1
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Schmidt MJ, Goldberg SL, Heckenberger M, Fausto C, Franchetto B, Watling J, Lima H, Moraes B, Dorshow WB, Toney J, Kuikuro Y, Waura K, Kuikuro H, Kuikuro TW, Kuikuro T, Kuikuro Y, Kuikuro A, Teixeira W, Rocha B, Honorato V, Tavares H, Magalhães M, Barbosa CA, da Fonseca JA, Mendes K, Alleoni LRF, Cerri CEP, Arroyo-Kalin M, Neves E, Perron JT. Intentional creation of carbon-rich dark earth soils in the Amazon. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh8499. [PMID: 37729404 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh8499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Fertile soil known as Amazonian dark earth is central to the debate over the size and ecological impact of ancient human populations in the Amazon. Dark earth is typically associated with human occupation, but it is uncertain whether it was created intentionally. Dark earth may also be a substantial carbon sink, but its spatial extent and carbon inventory are unknown. We demonstrate spatial and compositional similarities between ancient and modern dark earth and document modern Indigenous practices that enrich soil, which we use to propose a model for the formation of ancient dark earth. This comparison suggests that ancient Amazonians managed soil to improve fertility and increase crop productivity. These practices also sequestered and stored carbon in the soil for centuries, and we show that some ancient sites contain as much carbon as the above-ground rainforest biomass. Our results demonstrate the intentional creation of dark earth and highlight the value of Indigenous knowledge for sustainable rainforest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J Schmidt
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Laboratório de Estudos Interdisciplinares em Arqueologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Samuel L Goldberg
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Carlos Fausto
- National Museum/ Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Bruna Franchetto
- National Museum/ Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jennifer Watling
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Wetherbee B Dorshow
- Puente Institute, Nederland, CO, USA
- Earth Analytic Inc., Santa Fe, NM, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Yamalui Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Kumessi Waura
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Huke Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Taku Wate Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Takumã Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Yahila Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | - Afukaka Kuikuro
- Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu (AIKAX), Ipatse, MT, Brazil
| | | | - Bruna Rocha
- Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém, PA, Brazil
| | | | - Hugo Tavares
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Kelton Mendes
- Tapera - Grupo de Estudos em Arqueologia Amazônica, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Eduardo Neves
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - J Taylor Perron
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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2
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Sales RK, McMichael CNH, Flantua SGA, Hagemans K, Zondervan JR, González-Arango C, Church WB, Bush MB. Potential distributions of pre-Columbian people in Tropical Andean landscapes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200502. [PMID: 35249384 PMCID: PMC8899625 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Much has yet to be learned of the spatial patterning of pre-Columbian people across the Tropical Andes. Using compiled archaeological data and a suite of environmental variables, we generate an ensemble species distribution model (SDM) that incorporates general additive models, random forest models and Maxent models to reconstruct spatial patterns of pre-Columbian people that inhabited the Tropical Andes east of the continental divide, within the modern countries of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Within this region, here referred to as the eastern Andean flank, elevation, mean annual cloud frequency, distance to rivers and precipitation of the driest quarter are the environmental variables most closely related to human occupancy. Our model indicates that 11.04% of our study area (65 368 km2) was likely occupied by pre-Columbian people. Our model shows that 30 of 351 forest inventory plots, which are used to generate ecological understanding of Andean ecosystems, were likely occupied in the pre-Columbian period. In previously occupied sites, successional trajectories may still be shaping forest dynamics, and those forests may still be recovering from the ecological legacy of pre-Columbian impacts. Our ensemble SDM links palaeo- and neo-ecology and can also be used to guide both future archaeological and ecological studies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel K Sales
- Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
| | - Crystal N H McMichael
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Suzette G A Flantua
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, PO Box 7803, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kimberley Hagemans
- Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jesse R Zondervan
- School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | | | - Warren B Church
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA 31907, USA
| | - Mark B Bush
- Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
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3
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The Effects of Environmental Changes on Plant Species and Forest Dependent Communities in the Amazon Region. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13030466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We review the consequences of environmental changes caused by human activities on forest products and forest-dependent communities in the Amazon region—the vast Amazonas River basin and the Guiana Shield in South America. We used the 2018 and 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and recent scientific studies to present evidence and hypotheses for changes in the ecosystem productivity and geographical distribution of plants species. We have identified species associated with highly employed forest products exhibiting reducing populations, mainly linked with deforestation and selective logging. Changes in species composition along with a decline of valuable species have been observed in the eastern, central, and southern regions of the Brazilian Amazon, suggesting accelerated biodiversity loss. Over 1 billion native trees and palms are being lost every two years, causing economic losses estimated between US$1–17 billion. A decrease in native plant species can be abrupt and both temporary or persistent for over 20 years, leading to reduced economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities. Science and technology investments are considered promising in implementing agroforestry systems recovering deforested and degraded lands, which could engage companies that use forest products due to supply chain advantages.
