1
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Du Y, Wei Y, Zhou Y, Wang Y, Zhang A, Wang T, Li Z. Temporal variation of microbial nutrient limitation in citrus plantations: Insights from soil enzyme stoichiometry. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 258:119275. [PMID: 38821463 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Soil enzyme carbon (C): nitrogen (N): phosphorous (P) stoichiometry and their vector model has been widely used to elucidate the balance between microbial nutrient requirements and soil nutrient availability. However, limited knowledge is available on the dynamics of soil enzyme stoichiometry and microbial nutrient limitation following afforestation, especially in the economic forest. In this study, the effects of citrus plantation on C: N: P stoichiometry were assessed through a comparative study between cropland and citrus plantations with varying durations of afforestation (i.e., 3, 15, 25, and 35 years). It was found that the C, N, and P contents in the soil (SOC, STN, and STP), microbial biomass (MBC, MBN, and MBP), as well as the activities of C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzymes (BG, NAG, and AP), were 1.02-2.51 times higher than those in cropland. Additionally, C, N, and P contents in soil and microbial biomass increased consistently with increasing afforestation time. While the activities of C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzymes increased from 3 years to 25 years and then significantly decreased. In addition to NAG: AP, the stoichiometry of C, N, and P in soil (SOC: STN, SOC: STP, and STN: STP) and microbial biomass (MBC: MBN, MBC: MBP, and MBN: MBP), along with BG: NAG, exhibited a decline of 7.69-27.38% compared to cropland. Moreover, the majority of the C: N: P stoichiometry in soil, microbial biomass, and enzymes consistently decreased with increasing afforestation time, except for SOC: STN and NAG: AP, which exhibited an opposite trend. Furthermore, a significant decrease in microbial carbon limitation and an increase in microbial nitrogen limitation were observed with increasing afforestation time. Collectively, the dynamic of microbial nutrient limitation was primarily influenced by the interaction between soil nutrients and edaphic factors. The findings suggest that with the increasing duration of citrus plantation, it is crucial to focus on nitrogen (N) fertilization while maintaining a delicate balance between fertilization strategies and soil acidity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingni Du
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yujie Wei
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | - Yiwen Zhou
- Ecological Environment Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Huaihe Valley Ecology and Environment Administration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Bengbu, 233000, China
| | - Yundong Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Aiqun Zhang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, 432000, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Characteristic Fruits and Vegetables, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, 432000, Hubei, China
| | - Tianwei Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhaoxia Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
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2
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Hünemeier T. Biogeographic Perspectives on Human Genetic Diversification. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae029. [PMID: 38349332 PMCID: PMC10917211 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern humans originated in Africa 300,000 yr ago, and before leaving their continent of origin, they underwent a process of intense diversification involving complex demographic dynamics. Upon exiting Africa, different populations emerged on the four other inhabited continents, shaped by the interplay of various evolutionary processes, such as migrations, founder effects, and natural selection. Within each region, continental populations, in turn, diversified and evolved almost independently for millennia. As a backdrop to this diversification, introgressions from archaic species contributed to establishing different patterns of genetic diversity in different geographic regions, reshaping our understanding of our species' variability. With the increasing availability of genomic data, it has become possible to delineate the subcontinental human population structure precisely. However, the bias toward the genomic research focused on populations from the global North has limited our understanding of the real diversity of our species and the processes and events that guided different human groups throughout their evolutionary history. This perspective is part of a series of articles celebrating 40 yr since our journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution, was founded (Russo et al. 2024). The perspective is accompanied by virtual issues, a selection of papers on human diversification published by Genome Biology and Evolution and Molecular Biology and Evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tábita Hünemeier
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Population Genetics Department, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE - CSIC/Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Albert JS, Carnaval AC, Flantua SGA, Lohmann LG, Ribas CC, Riff D, Carrillo JD, Fan Y, Figueiredo JJP, Guayasamin JM, Hoorn C, de Melo GH, Nascimento N, Quesada CA, Ulloa Ulloa C, Val P, Arieira J, Encalada AC, Nobre CA. Human impacts outpace natural processes in the Amazon. Science 2023; 379:eabo5003. [PMID: 36701466 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo5003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Amazonian environments are being degraded by modern industrial and agricultural activities at a pace far above anything previously known, imperiling its vast biodiversity reserves and globally important ecosystem services. The most substantial threats come from regional deforestation, because of export market demands, and global climate change. The Amazon is currently perched to transition rapidly from a largely forested to a nonforested landscape. These changes are happening much too rapidly for Amazonian species, peoples, and ecosystems to respond adaptively. Policies to prevent the worst outcomes are known and must be enacted immediately. We now need political will and leadership to act on this information. To fail the Amazon is to fail the biosphere, and we fail to act at our peril.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA
