Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae (2021), vol. 91: 149–166 doi: https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2021.07 VEGETATION RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES BASED ON PALYNOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE MIDDLE MIOCENE LIGNITE AT THE JÓŹWIN IIB OPEN-CAST MINE (KONIN REGION, CENTRAL POLAND) Barbara SŁODKOWSKA 1 * & Marek WIDERA 2 1 Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute, 4, Rakowiecka Str., 00-975 Warsaw, Poland; e-mail:
[email protected] 2 Institute of Geology, A. Mickiewicz University, 12, Krygowski Str. 62-028 Poznań, Poland; e-mail:
[email protected] * Corresponding author Słodkowska, B. & Widera, M., 2021. Vegetation response to environmental changes based on palynological research on the Middle Miocene lignite at the Jóźwin IIB open-cast mine (Konin region, central Poland). Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 91: 149–166. Abstract : Palynological research was performed on the first Mid-Polish lignite seam (MPLS-1) at the Jóźwin IIB open-cast mine. The extremely rich pollen assemblages allowed investigation of the development of phytogenic sedimentation and the succession of plant communities. The vegetation cover, representing peat accumulation and adjacent areas, was reconstructed in the homogeneous lignite seam. Despite the lack of clear macroscopic differences in the lignite lithology and a similar floristic composition, a similar succession of plant communities was observed in three repetitions in the profile. The plant communities described were grouped into five cycles. Changes in the succession resulted mainly from oscillations of the groundwater level. On the basis of the vegeta- tion composition, the climatic conditions predominant during the peat-forming sedimentation were reconstructed. Climate changes are most precisely recorded in the mixed mesophilous forest community.