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4
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Pokorny B, Pacheco P, de Jong W, Entenmann SK. Forest frontiers out of control: The long-term effects of discourses, policies, and markets on conservation and development of the Brazilian Amazon. AMBIO 2021; 50:2199-2223. [PMID: 34637088 PMCID: PMC8507351 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01637-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
With the Brazilian military governments of the 1960s, systematic economic development of the Amazon began. Social and environmental concerns have entered Amazonian discourses and policies only since the 1990s. Since then, reports of threats to forests and indigenous people have alternated with reports of socio-economic progress and environmental achievements. These contradictions often arise from limited thematic, sectoral, temporal, or spatial perspectives, and lead to misinterpretation. Our paper offers a comprehensive picture of discourses, policies, and socio-environmental dynamics for the entire region over the last five decades. We distinguish eight historical policy phases, each of which had little effect on near-linear dynamics of demographic growth and land-use expansion, although some policies showed the potential to change the course of development. To prevent local, national, and international actors from continuing to assert harmful interests in the region, a coherent long-term commitment and change in the collective mindset are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benno Pokorny
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg (Germany), Tennenbacher Strasse 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pablo Pacheco
- World Wide Fund for Nature, 1250 24th St NW, Washington, DC 20037 USA
| | - Wil de Jong
- Center for Southeast Asian and Integrated Area Studies, Kyoto University (Japan), 46 Shimoadachichou, Sakyoku, Kyoto, 606-8501 Japan
| | - Steffen Karl Entenmann
- Chair of Silvicutlure, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg (Germany), Tennenbacher Strasse 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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5
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Piperno DR, McMichael CH, Pitman NCA, Andino JEG, Ríos Paredes M, Heijink BM, Torres-Montenegro LA. A 5,000-year vegetation and fire history for tierra firme forests in the Medio Putumayo-Algodón watersheds, northeastern Peru. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2022213118. [PMID: 34580207 PMCID: PMC8501791 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022213118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper addresses an important debate in Amazonian studies; namely, the scale, intensity, and nature of human modification of the forests in prehistory. Phytolith and charcoal analysis of terrestrial soils underneath mature tierra firme (nonflooded, nonriverine) forests in the remote Medio Putumayo-Algodón watersheds, northeastern Peru, provide a vegetation and fire history spanning at least the past 5,000 y. A tree inventory carried out in the region enables calibration of ancient phytolith records with standing vegetation and estimates of palm species densities on the landscape through time. Phytolith records show no evidence for forest clearing or agriculture with major annual seed and root crops. Frequencies of important economic palms such as Oenocarpus, Euterpe, Bactris, and Astrocaryum spp., some of which contain hyperdominant species in the modern flora, do not increase through prehistoric time. This indicates pre-Columbian occupations, if documented in the region with future research, did not significantly increase the abundance of those species through management or cultivation. Phytoliths from other arboreal and woody species similarly reflect a stable forest structure and diversity throughout the records. Charcoal 14C dates evidence local forest burning between ca. 2,800 and 1,400 y ago. Our data support previous research indicating that considerable areas of some Amazonian tierra firme forests were not significantly impacted by human activities during the prehistoric era. Rather, it appears that over the last 5,000 y, indigenous populations in this region coexisted with, and helped maintain, large expanses of relatively unmodified forest, as they continue to do today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dolores R Piperno
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20560;
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Crystal H McMichael
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nigel C A Pitman
- Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605-2496
| | - Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino
- Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605-2496
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Salud-BIOMAS-Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170513, Ecuador
| | - Marcos Ríos Paredes
- Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605-2496
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil
| | - Britte M Heijink
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Luis A Torres-Montenegro
- Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605-2496
- Herbarium Amazonense, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana, Iquitos 16002, Peru
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6
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Coelho SD, Levis C, Baccaro FB, Figueiredo FOG, Pinassi Antunes A, ter Steege H, Peña-Claros M, Clement CR, Schietti J. Eighty-four per cent of all Amazonian arboreal plant individuals are useful to humans. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257875. [PMID: 34597306 PMCID: PMC8486103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants have been used in Amazonian forests for millennia and some of these plants are disproportionally abundant (hyperdominant). At local scales, people generally use the most abundant plants, which may be abundant as the result of management of indigenous peoples and local communities. However, it is unknown whether plant use is also associated with abundance at larger scales. We used the population sizes of 4,454 arboreal species (trees and palms) estimated from 1946 forest plots and compiled information about uses from 29 Amazonian ethnobotany books and articles published between 1926 and 2013 to investigate the relationship between species usefulness and their population sizes, and how this relationship is influenced by the degree of domestication of arboreal species across Amazonia. We found that half of the arboreal species (2,253) are useful to humans, which represents 84% of the estimated individuals in Amazonian forests. Useful species have mean populations sizes six times larger than non-useful species, and their abundance is related with the probability of usefulness. Incipiently domesticated species are the most abundant. Population size was weakly related to specific uses, but strongly related with the multiplicity of uses. This study highlights the enormous usefulness of Amazonian arboreal species for local peoples. Our findings support the hypothesis that the most abundant plant species have a greater chance to be useful at both local and larger scales, and suggest that although people use the most abundant plants, indigenous people and local communities have contributed to plant abundance through long-term management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara D. Coelho
