الفهرس 
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Abstract
The objective of the current study was to:
A) Carry out palynological analysis of the Holocene F1-08 borehole, located on the southern margin of Lake Qarun at the Fayoum Depression; providing the basis to reconstruct the Holocene vegetation history and ecosystem dynamics, in addition to interpreting the palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate.
B) Identify pollen from the current vegetation surrounding the borehole under study.
C) Use the identified pollen (fossil and extant) morphological characters for cladistics analysis; contributing hypotheses for phylogenetic relationships between the taxa under study.
The results of the present study can be summarized as follows:
1) The total palynoassemblage recovered from this study amounts to 57 genera; out of which three are bryophyte spores, 12 pteridophyte spores, one gymnosperm pollen and 41 angiosperm pollen.
2) A total of 19 extant specimens represented in the current vegetation were identified from the territory surrounding the F1-08 core.
3) The study of pollen morphology allows the assessment of phylogenetic relationships among the angiosperms; with the fossil record serving to bridge the gaps along the evolutionary history. However, identifying fossil pollen from earlier ages may have been more reliable for cladistic analysis.
4) Studying the past environmental changes yields a large amount of information in order to draw a complete picture of the palaeoclimatic changes. Palaeopalynological data obtained from the studied samples revealed the following:
a- The fossil pollen identified was categorized into two main groups including 15 tree/shrub taxa and 42 herbaceous taxa.
b- The presence of Pinus pollen in the Holocene sediments, along with its previous record from the Lower Cretaceous gives evidence that it was part of the Egyptian flora in the earlier ages.
c- Families Amaranthaceae and Chenopodiaceae are recorded as fossil pollen, indicating the prevalence of salt marshes habitats in the Holocene.
d- The dominance of Poaceae and Cyperaceae throughout the strata is an indication of the existence of swampy wetlands with the occurrence of equable temperature in the area during the Holocene.
e- The landscape was a mosaic of halophytic, swampy to marshy to terrestrial composition.
f- The vegetation during the Holocene was composed of about 26% trees or shrubs and approximately 74% herbs.
g- Only 20 genera from the recorded fossil pollen and spores persisted to date in the Egyptian flora, whereas 37 are extinct.
h- from the identified fossil angiosperm assemblage, only 6 genera namely Alternanthera, Amaranthus, Chenopodium, Cynodon, Ranunculus and Solanum were reported from the current vegetation.