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Fan B, Lu H, Li Y, Shen C, Xu Q, Zhang J, Huan X, Wang Y, Wang N, Xu D, Dong Y, Cui A, Wu N. A novel approach for quantitatively distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural effects on paleovegetation. PNAS Nexus 2024; 3:pgae135. [PMID: 38617585 PMCID: PMC11010655 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
How to distinguish and quantify past human impacts on vegetation is a significant challenge in paleoecology. Here, we propose a novel method, the error inflection point-discriminant technique. It finds out the inflection points (IPs) of the regression errors of pollen-climate transfer functions using modern pollen spectra from vegetation with different values of the Human Influence Index (HII), which represent the HII threshold values of native/secondary and secondary/artificial vegetation systems. Our results show that the HII value at the native/secondary vegetation IPs is approximately 22 and globally uniform, whereas it varies regionally for the secondary/artificial vegetation IPs. In a case study of the Liangzhu archaeological site in the lower Yangtze River, discriminant functions for pollen spectra from three vegetation types and pollen-climate transfer functions of the native vegetation were established to reconstruct paleovegetation and paleoclimate over the past 6,600 years. Our study demonstrates this method's feasibility for quantitatively distinguishing human impacts on paleovegetation and assessing quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions using pollen data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoshuo Fan
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Houyuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Yuecong Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
| | - Caiming Shen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Geographical Processes and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, PR China
| | - Qinghai Xu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
| | - Jianping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Xiujia Huan
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, School of Resources and Environment, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, PR China
| | - Yonglei Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China
| | - Ningyuan Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China
| | - Deke Xu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Yajie Dong
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Anning Cui
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Naiqin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
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Liu B, Wang N, Chen M, Wu X, Mo D, Liu J, Xu S, Zhuang Y. Earliest hydraulic enterprise in China, 5,100 years ago. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:13637-42. [PMID: 29203672 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710516114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we present one of the world's oldest examples of large-scale and formalized water management, in the case of the Liangzhu culture of the Yangtze Delta, dated at 5,300-4,300 years cal B.P. The Liangzhu culture represented a peak of early cultural and social development predating the historically recorded Chinese dynasties; hence, this study reveals more about the ancient origins of hydraulic engineering as a core element of social, political, and economic developments. Archaeological surveys and excavations can now portray the impressive extent and structure of dams, levees, ditches, and other landscape-transforming features, supporting the ancient city of Liangzhu, with an estimated size of about 300 ha. The results indicate an enormous collective undertaking, with unprecedented evidence for understanding how the city, economy, and society of Liangzhu functioned and developed at such a large scale. Concurrent with the evidence of technological achievements and economic success, a unique relationship between ritual order and social power is seen in the renowned jade objects in Liangzhu elite burials, thus expanding our view beyond the practicalities of water management and rice farming.
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