ABSTRACT In order to reconstruct the vegetation history of the last 10.000 years, palynological analyses were carried out using 17 sedimentary samples of a core drilled in Parque Estadual do Rio Doce (PERD-MG). Twenty-one species of fern spores, 52 species of pollen grains and six species of fungi were identified. Phase 1 (10.375 - 9.350 cal. years BP) is characterized by a low concentration and diversity of pollen grains and is thus interpreted as a fluvial system with the presence of coarse-grained sediments. Phase 2 (9.062 - 8.195 cal. Years BP) is interpreted as a transition from a fluvial to lacustrine environment. Phase 3 (7.905 - 4.785 cal years BP) is characterized by increased trend of palynomorph concentration, highlighted by a high abundance and diversity of fern spores, which are indicative of a more a humid condition. The uppermost phase, Phase 4 (4.785 - 50 cal. Years AP), possessed a lower abundance of herbaceous flora, which is replaced by other vegetation groups (e.g. marsh, cerrado, Atlantic Forest). The uppermost sample represents the contemporary environment (~50 years), which is characterized as seasonally-flooded.

This paper presents morphological descriptions and ecological data of cryptogam spores and other non-pollen palynomorphs from Quaternary sediments of Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro, SE Brazil. The ages were derived from biostratigraphy of planktonic foraminifers and two radiocarbon dates, and suggest that sediment deposition started in the last 140,000 years BP. Thirty different types of palynomorphs were identified, described, and photographed: two bryophyte spores (sensu lato); 21 pteridophyte spores; four freshwater microalgae; onePseudoschizaea; and two microfungi. Some of the identified spores (Sphagnum, Blechnum, Cyatheaceae, Dennstaedtiaceae, Lycopodiella, Microgramma, Polypodium, Acrostichum, Pityrogramma, and Lygodium) are related to the modern flora found on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro State, at the Restinga of Jurubatiba, from vegetation types such as shrub swamp/coastal swamp formation, seasonally flooded forest, Clusia and Ericaceae woods, and disturbed vegetation. The freshwater microalgae and the microfungi are also presently recorded from the coastal lagoons of this region. The high spore concentration in slope sediments reflects the intense terrigenous influx, caused by a relative low sealevel during glacial stages. Palynological analysis suggests the presence of taxa from flooded forests and humid areas in the coastal plain during glacial and interglacial stages of the Late Pleistocene.

Here, we describe pollen grains extracted from a Pleistocene-Holocene sediment core (BU-91-GL-05; 22°48'45"S; 41°54'13"W) taken from the Albacora Slope (22°48'45"S; 41°54'13"W), located in the Campos Basin of the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The analysis resulted in the identification and morphological description of 46 types of pollen: one of a gymnosperm genus (Podocarpus); and 45 of angiosperm taxa across 27 families-one family of monocotyledons (Poaceae) and 26 families (30 types) of dicotyledons. The most common angiosperm families were Amaranthaceae (Chenopodium, Amaranthus and Gomphrena); Fabaceae (Fabaceae type, Bauhinia, Inga and Canavalia); Malpighiaceae (Tetrapteris, Heteropteris and Peixotoa); Malvaceae (Sida, Abutilon, Hibiscus and Pseudobombax); Rubiaceae (Faramea, Borreria and Psychotria); Asteraceae (Eupatorium and tribe Vernonieae); Bignoniaceae (Bignoniaceae type, Adenocalymma and Tabebuia); and Onagraceae (Fuchsia and Ludwigia). The palynoflora in this study are associated with dense montane and submontane Atlantic Forest, semideciduous forest and restinga (coastal woodland), all of which are present in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Palynological analysis can provide important data about paleovegetation and paleoclimatic changes in the studied area during the Quaternary, specifically in the last 145,000 years.