Crop Diversity on Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Central Amazonia

Fraser, James A.; Junqueira, André Braga; Kawa, Nicholas C.; Moraes, C.P.G; Clement, Charles R.

doi:10.1007/s10745-011-9405-z

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…(Heckenberger and Neves, 2009;Gomes, 2011;Arroyo-Kalin, 2012;Alves, 2016;Iriarte, 2016Iriarte, , 2017Maezumi et al, 2018). Nutrient rich ADEs are abundant in charcoal and ash, along with other organic additives, including human waste, domestic refuse, crop residues, compost, and mulch, which release nutrients and carbon into the soil (Sombroek, 1966;Denevan, 1995;Kato, 1998;Lehmann et al, 2003b;Oguntunde et al, 2004;Steiner et al, 2007;Fraser et al, 2011;Eriksson et al, 2016). ADEs are indicators of preColumbian fire activity and sedentary occupation and are one of the most distinct lines of evidence of human transformation of the Amazon (Glaser and Woods, 2004;Heckenberger and Neves, 2009).…”

Section: Human Impacts In the Amazonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire impacts ADE forests differently than old growth rainforests. Frequent, low-severity fire management is used to alter ADE forest composition and structure to increase light and reduce the number of competitors for more nutrient demanding "useful species" (e.g., edible and cultivated plants) (Junqueira et al, 2016), such as Attalea aculeatum, A. Maripa, A. speciosa, Humiria balsamifera, Mauritia flexuosa, Oenocarpus bacaba, O. Distichus, and Theobroma cacao (Fraser et al, 2011;McMichael et al, 2015;Levis et al, 2018). Fire management practices can change species composition toward higher percentages of fire adapted species through the higher sprouting ability of fire resistant seeds, selective weeding, and the reduction of non-fire adapted seed banks (Jakovac et al, 2016).…”

Section: Modern Fire In the Amazonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

et al. 2018

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Anthropogenic climate change driven by increased carbon emissions is leading to more severe fire seasons and increasing the frequency of mega-fires in the Amazon. This has the potential to convert Amazon forests from net carbon sinks to net carbon sources. Although modern human influence over the Earth is substantial, debate remains over when humans began to dominate Earth's natural systems. To date, little is known about the history of human land use in key regions like the Amazon. Here, we examine the history of human occupation from a ∼8,500 year-old sediment core record from Lake Caranã (LC) in the eastern Amazon. The onset of pre-Columbian activity at LC (∼4,500 cal yr B.P.) is associated with the beginning of fire management and crop cultivation, later followed by the formation of Amazonian Dark Earth soils (ADEs) ∼2,000 cal yr B.P. Selective forest enrichment of edible plants and low-severity fire activity altered the composition and structure of forests growing on ADEs (ADE forests) making them more drought susceptible and fire-prone. Following European colonization (1661 A.D.), the Amazon rubber boom (mid-1800s to 1920 A.D.) is associated with record-low fire activity despite drier regional climate, indicating fire exclusion. The formation of FLONA Reserve in 1974 A.D. is accompanied by the relocation of traditional populations and a fire suppression policy. Despite suppression efforts, biomass burning and fire severity in the past decade is higher than any other period in the record. This is attributed to combined climate and human factors which create optimal conditions for mega-fires in ADE forests and threatens to transform the Amazon from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source. To help mitigate the occurrence of mega-fires, a fire management policy reducing fire-use and careful fire management for farming may help to reduce fuel loads and the occurrence of mega-fires in fire-prone ADE forests. As both natural and anthropogenic pressures are projected to increase in the Amazon, this study provides valuable insights into the legacy of past human land use on modern ADE forest composition, structure, and flammability that can inform ecological benchmarks and future management efforts in the eastern Amazon.

