1
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Witteveen NH, White C, Sánchez-Martínez BA, Philip A, Boyd F, Booij R, Christ R, Singh S, Gosling WD, Piperno DR, McMichael CNH. Pre-contact and post-colonial ecological legacies shape Surinamese rainforests. Ecology 2024; 105:e4272. [PMID: 38590101 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Disturbances in tropical forests can have long-lasting ecological impacts, but their manifestations (ecological legacies) in modern forests are uncertain. Many Amazonian forests bear the mark of past soil modifications, species enrichments, and fire events, but the trajectories of ecological legacies from the pre-contact or post-colonial period remain relatively unexplored. We assessed the fire and vegetation history from 15 soil cores ranging from 0 to 10 km from a post-colonial Surinamese archaeological site. We show that (1) fires occurred from 96 bc to recent times and induced significant vegetation change, (2) persistent ecological legacies from pre-contact and post-colonial fire and deforestation practices were mainly within 1 km of the archaeological site, and (3) palm enrichment of Attalea, Oenocarpus and Astrocaryum occurred within 0, 1, and 8 km of the archaeological site, respectively. Our results challenge the notion of spatially extensive and persistent ecological legacies. Instead, our data indicate that the persistence and extent of ecological legacies are dependent on their timing, frequency, type, and intensity. Examining the mechanisms and manifestations of ecological legacies is crucial in assessing forest resilience and Indigenous and local land rights in the highly threatened Amazonian forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina H Witteveen
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Cheryl White
- Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Anton de Kom University, Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Barbara A Sánchez-Martínez
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Annemarie Philip
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Femke Boyd
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Roemer Booij
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Reyan Christ
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Santosh Singh
- Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Anton de Kom University, Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - William D Gosling
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dolores R Piperno
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Crystal N H McMichael
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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2
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Levis C, Flores BM, Campos-Silva JV, Peroni N, Staal A, Padgurschi MCG, Dorshow W, Moraes B, Schmidt M, Kuikuro TW, Kuikuro H, Wauja K, Kuikuro K, Kuikuro A, Fausto C, Franchetto B, Watling J, Lima H, Heckenberger M, Clement CR. Contributions of human cultures to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:866-879. [PMID: 38503867 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02356-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The expansion of globalized industrial societies is causing global warming, ecosystem degradation, and species and language extinctions worldwide. Mainstream conservation efforts still focus on nature protection strategies to revert this crisis, often overlooking the essential roles of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LC) in protecting biodiversity and ecosystems globally. Here we assess the scientific literature to identify relationships between biodiversity (including ecosystem diversity) and cultural diversity, and investigate how these connections may affect conservation outcomes in tropical lowland South America. Our assessment reveals a network of interactions and feedbacks between biodiversity and diverse IP&LC, suggesting interconnectedness and interdependencies from which multiple benefits to nature and societies emerge. We illustrate our findings with five case studies of successful conservation models, described as consolidated or promising 'social-ecological hope spots', that show how engagement with IP&LC of various cultures may be the best hope for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, particularly when aligned with science and technology. In light of these five inspiring cases, we argue that conservation science and policies need to recognize that protecting and promoting both biological and cultural diversities can provide additional co-benefits and solutions to maintain ecosystems resilient in the face of global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Levis
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
- Affiliated scholar, Brazil LAB, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Bernardo M Flores
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - João Vitor Campos-Silva
- Instituto Juruá, Manaus, Brazil
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Nivaldo Peroni
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Arie Staal
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maíra C G Padgurschi
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisas Meteorológicas e Climáticas aplicadas à Agricultura, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Wetherbee Dorshow
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Earth Analytic, Puente Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Bruno Moraes
- Earth Analytic, Puente Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil
| | - Morgan Schmidt
- Laboratório de Estudos Interdisciplinares em Arqueologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Taku Wate Kuikuro
- Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu, Aldeia Ipatse, Território Indígena do Alto Xingu, Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Huke Kuikuro
- Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu, Aldeia Ipatse, Território Indígena do Alto Xingu, Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Kumessi Wauja
- Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu, Aldeia Ipatse, Território Indígena do Alto Xingu, Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Kalutata Kuikuro
- Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu, Aldeia Ipatse, Território Indígena do Alto Xingu, Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Afukaka Kuikuro