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Carolina Levis
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Fabrício B. Baccaro
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Fernando O. G. Figueiredo
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - André Pinassi Antunes
- RedeFauna - Rede de Pesquisa em Diversidade, Conservação e Uso da Fauna da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Coordenação de Dinâmica Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Hans ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marielos Peña-Claros
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Charles R. Clement
- Coordenação de Tecnologia e Inovação, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Juliana Schietti
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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7
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Furtado GN, Sarmento PSM, Lucas FCA. Population structure and spatial distribution of tucumã-do-pará (Astrocaryum vulgare Mart.) in Salvaterra, Marajó island, Pará. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20201186. [PMID: 34586178 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120201186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocaryum vulgare Mart. is a palm tree that tolerates multiple environmental conditions, with complex development characteristics. The objective is to understand the population structure, the spatial distribution of this species in different environments and the effect of environmental gradients on its occurrence on Marajó Island, Pará. The hypothesis is that the population density of the species, as well as the spatial distribution, depends on the environment in which it is inserted. The study was carried out in 11 communities of residents of five different physiognomies, in which all individuals belonging to 42 sample units were mapped, measured and were categorized in height classes for further analysis. The results showed an abundance of juvenile individuals and a spatial distribution grouped across all physiognomies. The evidence points to a growing population, probably influenced by anthropic actions. Variables such as vegetation index of normalized difference, slope and distance from rivers were shown to be linked to the development of morphological characteristics. Finally, the occurrence of this species in physiognomies may be linked to the land use system, as it contributes to the creation of favorable environments for its development and, although differently, it has shown a high degree of adaptation to atypicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele N Furtado
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Travessa Dr. Enéas Pinheiro, 2626, Marco, 66095-015 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Priscila S M Sarmento
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Rua Boa Ventura da Silva, 955, Nazaré, 66055-090 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Flávia C A Lucas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia, Travessa Dr. Enéas Pinheiro, 2626, Marco, 66095-015 Belém, PA, Brazil
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8
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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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9
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de Souza JG, Robinson M, Maezumi SY, Capriles J, Hoggarth JA, Lombardo U, Novello VF, Apaéstegui J, Whitney B, Urrego D, Alves DT, Rostain S, Power MJ, Mayle FE, da Cruz FW, Hooghiemstra H, Iriarte J. Climate change and cultural resilience in late pre-Columbian Amazonia. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:1007-1017. [PMID: 31209292 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0924-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The long-term response of ancient societies to climate change has been a matter of global debate. Until recently, the lack of integrative studies using archaeological, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological data prevented an evaluation of the relationship between climate change, distinct subsistence strategies and cultural transformations across the largest rainforest of the world, Amazonia. Here we review the most relevant cultural changes seen in the archaeological record of six different regions within Greater Amazonia during late pre-Columbian times. We compare the chronology of those cultural transitions with high-resolution regional palaeoclimate proxies, showing that, while some societies faced major reorganization during periods of climate change, others were unaffected and even flourished. We propose that societies with intensive, specialized land-use systems were vulnerable to transient climate change. In contrast, land-use systems that relied primarily on polyculture agroforestry, resulting in the formation of enriched forests and fertile Amazonian dark earth in the long term, were more resilient to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Gregorio de Souza
- Department of Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. .,Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Mark Robinson
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - S Yoshi Maezumi
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,Department of Geography and Geology, The University of the West Indies at Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - José Capriles
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Bronwen Whitney
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Dunia Urrego
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Stephen Rostain
- Department of Archaeology, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris, France
| | - Mitchell J Power
- Geography Department, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Francis E Mayle
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | | | - Henry Hooghiemstra
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - José Iriarte
