Climatic and anthropogenic forcing of prehistorical vegetation succession and fire dynamics in the Lago di Como area (N-Italy, Insubria)

Martinelli, Elisa; Michetti, Alessandro Maria; Colombaroli, Danièle; Mazzola, Eleonora; Carlo, Sila Motella De; Livio, Franz; Gilli, Adrian; Ferrario, Maria Francesca; Höbig, Nicole; Brunamonte, Fabio; Castelletti, Lanfredo; Tinner, Willy

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.01.023

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The two parameters are covariant and suggest that magnetic susceptibility mainly reflects events of increased clastic sedimentation. Some peaks in magnetic susceptibility at the top of Unit 4 are interpreted as dropstone events, while high values in Unit 2 is indicative of a strong detrital fraction, as expected in alluvial sediments [55].…”

Section: Sample Sed1-z12 Sed1-z14 Sed1-z17 Sed1-z24 Sed2-z56 Sed2-z65mentioning

confidence: 60%

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Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Binda

Frascoli

Spanu

et al. 2022

Water

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The analysis of geochemical markers is a known valid tool to explore the water sources and understand the main factors affecting natural water quality, which are known issues of interest in environmental science. This study reports the application of geochemical markers to characterize and understand the recharge areas of the multi-layer urban aquifer of Como city (northern Italy). This area presents a perfect case study to test geochemical markers: The hydrogeological setting is affected by a layered karst and fractured aquifer in bedrock, a phreatic aquifer hosted in Holocene sediments and connected with a large freshwater body (Lake Como); the aquifers recharge areas and the water geochemistry are unknown; the possible effect of the tectonic setting on water flow was overlooked. In total, 37 water samples were collected including water from two stacked aquifers and surface water to characterize hydrochemical features. Moreover, six sediment samples in the recent palustrine deposits of the Como subsurface were collected from cores and analyzed to understand the main geochemistry and mineralogy of the hosting material. The chemical analyses of water allow to observe a remarkable difference between the shallow and deep aquifers of the study area, highlighting different recharge areas, as well as a different permanence time in the aquifers. The sediment geochemistry, moreover, confirms the differences in trace elements derived from sediment-water interaction in the aquifers. Finally, an anomalous concentration of As in the Como deep aquifer was observed, suggesting the need of more detailed analyses to understand the origin of this element in water. This study confirms the potentials of geochemical markers to characterize main factors affecting natural water quality, as well as a tool for the reconstruction of recharge areas.

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Section: Sample Sed1-z12 Sed1-z14 Sed1-z17 Sed1-z24 Sed2-z56 Sed2-z65mentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Magnetic susceptibility and bulk density were also measured on core SV1 with a resolution of 1 cm [55]. The two parameters are covariant and suggest that magnetic susceptibility mainly reflects events of increased clastic sedimentation.…”

Section: Sample Sed1-z12 Sed1-z14 Sed1-z17 Sed1-z24 Sed2-z56 Sed2-z65mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Binda

Frascoli

Spanu

et al. 2022

Water

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“…with a range centred in the mediterranean region but extending north- and eastward within the limit of the cultivated grape; Pignatti 2017 -2018) occur both in the contemporary low-mountain vegetation of the Bergamo Forealps (Fig. 1 b), and in the historical plant record (Wick and Mohl 1996 ; Gobet et al 2000 ; Verde et al 2010 ; Martinelli et al 2017 ). Warm and dry habitats, suitable for thermophilous rocky, grassland and forest vegetation, are mostly edaphically-driven on south-facing slopes (Figs.…”

Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Areas where some of the main protourban centres developed between the 7th-5th century bc (Bergamo and Como: Casini et al 2001 ; Poggiani Keller 2007a ) have so far yielded limited palaeoecological information (Bergamo: Pini et al 2016 ; Como: Martinelli et al 2017 ). The reason behind this is the lack of favoured stratigraphic archives, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life on a hilltop: vegetation history, plant husbandry and pastoralism at the dawn of Bergamo-Bergomum (northern Italy, 15th to 7th century bc)

Pini

Ravazzi

Comolli

et al. 2020

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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Cores and trenches drilled or dug in religious and secular buildings in the hilltop town of Bergamo (northern Italy) were investigated by means of micro/macrobotanical and pedochemical analysis to unravel the cultural vegetation history of the area during ca. seven centuries across the Bronze—Iron Ages. We explore the predictive power of biological proxies, nutrients, and coupled 14 C datings to reveal early phases of human settlement and activity in a modern urban context with low visibility and difficult accessibility. Our records suggest that a farming centre was active on the Bergamo hilltop as early as the 15th century bc . Crop and animal husbandry reached a high point between the 11th-8th century bc . Plant and biogeochemical proxies predict extensive and diversified cereal cropping, flax and grapevine cultivation, as well as herd stalling at a watering pond, free range livestock growing in woodlands, and pastoralism, shown by hay making and overgrazing evidence. The suggestive hypothesis of carding wool is mentioned but is currently untenable. Furthermore, we identified a possible phase of abandonment starting from the 8th century bc , to be further investigated, and in agreement with archaeological data suggesting settlement decline in the 8th-6th century bc . Our research highlights the dedication to pastoralism of the Bergamo hill since prehistoric times. The settlement position was strategic for pastoralists to exploit biological and water resources in space, season and elevation, i.e. from the plain to higher Alpine pastures. Ethnographic examples and Middle Age written sources strongly support this picture. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00334-020-00802-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…2013), as well as the fire history of certain regions (e.g. Lago di Como: Martinelli & al. 2017), but this versatile science is also useful to known the 'where, when and how' of cultural landscapes development at ecological, formal and cognitive levels (Mercuri 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Botanical Record of Archaeobotany Italian Network - BRAIN: a cooperative network, database and website

2019

Bocconea

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The BRAIN (Botanical Records of Archaeobotany Italian Network) database and network was developed by the cooperation of archaeobotanists working on Italian archaeological sites. Examples of recent research including pollen or other plant remains in analytical and synthetic papers are reported as an exemplar reference list. This paper retraces the main steps of the creation of BRAIN, from the scientific need for the first research cooperation to the website which has a free online access since 2015.

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Climatic and anthropogenic forcing of prehistorical vegetation succession and fire dynamics in the Lago di Como area (N-Italy, Insubria)

Cited by 6 publications

References 73 publications

Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy)

Life on a hilltop: vegetation history, plant husbandry and pastoralism at the dawn of Bergamo-Bergomum (northern Italy, 15th to 7th century bc)

The Botanical Record of Archaeobotany Italian Network - BRAIN: a cooperative network, database and website

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