| | - Ana C Carnaval
- Department of Biology and Ph.D. Program in Biology, City University of New York (CUNY) and CUNY Graduate Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Suzette G A Flantua
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lúcia G Lohmann
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Camila C Ribas
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Douglas Riff
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juan D Carrillo
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Ying Fan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, NJ, USA
| | - Jorge J P Figueiredo
- Institute of Geoscience, Center of Mathematical and Earth Sciences, Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Juan M Guayasamin
- Instituto Biósfera, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Carina Hoorn
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gustavo H de Melo
- Department of Geology, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos A Quesada
- Coordination for Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Research in Amazonia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | | | - Pedro Val
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, CUNY, New York, NY, USA.,Ph.D. Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Geology, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Julia Arieira
- Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrea C Encalada
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Carlos A Nobre
- Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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4
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Heijink BM, Mattijs QA, Valencia R, Philip AL, Piperno DR, McMichael CNH. Long‐term fire and vegetation change in northwestern Amazonia. Biotropica 2022; 55:197-209. [PMID: 37081906 PMCID: PMC10108220 DOI: 10.1111/btp.13175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Amazonian forest plots are used to quantify biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and provide the foundation for much of what is known about tropical ecology. Many plots are assumed to be undisturbed, but recent work suggests that past fire, forest openings, and cultivation created vegetation changes that have persisted for decades to centuries (ecological legacies). The Yasuní Forest Dynamics plot is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, yet its human history remains unknown. Here, we use charcoal and phytolith analysis to investigate the fire and vegetation history of the Yasuní forest plot, and compare results with nearby forest plots in Colombia (Amacayacu) and Peru (Medio Putumayo-Algodón [MPA]) to explore the spatial variability of past disturbances and ecological legacies in northwestern Amazonia. Three 14C dated charcoal fragments provided evidence for a modern (1956 CE) and a past fire event ca. 750 years ago at Yasuní, compared with fire ages of 1000-1600 years ago documented at Amacayacu and MPA. Small-scale disturbances and localized canopy openings also occurred in the Yasuní plot. Phytolith assemblages from Yasuní and Amacayacu showed more variability in past vegetation change than MPA. Low-intensity, non-continuous disturbances occurred at all three plots in the past, and our results highlight the variability of past human activities both in space and time in northwestern Amazonia. Our data also suggest that post-Columbian human disturbances from the Rubber Boom (AD 1850-1920) and subsequent oil exploration have likely left stronger ecological legacies than those left by pre-Columbian peoples in our studied regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britte M. Heijink
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Quinten A. Mattijs
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Renato Valencia
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Quito Ecuador
| | - Annemarie L. Philip
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Dolores R. Piperno
- Department of Anthropology Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Washington District of Columbia USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Panama
| | - Crystal N. H. McMichael
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
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5
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Ford A. Scrutinizing the paleoecological record of the Maya forest. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.868660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human expansion into and occupation of the New World coincided with the great transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epoch, yet questions remain about how we detect human presence in the paleoecological record. In the Maya area of southern Mesoamerica, archeological evidence of the human imprint is largely invisible until ∼4,000 years ago. How do environmental changes after that time correspond and relate to human impacts? Are the archeological signatures of initial settlements in the Early Preclassic detected? Later, by ∼2,000 years ago when the Maya had fully settled the landscape, how does the evidence of forest compositional changes relate to human intervention? This paper evaluates published paleoecological data in light of the rise of the Maya civilization and reflects on interpretations of how swidden agriculture and the milpa cycle impacted the environment. Evaluating the contrast between the long archeological sequence of successful Maya development and paleoecological interpretations of destructive human-induced environmental impacts requires a concordance among pollen data, archeological evidence, ethnohistoric observations, ethnological studies of traditional Maya land use, and the historical ecology of the Maya forest today.