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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10
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Santos RS, Coelho-Ferreira M, Lima PGC, Magalhães MP. Useful plants and their relation to archaeological sites in the Serra de Carajás, Brazil. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2019; 91:e20170909. [PMID: 30994748 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201920170909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidisciplinary studies including archeology and ethnobotany that seek to understand human interventions on the landscape have obtained important results concerning Amazon biodiversity. This study aims to identify the useful plants in different phytophysiognomies related to archeological sites in the Serra de Carajás, in the state of Pará, as well as expand knowledge of the local flora. Information was collected in 76 parcels located in the influence areas of 15 archaeological sites: 45 in forest vegetation, 30 in canga vegetation and 1 in palm swamps. The species were categorized as either medicinal, food, game attractants, firewood, toxic, ritualistic and material. An assessment of the plants use potential by family was done using regression analysis for the taxa inventoried. All the phytophysiognomies studied in the vicinity of archaeological sites were expressive regarding useful species. The most representative categories were medicinal, material, game attractant, firewood and food. The floristic features related to the use of plant species by family were also expressive for Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Chrysobalanaceae. The phytophysiognomies identified near archaeological sites feature several plant resources in different use categories, highlighting the value of local ecosystems and their potential for human use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronize S Santos
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Botânica, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, 66077-830 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Márlia Coelho-Ferreira
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Botânica, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, 66077-830 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Pedro G C Lima
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Campus Dois Irmãos, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Marcos P Magalhães
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Botânica, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, 66077-830 Belém, PA, Brazil
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11
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Caetano Andrade VL, Flores BM, Levis C, Clement CR, Roberts P, Schöngart J. Growth rings of Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa) as a living record of historical human disturbance in Central Amazonia. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214128. [PMID: 30943230 PMCID: PMC6447161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) is an iconic and economically valuable species that dominates vast swathes of the Amazon Basin. This species seems to have been an important part of human subsistence strategies in the region from at least the Early Holocene, and its current distribution may be a legacy of past human settlement. Because B. excelsa is a long-lived pioneer tree it requires natural or human disturbances to increase light availability in the understory for a successful establishment. However, it remains unclear how the long-term population dynamics of this species have been shaped by pre-colonial and post-colonial human practices. Here, we use tree-ring analyses to look at changes in growing conditions over the past 400 years in a Brazil nut tree population in Central Amazonia. We identify changes in tree recruitment and growth rates associated not only with regional climatic variability, but also major political and socio-economic activities recorded by historical documents in the vicinity of Manaus. We demonstrate that the expansion of a post-colonial political center (Manaus) from the middle of the 18th century onwards coincided with a reduction in recruitment of B. excelsa. We argue that this hiatus suggests the interruption of indigenous management practices, probably due to the collapse of pre-Columbian societies. A second recruitment pulse, and unprecedented cycles of growth release and suppression, aligns with a shift to modern exploitation of the forest into the 20th century. Our findings shed light on how past histories of human-forest interactions can be revealed by the growth rings of trees in Amazonia. Future interdisciplinary analysis of these trees should enable more detailed investigation of how human forest management has changed in this part of the world, through pre-colonial, colonial, and industrial periods of human activity, with potential implications for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor L. Caetano Andrade
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Thüringen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Bernardo M. Flores
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Carolina Levis
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Thüringen, Germany
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12
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Eggers S, Petronilho C, Toso A, da Rocha Bandeira D, Von Tersch M, dos Santos AMP, Ramos da Costa B, Meyer R, Colonese AC. Middle Holocene plant cultivation on the Atlantic Forest coast of Brazil? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180432. [PMID: 30839761 PMCID: PMC6170589 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This work provides robust oral pathology and stable isotope evidence on Bayesian mixing model for an unexpectedly high consumption of carbohydrates by a Middle Holocene coastal population of the Atlantic Forest of South America, an area traditionally viewed as peripheral to early centres of food production on the continent. A diversified economy with substantial consumption of plant resources was in place at the shellmound (or sambaqui) of Morro do Ouro, in Babitonga Bay, and supported a dense population at ca 4500 cal BP. This dietary composition is unique when compared with that of other contemporary and later groups in the region, including peoples who used ceramics and domesticated crops. The results corroborate independent dietary evidence, such as stone tool artefacts for plant processing and plant microremains in dental calculus of the same individuals, and suggest plant cultivation possibly took place in this region at the same time as the development of early agriculture in Amazonia and the La Plata Basin. Our study situates the Atlantic Forest coast of Brazil on the map of early plant management in the Neotropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências – Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, 05508-900, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sabine Eggers
