PROTO

Pollen-flora Record Overlapping Tool

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Overview and Features of PROTO

PROTO (Pollen-flora Record Overlapping TOol) is an analytical web application and methodological framework designed to establish a common currency between fossil pollen records and modern regional floras, enabling the quantitative evaluation of their vegetational correspondence. It was conceptually conceived by Lorenzo Braga in 2023 as part of his Master's Thesis and became one of the topics and objectives of his PhD Thesis at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The dedicated web application was jointly developed by Luca Garusi and Lorenzo Braga, and was first published online in September 2025.

You can cite PROTO as follows: Braga, L., & Garusi, L. (2026). PROTO: Pollen-flora Record Overlapping Tool. LifeWatch ERIC. https://doi.org/10.48372/08WE-RG47

Key Functions and Workflow

  • Dynamic Taxonomic Integration (GBIF API): Resolves plant taxonomy dynamically by querying the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) taxonomic backbone in real time, supporting automatic resolution for core reference ranks (Family, Genus, Species).
  • Palynological Syntax Parsing: Parses input pollen morphotypes algorithmically according to standard palynological nomenclature conventions. It supports direct user input as well as digitized reference key expansions.
  • Bidirectional Overlap Measurement: Quantifies the proportion of overlap between fossil pollen morphotypes and modern floral species within the study area across two complementary directions:
    • Flora → Pollen: Evaluates how much of the contemporary flora finds a match in the fossil pollen record.
    • Pollen → Flora: Evaluates how much of the fossil pollen assemblage finds a match in the modern flora.
  • Identification of Ecological Discrepancies (Extirpation / Introduction): Isolates unmatched fossil pollen taxa, providing direct quantitative indicators of local extirpations, range contractions, or historical extinctions. Conversely, it highlights modern floral species not represented in the fossil record to flag potential recent introductions or floristic turnover.
  • Operation Logging & Multi-format Export: Features an integrated Operation Log panel to monitor data processing and expansion steps. Results can be exported both as structured CSV files for downstream analysis and as printable/PDF reports containing input/output parameters, fetched geographic metadata, match tables, and GBIF data citation details.