen data tests the ability of both approaches to reflect the history of vegetation at the study site.