Combining functional weed ecology and crop stable isotope ratios to identify cultivation intensity: a comparison of cereal production regimes in Haute Provence, France and Asturias, Spain

Bogaard, Amy; Hodgson, J.; Nitsch, Erika; Jones, Glynis; Styring, Amy; Diffey, Charlotte; Pouncett, John; Herbig, Christoph; Charles, Michael; Ertuğ, Füsun; Tuğay, Osman; Filipović, Dragana; Fraser, Rebecca

doi:10.1007/s00334-015-0524-0

Cited by 79 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Semi-quantitative data from southern Morocco were combined with those from previous studies in southern Europe (Jones et al , 2000Bogaard et al 2016) in order to discriminate between relatively high-and low-intensity regimes across different climate zones. Archaeobotanical samples from mid-late third-millennium Tell Brak, Syria were entered into the classification phase of this analysis as cases of 'unknown' cultivation regime.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Half of the collected ears/pods were then threshed, and a random subset of 50 grains/seeds was homogenised using a Spex 2760 FreezerMill to give an average isotope value representative of the growing conditions at each location (cf. Bogaard et al 2016).…”

Section: Laboratory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Discriminant analysis was used to distinguish between the weed flora of low-and high-intensity agrosystems in Morocco, using five functional attributes previously shown to distinguish between high-and low-intensity cultivation regimes in southern Europe (Jones et al 2000;Bogaard et al 2016) as discriminating variables. Additional drought tolerance/avoidance attributes (Table 3) were also included as discriminating variables but contributed little to the regime comparisons considered below, likely due to the conflation of agronomic with climatic differences in water availability among the study regions.…”

Section: Ecological Comparison Of Moroccan Regimes On the Basis Of Wementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here we use a set of functional plant traits or attributes that, consistent with the predictions of ecological theory, have been shown previously to discriminate between the weed flora of relatively high-and low-intensity cultivation regimes (i.e. high and low soil productivity and [mechanical] soil disturbance) in southern Europe (Jones et al 2000;Bogaard et al 2016). We assess weed flora along gradients of intensity in Morocco, where climatic conditions range from sub-humid/semi-arid in the north to semi-arid/arid in the south.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 3 more Smart Citations

From Traditional Farming in Morocco to Early Urban Agroecology in Northern Mesopotamia: Combining Present-day Arable Weed Surveys and Crop Isotope Analysis to Reconstruct Past Agrosystems in (Semi-)arid Regions

Bogaard

Styring

Ater

et al. 2016

Environmental Archaeology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We integrate functional weed ecology with crop stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to assess their combined potential for inferring arable land management practices in (semi-)arid regions from archaeobotanical assemblages. Weed and GIS survey of 60 cereal and pulse fields in Morocco are combined with crop sampling for stable isotope analysis to frame assessment of agricultural labour intensity in terms of manuring, irrigation, tillage and handweeding. Under low management intensity weed variation primarily reflects geographical differences, whereas under high management intensity fields in disparate regions have similar weed flora. Manured and irrigated oasis barley fields are clearly discriminated from less intensively manured rain-fed barley terraces in southern Morocco; when fields in northern and southern Morocco are considered together, climatic differences are superimposed on the agronomic intensity gradient. Barley δ 13 C and δ 15 N values clearly distinguish among the Moroccan regimes. An integrated approach combines crop isotope values with weed ecological discrimination of low-and high-intensity regimes across multiple studies (in southern Morocco and southern Europe). Analysis of archaeobotanical samples from EBA Tell Brak, Syria suggests that this early city was sustained through extensive (low-intensity, large-scale) cereal farming. ARTICLE HISTORY

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Laboratory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ecological Comparison Of Moroccan Regimes On the Basis Of Wementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 2 more Smart Citations

From Traditional Farming in Morocco to Early Urban Agroecology in Northern Mesopotamia: Combining Present-day Arable Weed Surveys and Crop Isotope Analysis to Reconstruct Past Agrosystems in (Semi-)arid Regions

Bogaard

Styring

Ater

et al. 2016

Environmental Archaeology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Bogaard et al 2016). The discriminant function was used to classify archaeobotanical samples from Neolithic sites in south-west Germany (Fig.…”

Section: A Styring Et Al Farming Regimes In Neolithic and Iron Age Swmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centralisation and long-term change in farming regimes: Comparing agricultural practices in Neolithic and Iron Age south-west Germany

Styring¹,

Rösch

Stephan

et al. 2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study uses two novel archaeobotanical techniques -crop carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and functional weed ecology -to determine directly how the intensity of agricultural practice changed from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age in south-west Germany, with the emergence of fortified hilltop settlements (Fürstensitze or chiefly seats) regarded as the first urban centres in central Europe. The crop isotope and functional weed ecological evidence suggest that surplus cereal production in the Early Iron Age was achieved through sustained use of manure combined with expansion in arable cultivation, both developments that are connected with more widespread use of animal traction. The increased scale of cultivation is broadly apparent across rural as well as fortified hilltop centres in the Early Iron Age, and considerable variability in manuring intensity is consistent with agricultural decision-making at a local level rather than centralised control. Additionally, the more intensive manuring of hulled six-row barley, used in beer production, demonstrates that the political importance of drinking and feasting in Early Iron Age society was reflected in crop husbandry practices. In terms of animal husbandry, faunal isotope data reveal a radical decrease in forest cover, potentially reflecting an expansion in the scale of herding accompanying that of arable cultivation. Sitespecific patterning points to a range of herding strategies, from specialised herding of cattle at the Heuneburg to generalised patterns of livestock management at rural sites.

show abstract

Agriculture, West African Forests

Chia

2023

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The timing of early cultivation in the West African forest zone has for a long time been shrouded in uncertainty. This is due, in part, to the paucity of archaeological research focusing on subsistence and agriculture, and the dearth of direct evidence of cultivation in the region. Some palynologists have used patterns in the occurrence of oil palm pollen, including steep upsurges during the mid‐ to late Holocene, as proxies for cultivation. Others have argued that the upsurges in oil palm pollen were caused solely by climate change and thus cannot be proxies for cultivation in the region. This entry examines the lines of argument and uses archaeological, archaeobotanical, and palynological data to provide new insight into early cultivation in the region. By blending these classes of data, results indicate a synchronous occurrence of oil palm pollen, charred oil palm endocarps, domesticated crops, and evidence for sedentism in the West African forest zone. This points to the possibility that human activities of some sort, especially cultivation, encouraged upsurges in oil palm growth in the region from the mid‐ to late Holocene. Another possibility is that both climate change and cultivation caused the retrogression of the forests and paved the way for upsurges in oil palm. Furthermore, phytolith and starch analyses are needed to add to the existing body of data to increase the chances of successfully disentangling the evidence for cultivation from natural phenomena.

show abstract

Combining functional weed ecology and crop stable isotope ratios to identify cultivation intensity: a comparison of cereal production regimes in Haute Provence, France and Asturias, Spain

Cited by 79 publications

References 46 publications

From Traditional Farming in Morocco to Early Urban Agroecology in Northern Mesopotamia: Combining Present-day Arable Weed Surveys and Crop Isotope Analysis to Reconstruct Past Agrosystems in (Semi-)arid Regions

From Traditional Farming in Morocco to Early Urban Agroecology in Northern Mesopotamia: Combining Present-day Arable Weed Surveys and Crop Isotope Analysis to Reconstruct Past Agrosystems in (Semi-)arid Regions

Centralisation and long-term change in farming regimes: Comparing agricultural practices in Neolithic and Iron Age south-west Germany

Agriculture, West African Forests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About