Pollen records, postglacial | subtropical China

Subtropical China contains vast areas of glacial plant refugia and is home to numerous relict plants. Since the Late glacial period, vegetation in this region has undergone significant transition. This article summarizes robust findings with reliable chronologies and high sampling resolution from a subset of pollen records that are representative of the subtropical terrain zones in China. The consistency and heterogeneity in the pattern of millennial-scale vegetation changes across the region reflects the temporal and spatial pattern of the Asian summer monsoon and modulation of high-latitude forcings. Additionally, the rise of Neolithic cultures in subtropical China has profoundly influenced Holocene vegetation shifts, enhancing our understanding of the intriguing interactions between ancient humans and their living environment.