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Section: Human Impacts In the Amazonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Modern Fire In the Amazonmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

et al. 2018

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“…Palms are well known to be important sources of food and building material for indigenous and local people (Clement, 1988(Clement, , 2006Sosnowska et al, 2015). Increased densities of both useful and non-useful palm species have been reported at other archeological sites, especially those containing terra pretas (Fraser and Clement, 2008;Fraser et al, 2011;Junqueira et al, 2011). The lasting signature of ancient palm enrichment that has occurred over the last 1500 years was clearly documented in the phytolith assemblages from Teotônio (Figure 3), providing a baseline to compare with other regions of unknown human history.…”

Section: Quantifying a Gradient Of Ancient Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Phytolith Assemblages Along a Gradient of Ancient Human Disturbance in Western Amazonia

et al. 2015

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The ecological status of prehistoric Amazonian forests remains widely debated. The concept of ancient Amazonia as a pristine wilderness is largely discredited, but the alternative hypothesis of extensive anthropogenic landscapes remains untested in many regions. We assessed the degree of ancient human impacts across western Amazonia based on archeological and paleoecological data using methodologies that would allow inter-regional comparisons. We also aimed to establish baselines for estimating the legacies of ancient disturbances on modern vegetation. We analyzed charcoal and phytolith assemblages from soil samples from an archeological site, sites in close proximity to archeological sites, sites from riverine and interfluvial forests, and a biological research station believed to contain some of the least disturbed forests within Amazonia. We then quantitatively compared phytolith assemblages within and between the surveyed regions. Palm enrichment was evident at the archeological site, and the biological station survey contained little to no evidence of ancient human activity. The other sites exhibited a gradient of ancient disturbance across the landscape. The phytolith assemblages showed statistically significant between-region variations that indicated our metrics were sufficiently sensitive to detecting ancient disturbance. Our data highlight the spatial heterogeneity of ancient human disturbances in Amazonian forests. The quantification of these disturbances provides empirical data and a more concrete link between the composition of the modern forest and ancient disturbance regimes. Accounting for ancient disturbances will allow a deeper understanding of the landscape heterogeneity observed in the modern forests.

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“…Patches of ADE contrast dramatically with the highly-weathered, acidic, and nutrient-poor oxisols (Latossolos) and ultisols (Argissolos) that dominate the region and have limited agricultural use without high inputs of fertilizer or long fallow periods (Lehmann et al, 2003b;Glaser and Woods, 2004;Woods et al, 2009;Smith, 1980;Sanchez and Buol, 1975). Amazonian farmers seek out ADE to grow crops because the extraordinarily high fertility allows them to grow a more diverse range of cultivars much more intensively than on the typical upland soils (Arroyo-Kalin, 2008;Fraser, 2010;Fraser et al, 2011aFraser et al, , 2012German, 2001;Hiraoka et al, 2003;Kawa et al, 2011;Lehmann et al, 2003b;Smith, 1980;Steiner et al, 2009;Woods and McCann, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Amazonian Dark Earths: pathways to sustainable development in tropical rainforests?

Schmidt

2013

Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi. Ciênc. hum.

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Fertile dark anthrosols associated with pre-Columbian settlement across the Amazon Basin have sparked wide interest for their potential contribution to sustainable use and management of tropical soils and ecosystems. In the Upper Xingu region of the southern Amazon, research on archaeological settlements and among contemporary descendant populations provides critical new data on the formation and use of anthrosols. These findings provide a basis for describing the variability of soil modifications that result from diverse human activities and a general model for the formation of Amazonian anthrosols. They underscore the potential for indigenous systems of knowledge and resource management to inform efforts for conservation and sustainable development of Amazonian ecosystems.Keywords: Anthrosols. Terra Preta. Historical ecology. Ethnoarchaeology. Upper Xingu. Resumo:Antrossolos escuros e férteis associados a assentamentos pré-colombianos em toda a bacia amazônica têm despertado interesse por sua contribuição potencial no uso e manejo sustentável de solos e ecossistemas tropicais. Na região do alto rio Xingu, no sul da Amazônia, pesquisas sobre assentamentos arqueológicos e populações indígenas contemporâneas oferecem novos dados relevantes sobre a formação e o uso dos antrossolos. Os resultados fornecem uma base para a descrição da variabilidade de modificações no solo oriundas de diversas atividades humanas e um modelo geral para a formação de antrossolos amazônicos. A pesquisa mostra o potencial dos sistemas indígenas de conhecimento e manejo de recursos em contribuir na conservação e no desenvolvimento sustentável de ecossistemas amazônicos.

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Crop Diversity on Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Central Amazonia

Cited by 31 publications

References 41 publications

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

Phytolith Assemblages Along a Gradient of Ancient Human Disturbance in Western Amazonia

Amazonian Dark Earths: pathways to sustainable development in tropical rainforests?

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