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Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6"9" xblack and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9307743 A palynological record of Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic change in southeastern Brazil De Oliveira, Paulo Eduardo, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1992 Copyright ©1992 by De Oliveira, Paulo Eduardo. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, M I 48106 A PALYNOLOGICAL RECORD OF LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATIONAL AND CLIMATIC CHANGE IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Paulo Eduardo De Oliveira, B.S., M.S. ★ ★ ★ ★ The Ohio State University 1992 Dissertation Committee: Approved/by Dr. Paul A. Colinvaux L w fW Dr. Jerry Downhower Dr. Llewellya Hiliis Adviser Dr. Tod Stuessy Department of Zoology A minha querida avo Francisca por ter me ensinado o amor pelas plantas, a meus pais pelo amor, paciencia e confianga em mim depositados, e 'a natureza do Brasil, pela fonte de energia e inspira?ao, dedico este trabalho. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Paul A. Colinvaux for his guidance and insight throughout the research, especially during the preparation of this dissertation. I am also grateful for his constant support throughout the course of my graduate studies at The Ohio State University. To Dr. Mark B. Bush, Duke University, I owe special thanks for his friendship and support, for his patience in checking pollen taxonomy at the microscope with me, and for the many long and stimulating discussions on tropical ecology and palynology. To Dr. Miriam Steinitz-Kannan, Northern Kentucky University, I want to express my most sincere thanks for allowing me to conduct most of the microscopic work in her laboratory at Northern Kentucky University. This work would not be possible without her generosity, friendship and collaboration. I thank Dr. Melanie Riedinger, Northern Kentucky University, for her unconditional friendship, constructive criticisms and support during trials and tribulations of graduate student life. Her patience in teaching me certain computer techniques and revision of the manuscript is deeply appreciated. I could not have finished this research in due time without her help. I very grateful to Dr. Jerry Downhower, for his constructive criticism and ideas for improving the text, and support during the final stages of this study. Thanks also go to Dr. Tod Stuessy for his comments and most of all for the wonderful lectures on Plant Taxonomy. I was very fortunate to have him as a professor. Thanks are also due to Dr. Michael C. Miller, University of Cincinnati, for allowing me to use his laboratory facilities and materials during the determination of chlorophyll and physical parameters of the sediments. To Dr. Maria Lea Salgado-Labouriau, Universidade de Brasilia, I am sincerely thankful for suggestions regarding palynological techniques, and interpretation of the data. Access to her pollen reference collection was essential to the identification of some of the pollen types found during this research. I thank Dr. Maria Lucia Absy, INPA, Manaus, for allowing me to use her modern pollen reference collection. Dr. Absy also identified some of the unknown pollen types found during this research, for which I am deeply grateful. I am grateful to Dr. Douglas Daly, Assistant Curator, and the staff of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium, for giving me free access to the plant collections and herbarium facilities. Proper identification of the fossil pollen types would not be possible without their collaboration. I thank James Lyons-Weiler for suggestions regarding data analyses, help with computer techniques and identification of some pollen types. His hospitality and generosity is deeply appreciated. To Rosangela Albano, Centro de Arqueologia de Lagoa Santa, I would like to express my sincere thanks for facilitating logistics and for suggestions during the field work at Lagoa Santa region. I am very grateful to CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas) for iv awarding me a suplementary scholarship from 1988-1990. Thanks also go to Vicki Kier, Bettie Palmison, Northern Kentucky University for friendship and technical assistance during the final stages of this research. The present work was financed by NSF grant BSR-9007019 awarded to Dr. Paul A. Colinvaux. The 1989 field trip as well as subsequent field work in Brazil was financed by a National Geographic Society grant to Dr. Paul A. Colinvaux. Radiocarbon dating analyses were financed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama. v VITA November 25,1955 ............................................. Born - Braganga-Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil 1977-1979 ........................................................... Research Assistant, Department of Plant Genetics, ESALQ- Universidade de Sao Paulo. 1980 ..................................................................... B.S., Universidade de Sao Paulo 1980-1981 ........................................................... Research Assistant, Instituto de Botanica, Universidade de Sao Paulo 1985 ..................................................................... M.S. Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio PUBLICATIONS 1992-De Oliveira, P.E. & Steinitz-Kannan, M. The Diatom Flora (Bacillariophyceae) of the Cuyabeno Faunistic Reserve, Ecuadorian Amazonia. Nova Hedwigia 54,3-4: 111-148. 1992-Bush, M., Piperno, D.R., Colinvaux, P.A., De Oliveira, P.E., Krissek, L.A., Miller, M.C. and W.E. Rowe. A 14300 year paleoecological profile of a lowland tropical lake in Panama. Ecological Monographs 62(2): 251- 275. 1992-Miller, M.C., De Oliveira, P. & G. G. Gibeau. Epilithic diatom community response to years of PO4 fertilization: Kuparuk River, Alaska (68 N Lat.). Hydrobiologia 240: 103-119. vi 1989. Colinvaux, P.A., Bush, M., K.-Liu, M., De Oliveira, P.E., Riedinger, M. & M.C. Miller. Amazon without refugia. Vegetation and climate of the Amazon basin through a glacial cycle. Preceedings of the International Global Changes in South America during the Quaternary. Sao Paulo, Brazil. May 1989. 1987-De Oliveira, P.E., Steinitz-Kannan, M., Miller,M.C. and P.A.Colinvaux. 1987. Las Diatomeas del Ecuador III. Diatomeas Fosiles de la Laguna de Kumpaka, provincia de Morona-Santiago. Rev. Geogr. 24: 41-60. Inst. Geogr. Mil. Quito. FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Zoology. A PALYNOLOGICAL RECORD OF LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATIONAL AND CLIMATIC CHANGE IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL By Paulo Eduardo De Oliveira, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1992 Professor Paul A. Colinvaux, Adviser Two lake sediment sequences were retrieved from southeastern Brazil, with the objective of reconstructing the environmental history of the region, mainly the changes in vegetation and climate during the Late Quaternary. The first site, Lagoa da Serra Negra, occupies an almost circular basin on an ancient volcanic caldera at 1200 m elevation in western Minas Gerais. The second site, Lagoa dos Olhos occupies a small rectangular basin on the karst region of south central Minas Gerais, at 730 m elevation. The sediments, were analysed for pollen, plant and algal spores, diatoms, chlorophyll sedimentary units and were dated by the radiocarbon technique. The results indicate that very drastic vegetational changes occurred in the landscape of Minas Gerais during most of the last glacial period. A tropical coniferous forest, extensively dominated the landscape of western Minas Gerais, and possibly most areas above 800 m in southeastern Brazil, prior to 40000 years BP (Before Present). This forest was characterized by the presence of two tropical gymnospermous taxa, Araucaria and Podocarpus. Also present in this forest were plants belonging to Myrtaceae, Ilex, Symplocos , Rapanea and Drimys. Presently, this type of forest is characteristic of moist regions with pronounced cooling in the winter. These conditions are characteristic of regions with latitudes higher than 24°S and in the high elevations of the mountain region of southeastern Brazil. Therefore, the existence of extensive