Historical Ecology and Dark Earths in Whitewater and Blackwater Landscapes: Comparing the Middle Madeira and Lower Negro Rivers

Fraser, James A.; Cardoso, Thiago Mota; Junqueira, André Braga; Falção, Newton Paulo de Souza; Clement, Charles R.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-9031-8_12

Cited by 15 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Because there is still significant sharing of species between anthropogenic fallow forests (that is, cultural forests) and nondisturbed high forests (that is, forests on well-drained soils without evidence of human-mediated disturbance), this being an average of 10.9%, anthropogenesis in the turnover is partial, not total, and hence, the overall sequence is one not of primary, but of secondary landscape transformation. If the thesis that indigenous societies along the Amazon River and its tributaries first practiced intensive or semi-intensive agriculture [37][38][39], as suggested by the presence of terra mulata (dark earths without significant deposits of potsherds and other household refuse, which are evidence of human occupation in situ per se and always found with terra preta) withstands continued scrutiny, the referenced sites with attendant biotic diversity would have been the product of primary, not secondary landscape transformation. The diversity of Amazonia, which on alpha and beta scales is to some extent anthropogenic, though certainly less so if seen from a gamma perspective (e.g., [40,41]), has been recognized in TK, that is, in local cultural contexts.…”

Section: Primary Vs Secondary Landscape Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contingent Diversity on Anthropic Landscapes

Balée

2010

Diversity

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Behaviorally modern human beings have lived in Amazonia for thousands of years. Significant dynamics in species turnovers due to human-mediated disturbance were associated with the ultimate emergence and expansion of agrarian technologies in prehistory. Such disturbances initiated primary and secondary landscape transformations in various locales of the Amazon region. Diversity in these locales can be understood by accepting the initial premise of contingency, expressed as unprecedented human agency and human history. These effects can be accessed through the archaeological record and in the study of living languages. In addition, landscape transformation can be demonstrated in the study of traditional knowledge (TK). One way of elucidating TK distinctions between anthropic and nonanthropic landscapes concerns elicitation of differential labeling of these landscapes and more significantly, elicitation of the specific contents, such as trees, occurring in these landscapes. Freelisting is a method which can be used to distinguish the differential species compositions of landscapes resulting from human-mediated disturbance vs. those which do not evince records of human agency and history. The TK of the Ka'apor Indians of Amazonian Brazil as revealed in freelisting exercises shows differentiation of anthropogenic from high forests as well as a recognition of diversity in the anthropogenic forests. This suggests that the agents of human-mediated disturbance and landscape transformation in traditional Amazonia encode diversity and contingency into their TK, which encoding reflects past cultural influence on landscape and society over time.

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Section: Primary Vs Secondary Landscape Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contingent Diversity on Anthropic Landscapes

Balée

2010

Diversity

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“…This is less true for new colonists on the agricultural frontier, however. Papaya farmers in Iranduba, so often shown as an example of 'ADE agriculture', are not representative of the reality of most rural Amazonians (see Fraser et al, 2008). Iranduba, Rio Preto da Eva and other municipalities close to Manaus should be considered peri-urban, not rural.…”

Section: Final Commentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark Earths and manioc cultivation in Central Amazonia: a window on pre-Columbian agricultural systems?