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências – Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, 05508-900, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
- Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Anthropologische Abteilung, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Cecilia Petronilho
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências – Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, 05508-900, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alice Toso
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Dione da Rocha Bandeira
- Universidade da Região de Joinville, Mestrado em Patrimônio Cultural e Sociedade, Rua Paulo Malschitzki 10, Zona Industrial Norte, 89219-710, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Matthew Von Tersch
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Adriana M. P. dos Santos
- Museu Arqueológico de Sambaqui de Joinville, Rua Dona Francisca 600, Centro, 89201-250, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Ramos da Costa
- Museu Arqueológico de Sambaqui de Joinville, Rua Dona Francisca 600, Centro, 89201-250, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Roberta Meyer
- Museu Arqueológico de Sambaqui de Joinville, Rua Dona Francisca 600, Centro, 89201-250, Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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13
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Ferreira AS, Jehle R, Stow AJ, Lima AP. Soil and forest structure predicts large-scale patterns of occurrence and local abundance of a widespread Amazonian frog. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5424. [PMID: 30123719 PMCID: PMC6087616 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution of biodiversity within the Amazon basin is often structured by sharp environmental boundaries, such as large rivers. The Amazon region is also characterized by subtle environmental clines, but how they might affect the distributions and abundance of organisms has so far received less attention. Here, we test whether soil and forest characteristics are associated with the occurrence and relative abundance of the forest-floor dwelling Aromobatid frog, Allobates femoralis. We applied a structured sampling regime along an 880 km long transect through forest of different density. High detection probabilities were estimated for A. femoralis in each of the sampling modules. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models and simple linear regressions that take detectability into account, we show that A. femoralis is more abundant in open forests than in dense forests. The presence and relative abundance of A. femoralis is also positively associated with clay-rich soils, which are poorly drained and therefore likely support the standing water bodies required for reproduction. Taken together, we demonstrate that relatively easy-to-measure environmental features can explain the distribution and abundance of a widespread species at different spatial scales. Such proxies are of clear value to ecologists and conservation managers working in large inaccessible areas such as the Amazon basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Ferreira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Robert Jehle
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Adam J Stow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Albertina P Lima
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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Maezumi SY, Robinson M, de Souza J, Urrego DH, Schaan D, Alves D, Iriarte J. New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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15
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Levis C, Flores BM, Moreira PA, Luize BG, Alves RP, Franco-Moraes J, Lins J, Konings E, Peña-Claros M, Bongers F, Costa FRC, Clement CR. How People Domesticated Amazonian Forests. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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16
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Levis C, Costa FRC, Bongers F, Peña-Claros M, Clement CR, Junqueira AB, Neves EG, Tamanaha EK, Figueiredo FOG, Salomão RP, Castilho CV, Magnusson WE, Phillips OL, Guevara JE, Sabatier D, Molino JF, López DC, Mendoza AM, Pitman NCA, Duque A, Vargas PN, Zartman CE, Vasquez R, Andrade A, Camargo JL, Feldpausch TR, Laurance SGW, Laurance WF, Killeen TJ, Nascimento HEM, Montero JC, Mostacedo B, Amaral IL, Guimarães Vieira IC, Brienen R, Castellanos H, Terborgh J, Carim MDJV, Guimarães JRDS, Coelho LDS, Matos FDDA, Wittmann F, Mogollón HF, Damasco G, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Coronado ENH, Emilio T, Filho DDAL, Schietti J, Souza P, Targhetta N, Comiskey JA, Marimon BS, Marimon BH, Neill D, Alonso A, Arroyo L, Carvalho FA, de Souza FC, Dallmeier F, Pansonato MP, Duivenvoorden JF, Fine PVA, Stevenson PR, Araujo-Murakami A, Aymard C. GA, Baraloto C, do Amaral DD, Engel J, Henkel TW, Maas P, Petronelli P, Revilla JDC, Stropp J, Daly D, Gribel R, Paredes MR, Silveira M, Thomas-Caesar R, Baker TR, da Silva NF, Ferreira LV, Peres CA, Silman MR, Cerón C, Valverde FC, Di Fiore A, Jimenez EM, Mora MCP, Toledo M, Barbosa EM, Bonates LCDM, Arboleda NC, Farias EDS, Fuentes A, Guillaumet JL, Jørgensen PM, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda IP, Phillips JF, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschel AR, Silva N, von Hildebrand P, Vos VA, Zent EL, Zent S, Cintra BBL, Nascimento MT, Oliveira AA, Ramirez-Angulo H, Ramos JF, Rivas G, Schöngart J, Sierra R, Tirado M, van der Heijden G, Torre EV, Wang O, Young KR, Baider C, Cano A, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Hoffman B, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Torres-Lezama A, Medina MNU, van Andel TR, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, Balslev H, Garcia-Cabrera K, Gonzales T, Hernandez L, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Manzatto AG, Milliken W, Cuenca WP, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Arevalo FR, Reis NFC, Sampaio AF, Giraldo LEU, Sandoval EHV, Gamarra LV, Vela CIA, ter Steege H. Persistent effects of pre-Columbian plant domestication on Amazonian forest composition. Science 2017; 355:925-931. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aal0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 306] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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17
