High Pinaceae pollen concentrations in the air and on the surface of puddles before the main pollen season started were observed in Kraków (southern Poland) in May 2013. The paper presents the results of detailed studies of the composition and source of the “yellow rain” in 2013, and as a comparison, the Pinaceae pollen concentrations and samples collected from the ground surface in 2014 were considered. The air samples were collected using the volumetric method (Hirst-type device), while pollen grains sampled from the ground surface were processed using a modified Erdtman acetolysis method. Finally, all samples were studied using a light microscope. In 2013, the period of higher Abies, Picea and Pinus pollen concentrations was observed from the 5 to 12 of May, earlier than the main pollen season occurred. The presence of rainfall on the 12 and 13 of May 2013 caused the pollen deposition on the ground surface, where the prevalence of Pinaceae pollen was found. The synoptic situation and the analysis of the back-trajectories and air mass advection at the beginning of May 2013 indicated that Pinaceae pollen grains could have been transported from Ukraine, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. In contrast, Pinaceae pollen grains deposited on the ground surface as a “yellow” film in May 2014, originated from local sources.

Algal microremains were encountered during palynological investigation of deposits filling two Miocene palaeosinkholes excavated in the Tarnów Opolski and Górażdże quarries. Algal microfossils of 40 species were identified, most of which are frequent non-pollen palynomorphs occurring in Neogene deposits. The microfossils most frequently found in all studied samples belong to the genera Sigmopollis and Botryococcus. Both algal assemblages contain a significant proportion of resting cells (zygospores = hypnozygotes) such as Cycloovoidites, Diagonalites, Megatetrapidites, Ovoidites, Stigmozygodites, and Tetrapidites, probably fossil zygospores of members of the Zygnemataceae family (Mougeotia, Spirogyra, Zygnema). Some specimens probably related to desmid zygospores (Closteritetrapidites, Monopunctites, Planctonites), freshwater dinoflagellate cysts, and Prasinophyceae (Leiosphaeridia) were found. Most of the identified fossilised remains of algae are often seen in sediments indicating meso- to eutrophic conditions and are characteristic for stagnant or slowly flowing shallow waters. Fossil algae of Pediastrum and Tetraedron genera were recorded in samples from the Górażdże palaeosinkhole, suggesting small differences in the aquatic habitat (e.g. water depth) between ponds in the sinkholes. Three new fossil species related to zygospores of the Zygnemataceae are described: Ovoidites vangeelii sp. nov., Tetrapidites grandis sp. nov., and Tetrapidites opolensis sp. nov

Pterocarya fraxinifolia, native to the southern Caucasus and adjacent areas, has been widely introduced in Europe. In this study, we investigate the following: (1) How did its current distribution form? (2) What are the past, current, and future suitable habitats of P. fraxinifolia? (3) What is the best conservation approach? Ecological niche modeling was applied to determine its climatic demands and project the distribution of climatically suitable areas during three periods of past, current, and future (2070) time. Then, an integrated analysis of fossil data was performed. Massive expansion of Pterocarya species between the Miocene and Pliocene facilitated the arrival of P. fraxinifolia to the southern Caucasus. The Last Glacial Maximum played a vital role in its current fragmented spatial distribution in the Euxinian and Hyrcanian regions with lower elevations, and Caucasian and Irano-Turanian regions with higher elevations. Climatic limiting factors were very different across these four regions. Future climate change will create conditions for the expansion of this species in Europe. Human activities significantly decreased the suitable area for P. fraxinifolia, especially in the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions. Considering genetic diversity, climate vulnerability, and land utilization, the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions have been recognized as conservation priority areas for P. fraxinifolia.

The 1st mid-Polish group is the youngest among the main Neogene lignite seams in Poland. Lignites of this group developed in the middle Miocene in almost the whole of Poland, and therefore they are an important correlation horizon throughout much of the Polish Lowlands. A total of 30 palynological samples from the 3-metre thick seam from the Adamów deposit (central Poland) were studied in detail. The results revealed the presence of wetland and mesophytic vegetation during the time of sedimentation. The study area was overgrown by palustrine wetland communities similar in their composition to modern pocosins. The climate was warm temperate and humid, which was inferred from the palynoflora composition, including frequency of palaeotropical and palaeotropical/warm-temperate taxa, and the presence of epihyllous fungi. The estimated mean annual temperature (MAT) for the lignite seam at Adamów is 15.7–18.0 °C. Comparison with other palynofloras from the 1st mid-Polish lignite seam group shows that the climate was more or less homogenous within the entire Polish Lowlands during formation of the group of seams. The MAT ranges are also similar to other results from middle Miocene of Central Europe. The differences between the Adamów palynoflora and palynofloras from central and western Poland, dominated by swamp forests, most probably reflect the succession of plant communities in different hydrological and trophic conditions.