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6
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González-Jaramillo N, Bailon-Moscoso N, Duarte-Casar R, Romero-Benavides JC. Peach Palm ( Bactris gasipaes Kunth.): Ancestral Tropical Staple with Future Potential. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:3134. [PMID: 36432863 PMCID: PMC9695847 DOI: 10.3390/plants11223134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A pre-Columbian staple, Bactris gasipaes Kunth. is a palm tree domesticated around 4000 years ago, so appreciated that a Spanish chronicler wrote in 1545, "only their wives and children were held in higher regard" by the Mesoamerican natives. The peach palm is an integral part of the foodways and gastronomy of Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and other tropical American countries; meanwhile, it is almost unknown in the rest of the world, except for hearts of palm. Although abundant, the species faces anthropogenic threats. The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the physicochemical, nutritional, and bioactive characteristics of the peach palm and its two main alimentary products: hearts of palm and fruits, highlighting the functional and antioxidant potential of the latter, showing both ancestral and modern uses. There is active research on peach palm products and coproducts that aim for better, more sustainable uses of its traditional and recently found properties. The review and presentation of studies on this strategically relevant species can motivate the protection of endangered populations and stimulate new lines of research to advance development in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, with fair trade, sustainable development goals, and adaptation to climate change in mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy González-Jaramillo
- Maestría en Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja 110108, Ecuador
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja 110108, Ecuador
| | - Natalia Bailon-Moscoso
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja 110108, Ecuador
| | - Rodrigo Duarte-Casar
- Departamento de Turismo y Gastronomía, Facultad de Ciencias Administrativas y Económicas, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador
| | - Juan Carlos Romero-Benavides
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja 110108, Ecuador
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7
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Loughlin NJD, Gosling WD, Duivenvoorden JF, Cuesta F, Mothes P, Montoya E. Incorporating a palaeo-perspective into Andean montane forest restoration. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.980728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reference ecosystems used in tropical forest restoration lack the temporal dimension required to characterise a mature or intact vegetation community. Here we provide a practical ‘palaeo-reference ecosystem’ for the eastern Andean forests of Ecuador to complement the standard ‘reference ecosystem’ approach. Pollen assemblages from sedimentary archives recovered from Ecuadorian montane forests are binned into distinct time periods and characterised as 1) Ancient (pre-human arrival), 2) Pre-European (Indigenous cultivation), 3) Successional (European arrival/Indigenous depopulation), 4) Mature (diminished human population), 5) Deforested (re-colonisation), and 6) Modern (industrial agriculture). A multivariate statistical approach is then used to identify the most recent period in which vegetation can be characterised as mature. Detrended correspondence analysis indicates that the pollen spectra from CE 1718-1819 (time bin 4 – Mature (diminished human population)) is most similar to that of a pre-human arrival mature or intact state. The pollen spectra of this period are characterised by Melastomataceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae and Weinmannia. The vegetation of the 1700s, therefore, provides the most recent phase of substantial mature vegetation that has undergone over a century of recovery, representing a practical palaeo-reference ecosystem. We propose incorporating palynological analyses of short cores spanning the last 500 years with botanical inventory data to achieve more realistic and long-term restoration goals.