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Berg KJ, Icyeh L, Lin YR, Janz A, Newmaster SG. Multiple-factor classification of a human-modified forest landscape in the Hsuehshan Mountain Range, Taiwan. AMBIO 2016; 45:919-932. [PMID: 27255230 PMCID: PMC5102968 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-016-0794-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 03/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Human actions drive landscape heterogeneity, yet most ecosystem classifications omit the role of human influence. This study explores land use history to inform a classification of forestland of the Tayal Mrqwang indigenous people of Taiwan. Our objectives were to determine the extent to which human action drives landscape heterogeneity. We used interviews, field sampling, and multivariate analysis to relate vegetation patterns to environmental gradients and human modification across 76 sites. We identified eleven forest classes. In total, around 70 % of plots were at lower elevations and had a history of shifting cultivation, terrace farming, and settlement that resulted in alder, laurel, oak, pine, and bamboo stands. Higher elevation mixed conifer forests were least disturbed. Arboriculture and selective harvesting were drivers of other conspicuous forest patterns. The findings show that past land uses play a key role in shaping forests, which is important to consider when setting targets to guide forest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevan J. Berg
- Integral Ecology Group, Ltd., #201 - 330, Duncan Street, Duncan, BC V9L 3W4 Canada
| | - Lahuy Icyeh
- Smangus Community, Yufeng Village, Jianshi, Hsinchu Taiwan
| | - Yih-Ren Lin
- Graduate Institute of Humanities in Medicine (GIHM), Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wuxing St, Xinyi District, Taipei, 110 Taiwan
| | - Arnold Janz
- Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA), Edmonton, AB Canada
| | - Steven G. Newmaster
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
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18
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McMichael CH, Piperno DR, Bush MB. Comment on Clement et al. 2015 'The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest'. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20151837. [PMID: 26702039 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- C H McMichael
- Palaeoecology and Landscape Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - D R Piperno
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - M B Bush
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA
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19
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Clement CR, Denevan WM, Heckenberger MJ, Junqueira AB, Neves EG, Teixeira WG, Woods WI. The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest. Proc Biol Sci 2016. [PMID: 26202998 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During the twentieth century, Amazonia was widely regarded as relatively pristine nature, little impacted by human history. This view remains popular despite mounting evidence of substantial human influence over millennial scales across the region. Here, we review the evidence of an anthropogenic Amazonia in response to claims of sparse populations across broad portions of the region. Amazonia was a major centre of crop domestication, with at least 83 native species containing populations domesticated to some degree. Plant domestication occurs in domesticated landscapes, including highly modified Amazonian dark earths (ADEs) associated with large settled populations and that may cover greater than 0.1% of the region. Populations and food production expanded rapidly within land management systems in the mid-Holocene, and complex societies expanded in resource-rich areas creating domesticated landscapes with profound impacts on local and regional ecology. ADE food production projections support estimates of at least eight million people in 1492. By this time, highly diverse regional systems had developed across Amazonia where subsistence resources were created with plant and landscape domestication, including earthworks. This review argues that the Amazonian anthrome was no less socio-culturally diverse or populous than other tropical forested areas of the world prior to European conquest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Clement
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, INPA; Avenue André Araújo, 2936 - Petrópolis, 69067-375 Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | | | | | - André Braga Junqueira
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, INPA; Avenue André Araújo, 2936 - Petrópolis, 69067-375 Manaus, AM, Brazil Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, and Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eduardo G Neves
- Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - William I Woods
- Department Geography, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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20
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Clement CR, Denevan WM, Heckenberger MJ, Junqueira AB, Neves EG, Teixeira WG, Woods WI. Response to comment by McMichael, Piperno and Bush. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20152459. [PMID: 26702048 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Clement
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia-INPA, Av. André Araújo, 2936 - Petrópolis, 69067-375 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - William M Denevan
- Department of Geography, emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | | | - André Braga Junqueira
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia-INPA, Av. André Araújo, 2936 - Petrópolis, 69067-375 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eduardo G Neves
- Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-070, Brazil
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21
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McMichael CH, Piperno DR, Neves EG, Bush MB, Almeida FO, Mongeló G, Eyjolfsdottir MB. Phytolith Assemblages Along a Gradient of Ancient Human Disturbance in Western Amazonia. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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22
