Grazing indicators in modern pollen assemblages from Cholomontas Mountain (Chalkidiki, N. Greece)

Mount Cholomon (Chalkidiki, N. Greece) is currently under variable grazing pressure. Ten modern pollen assemblages were collected from sites under different grazing pressure, from both forested and unforested areas. The pollen chart was subjected to cluster analysis, resulting into four different groups. The first includes all the forested areas, the second the open and variously grazed areas while the two remaining sites, a non-grazed meadow and a degraded heath land, were separated from the rest of the groups and from each other. The pollen assemblage of the open grazed areas is characterized by the high pollen percentage values of Poaceae and Cichoriaceae. One out of four sites in this group is under heavy grazing pressure and was presented with high pollen percentage of the taxon Plantago lanceolata type, whereas the overgrazed heath land was presented with high pollen values of Polygonum aviculare, both indicators of the extent of disturbance in the area . The latter site, although located in the subzone Coccifero–Carpinetum, is almost lacking pollen of Quercus coccifera.