Archaeobotany of fruit seed processing in a monsoon savanna environment: evidence from the Keep River region, Northern Territory, Australia

Atchison, Jennifer; Head, Lesley; Fullagar, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2004.03.022

Cited by 29 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Many of these conclusions are based on research and monitoring over short periods but are also corroborated by multi-decadal scale observations (e.g. Lewis 2002;Russell-Smith et al 2003b) and some limited archaeological evidence, notably records that indicate an appreciably greater pre-European incidence of fleshy fruited shrubs (Atchison et al 2005;Atchison 2009). …”

Section: A History Of Fire In Australia's Tropical Savannasmentioning

confidence: 85%

The impacts of fire on birds in Australia's tropical savannas

Woinarski

Legge

2013

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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Abstract. The ecology of Australia's tropical savannas is shaped by the near-pervasive influence of fire. Constituting 20% of Australia's land area, tropical savannas contribute >75% of the area burnt in Australia each year. Across most of Australia's tropical savannas, components of biodiversity are declining, including many species of birds. This review seeks to assess whether that decline is linked to current fire regimes. However, relevant studies are few, short-term and opportunistic, and indicate rather than demonstrate the effects of fire. There is no set of agreed paradigms for contextualising the relationship between birds and fire regimes in this region or for any management consequences. We conclude that the current fire regime is suboptimal for many species of birds, particularly for granivores, frugivores, hollow-dependent species and those that nest on or near the ground. For conservation reserves, we recommend that fire management protocols include the explicit targets that: (1) at least 25% of the savanna landscape is at least 3 years unburnt; (2) at least 5% is at least 10 years unburnt; (3) fire-sensitive non-savanna vegetation types are increasing or stable and (4) populations of selected hollownesting, ground-nesting, frugivorous and granivorous birds are increasing or stable. We also identify key knowledge gaps that currently inhibit conservation management.

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Section: A History Of Fire In Australia's Tropical Savannasmentioning

confidence: 85%

The impacts of fire on birds in Australia's tropical savannas

Woinarski

Legge

2013

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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“…Early applications of macrofossil research included Beaton's (1982;followed by Beck 1992) investigations of cycad use by Aboriginal people and Clarke's (1989) contribution to archaeological research in Kakadu National Park. Following an apparent hiatus (although see McConnell and O'Connor 1997), recent investigations have shed light on complex plant management practices from seed remains in the Kimberley (Atchison et al 2005) and semi-arid New South Wales (Fullagar et al 2008), and nuts and charcoal preserved in the wet tropics of northeast Queensland (see Cosgrove et al 2007), and the diets of urban dwellers following European settlement (Fairbairn 2007), as well as included reevaluations of previous work (Asmussen 2005).…”

Section: Macrofossilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gott 1983Gott , 1999, and engagement with Indigenous people who share traditional knowledge about plant use (see Atchison et al 2005 andCosgrove et al 2007 for recent Australian examples). In this part of the world, as elsewhere, archaeological research has often been enriched by an engagement with anthropology and ethnobotany.…”

Section: Macrofossilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This point is well-illustrated by several projects in the Sahulian region that have taken archaeobotany seriously and that have each yielded findings of global import. These include the multidisciplinary investigations at Kuk Swamp in the 1970s directed by Jack Golson and from the 1990s directed by Tim Denham, research ongoing in the West New Britain Project since the early 1990s led by Robin Torrence and Bill Boyd, as well as the aforementioned investigations of plant exploitation in the monsoonal savanna of the Kimberley (Atchison et al 2005) and the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland (Cosgrove et al 2007). The success of these projects derives from the integration of archaeobotany at the initial stages of planning.…”

Section: Redefinition Of Standard and Acceptable Archaeological Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

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Archaeobotany in Australia and New Guinea: Practice, Potential and Prospects

Denham

Atchison

Austin

et al. 2009

Australian Archaeology

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Archaeobotany is the study of plant remains from archaeological contexts. Despite Australasian research being at the forefront of several methodological innovations over the last three decades, archaeobotany is now a relatively peripheral concern to most archaeological projects in Australia and New Guinea. In this paper, many practicing archaeobotanists working in these regions argue for a more central role for archaeobotany in standard archaeologicalpractice. An overview of archaeobotanical techniques and applications is presented, the potential for archaeobotany to address key historical research questions is indicated, and initiatives designed to promote archaeobotany and improve current practices are outlined.

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“…In this study, primary focus is on two site complexes, Goorurarmum and Karlinga, (Figure 2), but we also refer to three nearby locations: Jinmium, Granilpi, and Punipunil Leslie, 2000;Atchison et al, 2005). the southeast to form a northwest-facing amphitheatre around the sand sheet, on the northeast side of which is a large rock shelter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of sedimentation and occupation histories inside and outside rock shelters, Keep‐River region, northwestern Australia

Ward¹,

Fullagar

Boer-Mah

et al. 2005

Geoarchaeology

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This paper compares archaeological evidence of Aboriginal occupation inside rock shelters and outside in adjacent sand sheets, focusing on two locations in the Keep-River region, northwestern Australia. Luminescence and radiocarbon dating reveal that occupation sequences inside rock shelters are generally younger (Ͻ 10,000 yr B.P.) than outside (Ͻ 18,000 yr B.P.). Differences in occupation chronology and artifact assemblages inside and outside rock shelters result from depositional and postdepositional processes and shifts in site function. An increase in regional sedimentation rate from 10 cm/ka -1 in the Pleistocene to 20 cm/ka -1 in the Holocene may account for late buildup of sediments within rock shelters, increased artifact accumulation, and reduced postdepositional disturbance in some settings. More intense use of rock shelters in the Late Holocene is indicated from a change in hunting technology and greater production of rock art. The results indicate that some cultural interpretations might be flawed unless archaeological evidence from rock-shelter and open-site excavations is integrated.

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Archaeobotany of fruit seed processing in a monsoon savanna environment: evidence from the Keep River region, Northern Territory, Australia

Cited by 29 publications

References 12 publications

The impacts of fire on birds in Australia's tropical savannas

The impacts of fire on birds in Australia's tropical savannas

Archaeobotany in Australia and New Guinea: Practice, Potential and Prospects

Comparison of sedimentation and occupation histories inside and outside rock shelters, Keep‐River region, northwestern Australia

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