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Lins J, Lima HP, Baccaro FB, Kinupp VF, Shepard GH, Clement CR. Pre-Columbian floristic legacies in modern homegardens of Central Amazonia. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127067. [PMID: 26030879 PMCID: PMC4451503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Historical ecologists have demonstrated legacy effects in apparently wild landscapes in Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, Amazonia, Africa and Oceania. People live and farm in archaeological sites today in many parts of the world, but nobody has looked for the legacies of past human occupations in the most dynamic areas in these sites: homegardens. Here we show that the useful flora of modern homegardens is partially a legacy of pre-Columbian occupations in Central Amazonia: the more complex the archaeological context, the more variable the floristic composition of useful native plants in homegardens cultivated there today. Species diversity was 10% higher in homegardens situated in multi-occupational archaeological contexts compared with homegardens situated in single-occupational ones. Species heterogeneity (β-diversity) among archaeological contexts was similar for the whole set of species, but markedly different when only native Amazonian species were included, suggesting the influence of pre-conquest indigenous occupations on current homegarden species composition. Our findings show that the legacy of pre-Columbian occupations is visible in the most dynamic of all agroecosystems, adding another dimension to the human footprint in the Amazonian landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Lins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
- * E-mail:
| | - Helena P. Lima
- Coordenação de Ciências Humanas, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG), Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Fabricio B. Baccaro
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
| | - Valdely F. Kinupp
- Herbário EAFM, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas (IFAM), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
| | - Glenn H. Shepard
- Departamento de Antropologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG), Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Charles R. Clement
- Coordenação de Tecnologia e Inovação, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
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23
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Quintero-Vallejo E, Klomberg Y, Bongers F, Poorter L, Toledo M, Peña-Claros M. Amazonian Dark Earth Shapes the Understory Plant Community in a Bolivian Forest. Biotropica 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Estela Quintero-Vallejo
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group; Wageningen University and Research Centre; P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
- Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal (IBIF); P.O. Box 6204 Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
| | - Yannick Klomberg
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group; Wageningen University and Research Centre; P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
- Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal (IBIF); P.O. Box 6204 Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group; Wageningen University and Research Centre; P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group; Wageningen University and Research Centre; P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
| | - Marisol Toledo
- Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal (IBIF); P.O. Box 6204 Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas; Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno, Km 9 Carretera al Norte; Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
| | - Marielos Peña-Claros
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group; Wageningen University and Research Centre; P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
- Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal (IBIF); P.O. Box 6204 Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia
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Ribeiro MBN, Jerozolimski A, de Robert P, Salles NV, Kayapó B, Pimentel TP, Magnusson WE. Anthropogenic landscape in southeastern Amazonia: contemporary impacts of low-intensity harvesting and dispersal of Brazil nuts by the Kayapó Indigenous people. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102187. [PMID: 25029191 PMCID: PMC4100818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Brazil nut, the Bertholletia excelsa seed, is one of the most important non-timber forest products in the Amazon Forest and the livelihoods of thousands of traditional Amazonian families depend on its commercialization. B. excelsa has been frequently cited as an indicator of anthropogenic forests and there is strong evidence that past human management has significantly contributed to its present distribution across the Amazon, suggesting that low levels of harvesting may play a positive role in B. excelsa recruitment. Here, we evaluate the effects of Brazil nut harvesting by the Kayapó Indigenous people of southeastern Amazonia on seedling recruitment in 20 B. excelsa groves subjected to different harvesting intensities, and investigated if management by harvesters influences patterns of B. excelsa distribution. The number of years of low-intensity Brazil nut harvesting by the Kayapó over the past two decades was positively related to B. excelsa seedling density in groves. One of the mechanisms behind the higher seedling density in harvested sites seems to be seed dispersal by harvesters along trails. The Kayapó also intentionally plant B. excelsa seeds and seedlings across their territories. Our results show not only that low-intensity Brazil nut harvesting by the Kayapó people does not reduce recruitment of seedlings, but that harvesting and/or associated activities conducted by traditional harvesters may benefit B. excelsa beyond grove borders. Our study supports the hypothesis that B. excelsa dispersal throughout the Amazon was, at least in part, influenced by indigenous groups, and strongly suggests that current human management contributes to the maintenance and formation of B. excelsa groves. We suggest that changes in Brazil nut management practices by traditional people to prevent harvesting impacts may be unnecessary and even counterproductive in many areas, and should be carefully evaluated before implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Beatriz N. Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduacão em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
| | | | - Pascale de Robert
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR PALOC, Paris, France
- Coordenação de Ciências Humanas, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | | | | | - Tania P. Pimentel
- Coordenação de Dinâmica Ambiental (CDAM), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
| | - William E. Magnusson
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
