The above example shows a paleo reconstruction of the past 100,000 years from Lago Grande di Monticchio, Italy. Based on concentrations of preserved pollen grains in lake sediments, scientists reconstructed the climate conditions determined by the types of plants represented in different time periods.

In general, high percentages of woody taxa with low values of Pinus lead scientists to reconstruct temperate forests with relatively warm winters, warm summers and and little water restriction. High values of herbaceous taxa lead to the reconstruction of colder conditions and when the values of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae are high the environment is also dry.

From Allen et. al., (1999).