Pollen counts of sediment core from Lake Bayan Nuur

A total of 94 samples (0.8-1.2 g of dry sediment) from lake Bayan Nuur (Core BN2016-1) were used for pollen and non pollen palynomorphs analysis. The samples were chemically treated according to the methodology suggested by Faegri and Iversen (1989, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.11.015), including treatment with a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid to dissolve carbonates, a 10% solution of potassium hydroxide to remove humic acids, and high concentration hydrofluoric acid to remove silicates. Acetolysis was not performed. A Lycopodium spore tablet (batch 483216) was added to each sample to calculate the total palynomorph concentration. Pollen grains mounted in glycerine were analyzed under a transmitted light microscope AxioImagerD2 with x400 magnification. In addition to pollen and spores, other non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), including spores and the fruit bodies of coprophilous fungi, were counted, and are included in the total sum. Pollen percentages were calculated based on the pollen sum of all detected taxa, taken as 100%. NPP percentages were calculated on the basis of the total sum taken as 100%. In the pollen diagram, dung fungi Sordaria, Sporormiella, and single coprophypous Ascomycetes (Podospora and Gelasinospora) are combined in one group, “coprophilous 40 fungi”. The coprophilous fungi were calculated in the pollen slides simultaneously with pollen. As fungi spore production and incorporation into sediments is independent of vegetation or pollen deposition; we calculated the coprophilous fungi concentrations and accumulation rates (influx) that would be the most reliable way to assess the real herbivore population and grazing trends (according to Wilmshurst and Wood, 2013, doi:10.5305/amerjintelaw.107.2.0390).