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Odonne G, van den Bel M, Burst M, Brunaux O, Bruno M, Dambrine E, Davy D, Desprez M, Engel J, Ferry B, Freycon V, Grenand P, Jérémie S, Mestre M, Molino JF, Petronelli P, Sabatier D, Hérault B. Long-term influence of early human occupations on current forests of the Guiana Shield. Ecology 2019; 100:e02806. [PMID: 31257578 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
To decipher the long-term influences of pre-Columbian land occupations on contemporary forest structure, diversity, and functioning in Amazonia, most of the previous research focused on the alluvial plains of the major rivers of the Amazon basin. Terra firme, that is, nonflooded forests, particularly from the Guiana Shield, are yet to be explored. In this study, we aim to give new insights into the subtle traces of pre-Columbian influences on present-day forests given the archaeological context of terra firme forests of the Guiana Shield. Following archaeological prospects on 13 sites in French Guiana, we carried out forest inventories inside and outside archaeological sites and assessed the potential pre-Columbian use of the sampled tree species using an original ethnobotanical database of the Guiana Shield region. Aboveground biomass (320 and 380 T/ha, respectively), basal area (25-30 and 30-35 m2 /ha, respectively), and tree density (550 and 700 stem/ha, respectively) were all significantly lower on anthropized plots (As) than on nonanthropized plots (NAs). Ancient human presence shaped the species composition of the sampled forests with Arecaceae, Burseraceae, and Lauraceae significantly more frequent in As and Annonaceae and Lecythidaceae more frequent in NAs. Although alpha diversity was not different between As and NAs, the presence of pre-Columbian sites enhances significantly the forest beta diversity at the landscape level. Finally, trees with edible fruits are positively associated with pre-Columbian sites, whereas trees used for construction or for their bark are negatively associated with pre-Columbian sites. Half a millennium after their abandonment, former occupied places from the inner Guiana Shield still bear noticeable differences with nonanthropized places. Considering the lack of data concerning archaeology of terra firme Amazonian forests, our results suggest that pre-Columbian influences on the structure (lower current biomass), diversity (higher beta diversity), and composition (linked to the past human tree uses) of current Amazonian forests might be more important than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Odonne
- LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Martijn van den Bel
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Maxime Burst
- UMR 1434 Silva, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Lorraine-AgroParisTech-INRA, 54506, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex, France
| | - Olivier Brunaux
- ONF-Guyane, Réserve de Montabo, 97307, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Miléna Bruno
- LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Etienne Dambrine
- Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, INRA, CARRTEL, 74200, Thonon-les-Bains, France
| | - Damien Davy
- LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Mathilde Desprez
- Cirad, UMR Écologie des Forêts de Guyane (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane), 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Julien Engel
- Department of Biological Sciences, International Center for Tropical Botany, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA.,AMAP, IRD, Cirad, CNRS, INRA, Université de Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Ferry
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Vincent Freycon
- Cirad, UR Forests and Societies, Université Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Grenand
- LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Sylvie Jérémie
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Mickael Mestre
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Jean-François Molino
- AMAP, IRD, Cirad, CNRS, INRA, Université de Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Petronelli
- Cirad, UMR Écologie des Forêts de Guyane (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane), 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Daniel Sabatier
- AMAP, IRD, Cirad, CNRS, INRA, Université de Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Hérault
- Cirad, UR Forests and Societies, Université Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France.,Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouet-Boigny (INP-HB), Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
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