Fraser

Clement

2008

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

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Many commentators highlight the fertility of Anthropogenic Dark Earths (ADE), emphasizing their potential for sustainable agriculture. Some scholars believe that terra mulata (the less fertile, more extensive form of ADE) was created by means of agricultural practices used by large settled populations of pre-Columbian farmers. But what was it that these Amerindian farmers were growing? Until recently, scholarly consensus held that manioc does not perform well on ADE. New research on the middle Madeira River is showing, however, that this consensus was premature. In this region, the most common crop in ADE fields is bitter manioc. Farmers there have various landraces of manioc that they believe yield particularly well on ADE, and logically plant more of these varieties on ADE. Aspects of the behaviour and perception of manioc cultivation among 52 farmers at the community of Barro Alto were measured quantitatively on four terra firme soil types (Terra Preta, Terra Mulata, Oxisols and Ultisols). These farmers plant different configurations of landraces in different soils, according to their perception of the suitability of particular landraces and their characteristics to certain soil types and successional processes. This, in turn, shapes selective pressures on these varieties, as new genetic material incorporated from volunteer seedlings is more likely to contain traits present in the most prevalent landrace(s) in each soil type. Owing to localized population pressure at Barro Alto, manioc is under more intensive cultivation systems, with shorter cropping periods (5-10 months) and shorter fallow periods (1-2 years). The outcome of these processes is different co-evolutionary dynamics on ADE as opposed to non-anthropogenic soils. Further anthropological study of manioc swiddening in one of the richest agricultural environments in Amazonia can fill a gap in the literature, thus opening an additional window on the pre-Columbian period.Keywords: Anthropogenic soils. Dark Earths. Agricultural Intensification. Manioc. Central Amazonia. Madeira River.Resumo: Muitos comentaristas realçam a fertilidade da Terra Preta de Índio (TPI), enfatizando seu potencial para uma agricultura sustentável. Alguns estudiosos acreditam que Terra Mulata (uma forma menos fértil, porém mais comum de TPI) foi criada por meio de práticas agrícolas usadas por grandes populações sedentárias na época pré-colombiana. Mas o que estes agricultores ameríndios cultivavam? Até recentemente, o consenso acadêmico era de que mandioca não se adaptava bem em TPI. Novas pesquisas no Médio Rio Madeira estão demostrando, porém, que este consenso era prematuro. Nesta região, a colheita mais comum em roças de TPI é mandioca amarga. Os agricultores têm diversas variedades crioulas (raças primitivas) de mandioca, que eles acreditam render especialmente bem em TPI e, logicamente, plantam mais destas variedades em TPI. Aspectos do comportamento e da percepção do cultivo de mandioca entre 52 agricultores da comunidade de Barro Alto foram observados quantita...

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“…Although edaphic conditions can be highly variable among different TPI patches (Falcão et al 2009), a few properties are common to almost all of them when compared to adjacent soils: higher levels of phosphorous, calcium, organic matter, pH and cation exchange capacity (Lehmann et al 2003a). These characteristics make these soils more suitable for agriculture than other upland (i.e., non-flooded) Amazonian soils (Glaser 2007), which generally have low fertility and soil organic matter contents (Chauvel et al 1987;Lehmann et al 2003a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These characteristics make these soils more suitable for agriculture than other upland (i.e., non-flooded) Amazonian soils (Glaser 2007), which generally have low fertility and soil organic matter contents (Chauvel et al 1987;Lehmann et al 2003a). For this reason, TPI is frequently associated with specific and more intensive forms of agriculture (German 2003a, b;Fraser and Clement 2008;Fraser et al 2009), although fallows are still an important part of the agricultural systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary forests on anthropogenic soils in Brazilian Amazonia conserve agrobiodiversity

2010

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Throughout Brazilian Amazonia anthropogenic soils that are the product of pre-Columbian settlements are called Terra Preta de Índio (Indian Dark Earths, TPI). These soils are dramatically different from surrounding soils due to long-term human activity, but there is little information about how secondary forest succession is affected by these differences. We tested if community structure (density, richness and basal area), floristic composition and domesticated species' richness and density were similar between TPI and non-anthropogenic soils (NAS) in 52 25 9 10 m secondary forest plots in different successional stages near three traditional communities along the middle Madeira River, Central Amazonia. We sampled 858 woody individuals on TPI (77 domesticated) and 1095 on NAS (27 domesticated); 550 understory palms on TPI (169 domesticated) and 778 on NAS (123 domesticated). We found 179 species on TPI (10 domesticated), 190 on NAS (8 domesticated), and 74 (25%) in both environments. Although community structure on TPI and NAS was fairly similar, they showed significantly distinctive floristic compositions, both for woody individuals and understory palms. The density and richness of domesticated species was significantly higher on TPI than on NAS for woody individuals, but not for palms. The intimate long-term association of TPI with human activity has lead to the formation of distinct secondary forests and has favored the concentration of domesticated populations of crop species. Hence, secondary forests on anthropogenic soils concentrate agrobiodiversity, offering advantages for in situ conservation of genetic resources, and are unique ecosystems that should be considered in conservation efforts.

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Historical Ecology and Dark Earths in Whitewater and Blackwater Landscapes: Comparing the Middle Madeira and Lower Negro Rivers

Cited by 15 publications

References 23 publications

Contingent Diversity on Anthropic Landscapes

Contingent Diversity on Anthropic Landscapes

Dark Earths and manioc cultivation in Central Amazonia: a window on pre-Columbian agricultural systems?

Secondary forests on anthropogenic soils in Brazilian Amazonia conserve agrobiodiversity

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