environmental variables are estimated and then applied to fossil assemblages under the assumption Plant and animal remains are often found well that the biota is in equilibrium with concurring preserved and in large quantities as fossils in lake environmental conditions. We have used fossil pollen sedimentary deposits. The composition of the fossil assemblages to reconstruct changes in past mean July assemblages, the biological proxies, can be used to air temperatures and changes in mean annual prec- infer environmental conditions at the time of de- itation (Birks & Birks, 2003). Plant...