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McMichael CH, Palace MW, Bush MB, Braswell B, Hagen S, Neves EG, Silman MR, Tamanaha EK, Czarnecki C. Predicting pre-Columbian anthropogenic soils in Amazonia. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132475. [PMID: 24403329 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent and intensity of pre-Columbian impacts on lowland Amazonia have remained uncertain and controversial. Various indicators can be used to gauge the impact of pre-Columbian societies, but the formation of nutrient-enriched terra preta soils has been widely accepted as an indication of long-term settlement and site fidelity. Using known and newly discovered terra preta sites and maximum entropy algorithms (Maxent), we determined the influence of regional environmental conditions on the likelihood that terra pretas would have been formed at any given location in lowland Amazonia. Terra pretas were most frequently found in central and eastern Amazonia along the lower courses of the major Amazonian rivers. Terrain, hydrologic and soil characteristics were more important predictors of terra preta distributions than climatic conditions. Our modelling efforts indicated that terra pretas are likely to be found throughout ca 154 063 km(2) or 3.2% of the forest. We also predict that terra preta formation was limited in most of western Amazonia. Model results suggested that the distribution of terra preta was highly predictable based on environmental parameters. We provided targets for future archaeological surveys under the vast forest canopy and also highlighted how few of the long-term forest inventory sites in Amazonia are able to capture the effects of historical disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H McMichael
- Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, , Durham, NH 03824, USA, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, , Melbourne, FL 32901, USA, Applied Geosolutions, , Durham, NH 03824, USA, Laboratório de Arqueologia dos Trópicos, Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia, Universidade de São Paulo, , São Paulo, Brazil, Department of Biology and Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University, , Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
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ter Steege H, Pitman NCA, Sabatier D, Baraloto C, Salomão RP, Guevara JE, Phillips OL, Castilho CV, Magnusson WE, Molino JF, Monteagudo A, Núñez Vargas P, Montero JC, Feldpausch TR, Coronado ENH, Killeen TJ, Mostacedo B, Vasquez R, Assis RL, Terborgh J, Wittmann F, Andrade A, Laurance WF, Laurance SGW, Marimon BS, Marimon BH, Guimarães Vieira IC, Amaral IL, Brienen R, Castellanos H, Cárdenas López D, Duivenvoorden JF, Mogollón HF, Matos FDDA, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Stevenson Diaz PR, Costa F, Emilio T, Levis C, Schietti J, Souza P, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Montoya AJD, Fernandez Piedade MT, Araujo-Murakami A, Arroyo L, Gribel R, Fine PVA, Peres CA, Toledo M, Aymard C GA, Baker TR, Cerón C, Engel J, Henkel TW, Maas P, Petronelli P, Stropp J, Zartman CE, Daly D, Neill D, Silveira M, Paredes MR, Chave J, Lima Filho DDA, Jørgensen PM, Fuentes A, Schöngart J, Cornejo Valverde F, Di Fiore A, Jimenez EM, Peñuela Mora MC, Phillips JF, Rivas G, van Andel TR, von Hildebrand P, Hoffman B, Zent EL, Malhi Y, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschell AR, Silva N, Vos V, Zent S, Oliveira AA, Schutz AC, Gonzales T, Trindade Nascimento M, Ramirez-Angulo H, Sierra R, Tirado M, Umaña Medina MN, van der Heijden G, Vela CIA, Vilanova Torre E, Vriesendorp C, Wang O, Young KR, Baider C, Balslev H, Ferreira C, Mesones I, Torres-Lezama A, Urrego Giraldo LE, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, Hernandez L, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Milliken W, Palacios Cuenca W, Pauletto D, Valderrama Sandoval E, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Dexter KG, Feeley K, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Silman MR. Hyperdominance in the Amazonian tree flora. Science 2013; 342:1243092. [PMID: 24136971 DOI: 10.1126/science.1243092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 391] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The vast extent of the Amazon Basin has historically restricted the study of its tree communities to the local and regional scales. Here, we provide empirical data on the commonness, rarity, and richness of lowland tree species across the entire Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), collected in 1170 tree plots in all major forest types. Extrapolations suggest that Amazonia harbors roughly 16,000 tree species, of which just 227 (1.4%) account for half of all trees. Most of these are habitat specialists and only dominant in one or two regions of the basin. We discuss some implications of the finding that a small group of species--less diverse than the North American tree flora--accounts for half of the world's most diverse tree community.
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Early and middle holocene hunter-gatherer occupations in western Amazonia: the hidden shell middens. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72746. [PMID: 24013964 PMCID: PMC3755986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We report on previously unknown early archaeological sites in the Bolivian lowlands, demonstrating for the first time early and middle Holocene human presence in western Amazonia. Multidisciplinary research in forest islands situated in seasonally-inundated savannahs has revealed stratified shell middens produced by human foragers as early as 10,000 years ago, making them the oldest archaeological sites in the region. The absence of stone resources and partial burial by recent alluvial sediments has meant that these kinds of deposits have, until now, remained unidentified. We conducted core sampling, archaeological excavations and an interdisciplinary study of the stratigraphy and recovered materials from three shell midden mounds. Based on multiple lines of evidence, including radiocarbon dating, sedimentary proxies (elements, steroids and black carbon), micromorphology and faunal analysis, we demonstrate the anthropogenic origin and antiquity of these sites. In a tropical and geomorphologically active landscape often considered challenging both for early human occupation and for the preservation of hunter-gatherer sites, the newly discovered shell middens provide evidence for early to middle Holocene occupation and illustrate the potential for identifying and interpreting early open-air archaeological sites in western Amazonia. The existence of early hunter-gatherer sites in the Bolivian lowlands sheds new light on the region’s past and offers a new context within which the late Holocene “Earthmovers” of the Llanos de Moxos could have emerged.
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