Morphological diversity of pollen and spores in a human-impacted highland forest–agriculture mosaic in northern Thailand
Issued Date
2026-12-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20452322
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105030447165
Journal Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
16
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Scientific Reports Vol.16 No.1 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Sattraburut T., Vongvassana S., Phutthai T., Thasod Y. Morphological diversity of pollen and spores in a human-impacted highland forest–agriculture mosaic in northern Thailand. Scientific Reports Vol.16 No.1 (2026). doi:10.1038/s41598-026-37899-9 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/115403
Title
Morphological diversity of pollen and spores in a human-impacted highland forest–agriculture mosaic in northern Thailand
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Abstract
Pollen and spore morphology provides essential taxonomic reference data for floristic and environmental studies in tropical regions, where modern comparative datasets remain limited. This study documents the morphological characteristics of pollen and spores recovered from a shallow soil profile in a degraded mixed deciduous forest within Sri Nan National Park, northern Thailand. Using a non-acetolysis extraction protocol and systematic sub-sampling of a 30-cm profile, pollen and spores representing 37 plant families were identified, including lycophytes, bryophytes, monilophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Spore-producing taxa, particularly monilophytes, dominate the assemblage, while angiosperm pollen includes both arboreal and non-arboreal elements. More than 100 morphotypes are described based on aperture type, exine ornamentation, size, and symmetry, supported by high-resolution photomicrographs and standardized morphotype descriptions. The resulting dataset expands the regional palynological reference framework for northern Thailand and tropical Southeast Asia and supports consistent taxonomic identification in palynological, floristic, and comparative paleoecological studies, particularly in human-impacted forest–agriculture mosaics.