- Associação Indígena Kuikuro do Alto Xingu, Aldeia Ipatse, Território Indígena do Alto Xingu, Canarana and Gaúcha do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Carlos Fausto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia Social, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Visiting Research Scholar, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Brazil LAB, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Bruna Franchetto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia Social, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jennifer Watling
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Charles R Clement
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
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3
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Shepard GH, Daly L. Sensory Ecology, Bioeconomy, and the Age of COVID: A Parallax View of Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge. Top Cogn Sci 2023. [PMID: 37440457 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Drawing on original ethnobotanical and anthropological research among Indigenous peoples across the Amazon, we examine synergies and dissonances between Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge about the environment, resource use, and sustainability. By focusing on the sensory dimension of Indigenous engagements with the environment-an approach we have described as "sensory ecology" and explored through the method of "phytoethnography"-we promote a symmetrical dialogue between Indigenous and scientific understandings around such phenomena as animal-plant mutualisms, phytochemical toxicity, sustainable forest management in "multinatural" landscapes, and the emergence of new diseases like the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Drawing examples from our own and other published works, we explore the possibilities and limitations of a "parallax view" attempting to hold Indigenous and scientific knowledge in focus simultaneously. As the concept of "bioeconomy" emerges as a key alternative for sustainable development of the Amazon, we encourage a critical and urgent engagement between dominant Western conceptions and Indigenous Amazonian knowledge, practices, and cultural values. Cognitive science, which has long contributed to studies of Indigenous categorization and conceptualization of the natural world, continues to play an important role in building bridges of mutual communication and respect between Indigenous and scientific approaches to sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lewis Daly
- Department of Anthropology, University College London
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4
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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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5
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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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6
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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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7
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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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8
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Maezumi SY, Alves D, Robinson M, de Souza JG, Levis C, Barnett RL, Almeida de Oliveira E, Urrego D, Schaan D, Iriarte J. The legacy of 4,500 years of polyculture agroforestry in the eastern Amazon. NATURE PLANTS 2018; 4:540-547. [PMID: 30038410 PMCID: PMC6119467 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0205-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The legacy of pre-Columbian land use in the Amazonian rainforest is one of the most controversial topics in the social1-10 and natural sciences11,12. Until now, the debate has been limited to discipline-specific studies, based purely on archaeological data8, modern vegetation13, modern ethnographic data3 or a limited integration of archaeological and palaeoecological data12. The lack of integrated studies to connect past land use with modern vegetation has left questions about the legacy of pre-Columbian land use on the modern vegetation composition in the Amazon, unanswered11. Here, we show that persistent anthropogenic landscapes for the past 4,500 years have had an enduring legacy on the hyperdominance of edible plants in modern forests in the eastern Amazon. We found an abrupt enrichment of edible plant species in fossil lake and terrestrial records associated with pre-Columbian occupation. Our results demonstrate that, through closed-canopy forest enrichment, limited clearing for crop cultivation and low-severity fire management, long-term food security was attained despite climate and social changes. Our results suggest that, in the eastern Amazon, the subsistence basis for the development of complex societies began ~4,500 years ago with the adoption of polyculture agroforestry, combining the cultivation of multiple annual crops with the progressive enrichment of edible forest species and the exploitation of aquatic resources. This subsistence strategy intensified with the later development of Amazonian dark earths, enabling the expansion of maize cultivation to the Belterra Plateau, providing a food production system that sustained growing human populations in the eastern Amazon. Furthermore, these millennial-scale polyculture agroforestry systems have an enduring legacy on the hyperdominance of edible plants in modern forests in the eastern Amazon. Together, our data provide a long-term example of past anthropogenic land use that can inform management and conservation efforts in modern Amazonian ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Yoshi Maezumi
- Department of Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Daiana Alves
- Department of Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Mark Robinson
- Department of Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Carolina Levis
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert L Barnett
- Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Dunia Urrego
- Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Denise Schaan
- Department of Anthropology, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - José Iriarte
- Department of Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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9
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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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