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8
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Silva MACE, Ferraz T, Hünemeier T. A genomic perspective on South American human history. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 45:e20220078. [PMID: 35925590 PMCID: PMC9351327 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It has generally been accepted that the current indigenous peoples of the Americas are derived from ancestors from northeastern Asia. The latter were believed to have spread into the American continent by the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. In this sense, a joint and in-depth study of the earliest settlement of East Asia and the Americas is required to elucidate these events accurately. The first Americans underwent an adaptation process to the Americas' vast environmental diversity, mediated by biological and cultural evolution and niche construction, resulting in enormous cultural diversity, a wealth of domesticated species, and extensive landscape modifications. Afterward, in the Late Holocene, the advent of intensive agricultural food production systems, sedentism, and climate change significantly reshaped genetic and cultural diversity across the continent, particularly in the Andes and Amazonia. Furthermore, starting around the end of the 15th century, European colonization resulted in massive extermination of indigenous peoples and extensive admixture. Thus, the present review aims to create a comprehensive picture of the main events involved in the formation of contemporary South American indigenous populations and the dynamics responsible for shaping their genetic diversity by integrating current genetic data with evidence from archeology, linguistics and other disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Araújo Castro E Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Tiago Ferraz
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Tábita Hünemeier
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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9
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Benito X, Benito B, Vélez MI, Salgado J, Schneider T, Giosan L, Nascimento MN. Human practices behind the aquatic and terrestrial ecological decoupling to climate change in the tropical Andes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 826:154115. [PMID: 35219665 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change and landscape alteration are two of the most important threats to the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the tropical Americas, thus jeopardizing water and soil resources for millions of people in the Andean nations. Understanding how aquatic ecosystems will respond to anthropogenic stressors and accelerated warming requires shifting from short-term and static to long-term, dynamic characterizations of human-terrestrial-aquatic relationships. Here we use sediment records from Lake Llaviucu, a tropical mountain Andean lake long accessed by Indigenous and post-European societies, and hypothesize that under natural historical conditions (i.e., low human pressure) vegetation and aquatic ecosystems' responses to change are coupled through indirect climate influences-that is, past climate-driven vegetation changes dictated limnological trajectories. We used a multi-proxy paleoecological approach including drivers of terrestrial vegetation change (pollen), soil erosion (Titanium), human activity (agropastoralism indicators), and aquatic responses (diatoms) to estimate assemblage-wide rates of change and model their synchronous and asynchronous (lagged) relationships using Generalized Additive Models. Assemblage-wide rate of change results showed that between ca. 3000 and 400 calibrated years before present (cal years BP) terrestrial vegetation, agropastoralism and diatoms fluctuated along their mean regimes of rate of change without consistent periods of synchronous rapid change. In contrast, positive lagged relationships (i.e., asynchrony) between climate-driven terrestrial pollen changes and diatom responses (i.e., asynchrony) were in operation until ca. 750 cal years BP. Thereafter, positive lagged relationships between agropastoralism and diatom rates of changes dictated the lake trajectory, reflecting the primary control of human practices over the aquatic ecosystem prior European occupation. We interpret that shifts in Indigenous practices (e.g., valley terracing) curtailed nutrient inputs into the lake decoupling the links between climate-driven vegetation changes and the aquatic community. Our results demonstrate how rates of change of anthropogenic and climatic influences can guide dynamic ecological baselines for managing water ecosystem services in the Andes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Benito
- Marine and Continental Water Programme, Institute of Agrifood Technology and Research (IRTA), Spain.
| | - Blas Benito
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio "Ramon Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante 03690, Spain.
| | - Maria I Vélez
- Department of Geology, University of Regina, SK, Canada.
