Effects of late Holocene climate variability and anthropogenic stressors on the vegetation of the Maya highlands

Franco-Gaviria, Felipe; Correa‐Metrio, Alexander; Cordero-Oviedo, C.; López-Pérez, Minerva; Cárdenes-Sandí, G. M.; Romero, Francisco Martín

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.04.004

Cited by 15 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…A; Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Radiocarbon dating was performed on charcoal extracts from 53.7, 332 and 561 cm depth below lake floor (b.l.f.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…(Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Sedimentation rates were relatively low (~0.11 cm a −1 ) from the base of the core to a depth of 332 cm (~580 cal.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Cladocera record was complemented with pollen data of aquatic vegetation, and the summary of herbaceous and arboreal taxa in 40 samples (data from Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Samples for pollen analyses were prepared through the standard protocols (Fægri & Iversen ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…a BP), human impact was widespread across the LMNP (Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Deforestation and erosion associated with ancient human activities probably played an important role in defining nutrient and sediment inputs into the lakes of the region, altering their natural dynamics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…; Franco‐Gaviria et al . ), the region represents a natural laboratory for understanding the role of diverse factors at determining the development of aquatic ecosystems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Millennial‐to‐centennial scale lake system development in the mountains of tropical Mexico

Franco-Gaviria

Correa‐Metrio

Núñez‐Useche

et al. 2020

Boreas

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Rapid degradation of freshwater ecosystems threatens water supply for human populations and natural landscapes. At diverse time scales, this process has been clearly associated with climatic and anthropogenic forcings. The question remains, however, how tropical lakes have responded to these two sources of variability. We present a multiproxy record from Lake San Lorenzo, Lagunas de Montebello National Park, tropical Mexico, spanning the last ~3400 years. We used multi‐elemental concentrations, and Cladocera and pollen assemblages along the record to reconstruct regional and local environmental variability, aiming to infer the factors and processes involved in the evolution of the lacustrine system. A principal component analysis on the pooled biological and geochemical evidence allowed the inference of the main changes in lake level and productivity. At millennial scales, the development of the lake system has been closely associated with regional moisture availability, with wetter (drier) time intervals associated with high (low) lake stands. According to Ti concentrations, from ~3400 to 1000 cal. a BP, regional conditions followed a trend towards drier conditions, with littoral cladoceran assemblages suggesting high lake productivity. The extreme regional droughts reportedly associated with the cultural collapse of the Maya civilization manifested in our study area through both high lake productivity and the lowest lake levels of the record. Through the last ~800 years, the regional moisture availability has increased, with the water body becoming deeper and larger. Overall, our record offers evidence of a highly variable system strongly coupled with regional climates, but also very sensitive to local disturbances associated with human occupation. Lake San Lorenzo has been highly resilient to external pressures and has previously recovered from conditions probably alike those associated with the ongoing modern deterioration process. Nevertheless, such recovery involves a complex network of interactions amongst natural and human factors.

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“…A; Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Radiocarbon dating was performed on charcoal extracts from 53.7, 332 and 561 cm depth below lake floor (b.l.f.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…(Franco‐Gaviria et al . ). Sedimentation rates were relatively low (~0.11 cm a −1 ) from the base of the core to a depth of 332 cm (~580 cal.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…; Franco‐Gaviria et al . ), the region represents a natural laboratory for understanding the role of diverse factors at determining the development of aquatic ecosystems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Millennial‐to‐centennial scale lake system development in the mountains of tropical Mexico

Franco-Gaviria

Correa‐Metrio

Núñez‐Useche

et al. 2020

Boreas

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Holocene Paleoecology and Paleoclimatology of South and Southeastern Mexico: A Palynological and Geospatial Approach

Islebe

Carrillo-Bastos

Aragón‐Moreno

et al. 2019

The Holocene and Anthropocene Environmental History of Mexico

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A palynological perspective on the impacts of European contact: Historic deforestation, ranching and agriculture surrounding the Cuchumatanes Highlands, Guatemala

Harvey

Nogué

Stansell

et al. 2020

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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The Spanish conquest of the Cuchumatanes Highlands (1524–1541 ce) led to dramatic land use changes adhering to colonial practices and values, which included the rearing of livestock, agriculture, timber extraction, mining, and the relocation of indigenous populations to new settlements. These changes are often recorded in historical accounts and official records; however, these are sparse, incomplete, and have been lost over the passage of time. Here, we present a high-resolution palaeoenvironmental reconstruction for Cenote Kail (Guatemala) since the Spanish Conquest, to provide additional evidence of land use changes from an integrated multi-proxy perspective. We analysed: (i) fossil pollen; (ii) macroscopic and microscopic charcoal; and (iii) dung fungal spores (Sporormiella) from a lake sediment core extracted from Cenote Kail in the Cuchumatanes highlands, combining these analyses with remotely sensed satellite data. We reconstructed: (i) forest composition and dynamics; (ii) burning, (iii) fauna abundance, and (iv) agricultural activities. High resolution age-depth modelling was conducted using a combination of 210Pb and 14C dates. The high temporal resolution enabled a novel integrated validation of the charcoal data sets with remotely sensed satellite data and the historical record. Three stages of floral compositional change were discerned from the palynological assemblage data encompassing: (i) the decline of mixed hard wood forests (MHWF), associated with the building of new settlements, agriculture and timber extraction for fuel (1550–1675 ce); (ii) pastoral expansions involving the rearing of livestock (1700–1800 ce); and (iii) the expansions of urban settlements and increasing management of the land (1821–2015 ce). Seed predation is suggested as the dominant factor preventing MHWF from re-establishing in the Cuchumatanes Highlands over the past 500 years. Burning is limited locally and regionally and in line with the modern regime, which suggests that fire has been managed and controlled since European contact.

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Effects of late Holocene climate variability and anthropogenic stressors on the vegetation of the Maya highlands

Cited by 15 publications

References 65 publications

Millennial‐to‐centennial scale lake system development in the mountains of tropical Mexico

Millennial‐to‐centennial scale lake system development in the mountains of tropical Mexico

Holocene Paleoecology and Paleoclimatology of South and Southeastern Mexico: A Palynological and Geospatial Approach

A palynological perspective on the impacts of European contact: Historic deforestation, ranching and agriculture surrounding the Cuchumatanes Highlands, Guatemala

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