Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia

The ecological status of prehistoric Amazonian forests remains widely debated. The concept of ancient Amazonia as a pristine wilderness is largely discredited, but the alternative hypothesis of extensive anthropogenic landscape remains untested in many regions. We assessed the degree of ancient huma...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Crystal eMcmichael, Dolores ePiperno, Eduardo eNeves, Mark eBush, Fernando eAlmeida, Guilherme eMongeló
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2015.00141/full
id doaj-9b30a89ab345467d84ee51cb649ebaa7
record_format Article
spelling doaj-9b30a89ab345467d84ee51cb649ebaa72020-11-24T22:48:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2015-12-01310.3389/fevo.2015.00141167574Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western AmazoniaCrystal eMcmichael0Crystal eMcmichael1Dolores ePiperno2Dolores ePiperno3Eduardo eNeves4Mark eBush5Fernando eAlmeida6Guilherme eMongeló7University of AmsterdamFlorida Institute of TechnologySmithsonian Tropical Research InstituteSmithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryUniversidade de São PauloFlorida Institute of TechnologyUniversidade Federal de SergipeUniversidade de São PauloThe ecological status of prehistoric Amazonian forests remains widely debated. The concept of ancient Amazonia as a pristine wilderness is largely discredited, but the alternative hypothesis of extensive anthropogenic landscape remains untested in many regions. We assessed the degree of ancient human impacts across western Amazonia based on archaeological and paleoecological data using methodologies that would allow inter-regional comparisons. We also aimed to establish baselines for estimating the legacies of ancient disturbances on modern vegetation. We analyzed charcoal and phytolith assemblages from soil samples from an archaeological site, sites in close proximity to archaeological sites, sites from riverine and interfluvial forests, and a biological research station believed to contain some of the least disturbed forests within Amazonia. We then quantitatively compared phytolith assemblages within and between the surveyed regions. Palm enrichment was evident at the archaeological site, and the biological station survey contained little to no evidence of ancient human activity. The other sites exhibited a gradient of ancient disturbance across the landscape. The phytolith assemblages showed statistically significant between-region variations that indicated our metrics were sufficiently sensitive to detecting ancient disturbance. Our data highlight the spatial heterogeneity of ancient human disturbances in Amazonian forests. The quantification of these disturbances provides empirical data and a more concrete link between the composition of the modern forest and ancient disturbance regimes. Accounting for ancient disturbances will allow a deeper understanding of the landscape heterogeneity observed in the modern forests.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2015.00141/fullArchaeologyAmazoniaPalaeoecologyvegetation dynamicsHistorical legaciespre-Columbian
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Crystal eMcmichael
Crystal eMcmichael
Dolores ePiperno
Dolores ePiperno
Eduardo eNeves
Mark eBush
Fernando eAlmeida
Guilherme eMongeló
spellingShingle Crystal eMcmichael
Crystal eMcmichael
Dolores ePiperno
Dolores ePiperno
Eduardo eNeves
Mark eBush
Fernando eAlmeida
Guilherme eMongeló
Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Archaeology
Amazonia
Palaeoecology
vegetation dynamics
Historical legacies
pre-Columbian
author_facet Crystal eMcmichael
Crystal eMcmichael
Dolores ePiperno
Dolores ePiperno
Eduardo eNeves
Mark eBush
Fernando eAlmeida
Guilherme eMongeló
author_sort Crystal eMcmichael
title Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
title_short Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
title_full Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
title_fullStr Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
title_full_unstemmed Phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western Amazonia
title_sort phytolith assemblages along a gradient of ancient human disturbance in western amazonia
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
issn 2296-701X
publishDate 2015-12-01
description The ecological status of prehistoric Amazonian forests remains widely debated. The concept of ancient Amazonia as a pristine wilderness is largely discredited, but the alternative hypothesis of extensive anthropogenic landscape remains untested in many regions. We assessed the degree of ancient human impacts across western Amazonia based on archaeological and paleoecological data using methodologies that would allow inter-regional comparisons. We also aimed to establish baselines for estimating the legacies of ancient disturbances on modern vegetation. We analyzed charcoal and phytolith assemblages from soil samples from an archaeological site, sites in close proximity to archaeological sites, sites from riverine and interfluvial forests, and a biological research station believed to contain some of the least disturbed forests within Amazonia. We then quantitatively compared phytolith assemblages within and between the surveyed regions. Palm enrichment was evident at the archaeological site, and the biological station survey contained little to no evidence of ancient human activity. The other sites exhibited a gradient of ancient disturbance across the landscape. The phytolith assemblages showed statistically significant between-region variations that indicated our metrics were sufficiently sensitive to detecting ancient disturbance. Our data highlight the spatial heterogeneity of ancient human disturbances in Amazonian forests. The quantification of these disturbances provides empirical data and a more concrete link between the composition of the modern forest and ancient disturbance regimes. Accounting for ancient disturbances will allow a deeper understanding of the landscape heterogeneity observed in the modern forests.
topic Archaeology
Amazonia
Palaeoecology
vegetation dynamics
Historical legacies
pre-Columbian
url http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2015.00141/full
work_keys_str_mv AT crystalemcmichael phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT crystalemcmichael phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT doloresepiperno phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT doloresepiperno phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT eduardoeneves phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT markebush phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT fernandoealmeida phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
AT guilhermeemongelo phytolithassemblagesalongagradientofancienthumandisturbanceinwesternamazonia
_version_ 1725677977307447296