| | - Jorge Salgado
- School of Geography, Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK; Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Católica de Colombia, Diagonal 46 A # 15 B - 10, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | | | - Liviu Giosan
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
| | - Majoi N Nascimento
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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10
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Nascimento MN, Heijink BM, Bush MB, Gosling WD, McMichael CNH. Early to mid-Holocene human activity exerted gradual influences on Amazonian forest vegetation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200498. [PMID: 35249380 PMCID: PMC8899618 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have been present in Amazonia throughout the Holocene, with the earliest archaeological sites dating to 12 000 years ago. The earliest inhabitants began managing landscapes through fire and plant domestication, but the total extent of vegetation modification remains relatively unknown. Here, we compile palaeoecological records from lake sediments containing charcoal and from pollen analyses to understand how human land-use affected vegetation during the early to mid-Holocene, and place our results in the context of previous archaeological work. We identified gradual, rather than abrupt changes in forest openness, disturbance and enrichment, with useful species at almost all sites. Early human occupations occurred in peripheral sites of Amazonia, where natural fires are part of the vegetation dynamics, so human-made fires did not exert a novel form of disturbance. Synchronicity between evidence of the onset of human occupation in lake records and archaeological sites was found for eastern Amazonia. For southwestern and western Amazonia and the Guiana Shield, the timing of the onset of human occupation differed by thousands of years between lake records and archaeological sites. Plant cultivation showed a different spatio-temporal pattern, appearing ca 2000 years earlier in western Amazonia than in other regions. Our findings highlight the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of Amazonia and indicate that the region cannot be treated as one entity when assessing ecological or cultural history. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majoi N. Nascimento
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Britte M. Heijink
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark B. Bush
- Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA
| | - William D. Gosling
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Crystal N. H. McMichael
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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11
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Castro e Silva MA, Ferraz T, Couto-Silva CM, Lemes RB, Nunes K, Comas D, Hünemeier T. Population Histories and Genomic Diversity of South American Natives. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab339. [PMID: 34875092 PMCID: PMC8789086 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
South America is home to one of the most culturally diverse present-day native populations. However, the dispersion pattern, genetic substructure, and demographic complexity within South America are still poorly understood. Based on genome-wide data of 58 native populations, we provide a comprehensive scenario of South American indigenous groups considering the genomic, environmental, and linguistic data. Clear patterns of genetic structure were inferred among the South American natives, presenting at least four primary genetic clusters in the Amazonian and savanna regions and three clusters in the Andes and Pacific coast. We detected a cline of genetic variation along a west-east axis, contradicting a hard Andes-Amazon divide. This longitudinal genetic variation seemed to have been shaped by both serial population bottlenecks and isolation by distance. Results indicated that present-day South American substructures recapitulate ancient macroregional ancestries and western Amazonia groups show genetic evidence of cultural exchanges that led to language replacement in precontact times. Finally, demographic inferences pointed to a higher resilience of the western South American groups regarding population collapses caused by the European invasion and indicated precontact population reductions and demic expansions in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tiago Ferraz
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cainã M Couto-Silva
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renan B Lemes
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kelly Nunes
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Ciències, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tábita Hünemeier
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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12
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Riris P, de Souza JG. Formal Tests for Resistance-Resilience in Archaeological Time Series. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.740629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of resilience is a common pathway for scientific data to inform policy and practice towards impending climate change. Consequently, understanding the mechanisms and features that contribute towards building resilience is a key goal of much research on coupled socio-environmental systems. In parallel, archaeology has developed the ambition to contribute to this agenda through its unique focus on cultural dynamics that occur over the very long term. This paper argues that archaeological studies of resilience are limited in scope and potential impact by incomplete operational definitions of resilience, itself a multifaceted and contested concept. This lack of interdisciplinary engagement fundamentally limits archaeology’s ability to contribute meaningfully to understanding factors behind the emergence and maintenance of long-term societal resilience, a topic of significant interest that the field is in theory ideally positioned to address. Here, we introduce resilience metrics drawn from ecology and develop case studies to illustrate their potential utility for archaeological studies. We achieve this by extending methods for formally measuring resistance, the capacity of a system to absorb disturbances; and resilience, its capacity to recover from disturbances, with a novel significance test for palaeodemographic data. Building on statistical permutation and post-hoc tests available in the rcarbon package in the R statistical environment, we apply our adapted resilience-resistance framework to summed probability distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates drawn from the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil. We deploy these methods to investigate cross-sectional trends across three recognised biogeographical zones of the Atlantic Forest domain, against the backdrop of prehistoric phases of heightened hydroclimatic variability. Our analysis uncovers novel centennial-scale spatial structure in the resilience of palaeodemographic growth rates. In addition to the case-specific findings, we suggest that adapting formal metrics can help archaeology create impact and engagement beyond relatively narrow disciplinary concerns. To this end, we supply code and data to replicate our palaeodemographic analyses to enable their use and adaptation to other archaeological problems.
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Roberts P, Hamilton R, Piperno DR. Tropical forests as key sites of the "Anthropocene": Past and present perspectives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2109243118. [PMID: 34580229 PMCID: PMC8501787 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109243118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany;
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Archaeological Studies Programme, University of the Philippines, 1101 Quezon City, The Philippines
| | - Rebecca Hamilton
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Dolores R Piperno
- Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20560
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panama
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