Palynological evidence reveals vegetation succession in the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene

Abstract The uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau shaped the landforms and influenced Asia's climate system and ecosystem. Vegetations on the Plateau are the first to be affected by the uplift history of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and related ecological impacts. However, original research on vegetation in the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau remains limited. Here, we reconstructed the vegetation in the Lunpola Basin, central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau from 24.3 to 16 Ma based on pollen data from the Dingqinghu Formation. Pollen assemblages reveal a temperate mixed deciduous broad‐leaved and coniferous forest around the Lunpola paleolake during the latest Oligocene to the Early Miocene. An obvious vegetation vertical zone existed near the Lunpola Basin. Dark coniferous forests grew in the highlands, thermophilous shrubs stayed in the lowlands. This work provides new and original data on plant composition and vegetation in the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and enhances our understanding of the ecological impacts of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau uplift.