Pollen and spores from molar folds reflect food choice of late Pleistocene and Early Holocene herbivores in The Netherlands and the adjacent North Sea area

Molars of eight large herbivore species ( Megaloceros giganteus , Cervus elaphus , Rangifer tarandus , Alces alces , Bison priscus , Ovibos moschatus , Coelodonta antiquitatis and Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis ) were collected ex situ from Pleistocene and Holocene sands dredged in the North Sea, and from Dutch inland sites. Folds in many molars contained compacted masticated plant remains, and also microfossils. We identified pollen, spores, and non-pollen palynomorphs and discuss and interpret food preferences, represented flowering seasons, or parts of flowering seasons, and we discuss effec... Mehr ...