Present Forest Biodiversity Patterns in France Related to Former Roman Agriculture

Dambrine, Étienne; Dupouey, J.L.; Laüt, Laure; Humbert, Lionel; Thinon, Michel; Beaufils, Th.; Richard, Hervé

doi:10.1890/05-1314

Cited by 179 publications

(179 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…These effects have consequences, not only for the C sink capacity of the ecosystem but also for water and energy exchange between the land and the atmosphere (Foley et al, 2003), which also has important, albeit still highly uncertain, implications for regional climate change (e.g., Arora and Montenegro, 2011;Brovkin et al, 2013;de NobletDucoudre et al, 2012). Some studies have detected an influence of ancient agriculture on forest composition and diversity even thousands of years later (Dambrine et al, 2007;Dupouey et al, 2002;Willis et al, 2004). However, the persistence of legacy effects varies considerably with former LU, geographical location, sampling methods and examined variables, making recovery trajectories often hard to predict (Cramer et al, 2008;Foster et al, 2003;Guariguata and Ostertag, 2001;Norden et al, 2015;Post and Kwon, 2000;Suding et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of land-use history on the recovery of ecosystems after agricultural abandonment

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Land-use changes have been shown to have large effects on climate and biogeochemical cycles, but so far most studies have focused on the effects of conversion of natural vegetation to croplands and pastures. By contrast, relatively little is known about the long-term influence of past agriculture on vegetation regrowth and carbon sequestration following land abandonment. We used the LPJ-GUESS dynamic vegetation model to study the legacy effects of different land-use histories (in terms of type and duration) across a range of ecosystems. To this end, we performed six idealized simulations for Europe and Africa in which we made a transition from natural vegetation to either pasture or cropland, followed by a transition back to natural vegetation after 20, 60 or 100 years. The simulations identified substantial differences in recovery trajectories of four key variables (vegetation composition, vegetation carbon, soil carbon, net biome productivity) after agricultural cessation. Vegetation carbon and composition typically recovered faster than soil carbon in subtropical, temperate and boreal regions, and vice versa in the tropics. While the effects of different land-use histories on recovery periods of soil carbon stocks often differed by centuries across our simulations, differences in recovery times across simulations were typically small for net biome productivity (a few decades) and modest for vegetation carbon and composition (several decades). Spatially, we found the greatest sensitivity of recovery times to prior land use in boreal forests and subtropical grasslands, where post-agricultural productivity was strongly affected by prior land management. Our results suggest that land-use history is a relevant factor affecting ecosystems long after agricultural cessation, and it should be considered not only when assessing historical or future changes in simulations of the terrestrial carbon cycle but also when establishing long-term monitoring networks and interpreting data derived therefrom, including analysis of a broad range of ecosystem properties or local climate effects related to land cover changes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of land-use history on the recovery of ecosystems after agricultural abandonment

et al. 2016

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“…While these vegetation marks are well documented in grasslands and crop fields (Bennett et al 2014), the detection of these anomalies in other LiDAR-derived models, such as the Canopy Height Model, has rarely been approached before (Hightower et al 2014. These data can be translated into maps of historical land-use that are frequently unavailable (Dambrine et al 2007). In addition to the generation of ancient land-use maps, we also need to understand how forests are influenced by particular land-use legacies in order to envisage the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances and the relevant factors in forest ecosystem restoration (Foster et al 2003, Risbøl et al 2015.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In European forests, agricultural legacies have been revealed to endure for millennia after the cessation of farming. For instance, some native species found in ancient forests were not present in the herb layer of secondary forests that established over previous croplands (Dambrine et al 2007). Therefore, scientific knowledge regarding historical landscape change can assist different authorities, including forest services, to better understand the range of choices for action and the consequences of those decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An integrated airborne laser scanning approach to forest management and cultural heritage issues: a case study at Porolissum, Romania

et al. 2017

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Abstract. This paper explores the opportunities that arise where forest ecosystem management and cultural heritage monuments protection converge. The case study area for our analysis was the landscape surrounding the Moigrad-Porolissum Archaeological site. We emphasize that an Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS or LiDAR-Light Detection and Ranging) approach to both forest management and cultural heritage conservation is an outstanding tool, assisting policy-makers and conservationists in decision making for integrated planning and management of the environment. LiDAR-derived surface models enabled a synoptic, never-seen-before view of the ancient Roman frontiers defensive systems while also revealing the present forest road network. The thorough and accurate road inventory data are very useful for updating and modifying forest base maps and registries and also for identifying the priority sectors for archaeological discharge. The ability to identify and determine optimal routes for forest management and to locate previously unmapped ancient archaeological remains aids in reducing costs and creating operational efficiencies as well as in complying with the legislation and avoiding infringements. The potential of LiDAR to demonstrate the long-term and comprehensive human impact on wooded areas is discussed. We identified a significant historical landscape change, consisting of a deforestation period, spanning over more than 160 years, during the Roman Period in Dacia (106-271 AD). The transdisciplinary analysis of the LiDAR data provides the base for combining knowledge from archaeology, forestry and environmental history in order to achieve a thorough analysis of the landscape changes and history. In the "nature versus culture" dichotomy, the landscape, outfield areas and forests are primarily perceived as nature, while in reality they are often heavily marked by human impact. LiDAR offers an efficient method for broadening our knowledge regarding the character and extent of human interaction with landscapes -forested or otherwise.

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“…This particularly holds true for forests in Central Europe featuring a long tradition of human activities (Birks et al 1988;Dambrine et al 2007;Kirby and Watkins 1996). Land-use history is therefore recognized as a key factor to understand present forest composition and trajectories of change at different spatial and temporal scales (Axelsson and Östlund, 2001;Foster, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-use and climate change effects in forest compositional trajectories in a dry Central-Alpine valley

et al. 2010

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Abstract• Increased mortality of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spreading of deciduous trees are observed in the Swiss Rhone valley. Previous research identified climate change effects as main drivers of this trend. On the local scale, we hypothesize that legacies from past anthropogenic disturbances are superimposed on climate effects.• We reconstructed land-use history and quantified changes in tree species composition from 1930 to 1994 on 9468 ha of forested land. The aim was to analyze the contribution of anthropogenic disturbances to the observed changes and to disentangle human impact from climate change effects.• At altitudes below 1 200 m a.s.l. we found a shift from pine (-11.4%) to deciduous trees (+11%) with significantly lower increase of deciduous trees in stands formerly used for grazing and/or litter collecting. Conversely, pine decrease was not correlated with former anthropogenic disturbances. We interpret pine mortality as an effect of increased drought stress due to climate change while spread of deciduous trees is driven by land-use change. Grazing and litter collecting hindered deciduous tree regeneration and it was not until their abandonment a few decades ago that forest composition started to change. At higher elevations the shift from Norway spruce (Picea abies; -8.5%) to European larch (Larix decidua; +8.2%) corresponds to silvicultural management schemes, aimed at promoting larch recruitment.• Our study illustrates the importance of disentangling climate from land-use change effects for understanding shifts in forest composition. The findings are relevant for other regions in the European Alps where forests undergo comparable environmental changes.

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Present Forest Biodiversity Patterns in France Related to Former Roman Agriculture

Cited by 179 publications

References 29 publications

Impacts of land-use history on the recovery of ecosystems after agricultural abandonment

Impacts of land-use history on the recovery of ecosystems after agricultural abandonment

An integrated airborne laser scanning approach to forest management and cultural heritage issues: a case study at Porolissum, Romania

Land-use and climate change effects in forest compositional trajectories in a dry Central-Alpine valley

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