Woodland vegetation composition and prehistoric human fuel collection strategy at the Shannashuzha site, Gansu Province, northwest China, during the middle Holocene

Li, Hu; An, Chengbang; Dong, Weimiao; Wang, Wei; Hu, Zhongya; Wang, Shuzhi; Zhao, Xinya; Yang, Yishi

doi:10.1007/s00334-016-0585-8

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Drawing on our results and previously published anthracological studies from the Loess Plateau (An et al, 2014;Sun et al, 2013Sun et al, , 2014Sun et al, , 2016Li et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2011b) (Table 4), we infer that woodlands were widespread and characterized by significant spatial differences in distribution (Figure 7). In the Guanzhong Basin, combining our findings with previous charcoal studies from Huiduipo, Beiniu and Xiahe (Sun et al, 2014(Sun et al, , 2016, we find that a wide range of taxa occurred in this area (Table 4).…”

Section: Reconstruction Of Woodland Compositionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…On the Loess Plateau, numerous tropical-subtropical taxa such as Bambusoideae, Fargesia, Hibiscus, Liquidambar formosana, Melia, Phyllostachys, Sassafras and Stewartia , were identified in studies of wood charcoal remains from Beiniu and Huidui (Sun et al, 2016), Xiahe (Sun et al, 2014), Xishanping and Dadiwan (Sun et al, 2013), Taosi (Wang et al, 2011b), Shannashuzha (Li et al, 2016), Daping, Gaozhuang, Qiaocun and Jiangjiazui (An et al, 2014) (Figure 8 and Table 5). Of these taxa, Bambusoideae occur at 12 sites with a frequency of 50% and are the most abundant of the tropical-subtropical taxa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, wood charcoal research in East Asia is mainly restricted to northwest China (An et al, 2014;Li et al, 2013Li et al, , 2016Sun et al, 2013Sun et al, , 2016Wang et al, 2011b). However, studies remain quite sporadic and are absent for most parts of the Loess Plateau.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene: Integrating wood charcoal analyses

Shên

Spengler

et al. 2020

The Holocene

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The question of what the ecology communities of the Loess Plateau looked like before the extensive anthropogenic reshaping processes of the late-Holocene has stirred a long debate. A better understanding of these human-induced changes will not only help us understand the extent of paleoeconomic practices, but also inform future conservation actions on this ecologically fragile landscape. This paper presents a systematic study of wood charcoal from a series of archaeological sites, demonstrating that woody plants and woodlands were widely distributed and geographically diverse on the Loess Plateau in response to the East Asian Monsoon. In the Guanzhong Basin, oak ( Quercus spp.) woodlands were associated with a few tropical-subtropical taxa, which changed to oak and pine ( Pinus spp.) mixed forests on the eastern plateau, while on the northern plateau coniferous woodlands were dominant. On the western Loess Plateau, oak and elm ( Ulmus spp.) woodland and spruce ( Picea spp.) forests were widespread. The charcoal results suggest that human impacts on the dominant species might have begun as early as ca. 3500 cal yr BP, with oak replaced by Prunus as the dominant taxon, including many economically significant species, such as peaches ( P. persica) and apricots ( P. armeniaca). Furthermore, the charcoal data show that due to warm and wet climatic conditions in the mid-Holocene, the distribution of tropical-subtropical taxa shifted markedly northwards into the Guanzhong and Tianshui Basins, and the central part of the eastern Loess Plateau, which became characterized by high frequencies of Bamboo.

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Section: Reconstruction Of Woodland Compositionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene: Integrating wood charcoal analyses

Shên

Spengler

et al. 2020

The Holocene

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“…in the NETP around the valley of the upper Yellow River (16). Systematic archaeological surveys of the SNSZ reported typical mountain vegetation including conifer forests, mixed broadleaved/conifer forests, riverbank broadleaved forests, and, in particular, an abundant Bambusoideae botanical composition (14,28). In addition, zooarchaeological classification identified a significantly higher proportion (>76%) of the number of identified specimens (NISP) of wild animal remains than of domestic animals (13) (SI Appendix, Figs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies of SNSZ report the presence of badgers, snubnosed monkeys, and Bambusoideae vegetation, all of which indicate a warmer and moister climate ∼5,200 y B.P. (28). Gaur and Sumatran rhinoceroses currently inhabit tropical or subtropical low-latitude regions that have been significantly warmer than the SNSZ in the recent past (∼6.5°C and ∼556 mm).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Ancient genomes reveal tropical bovid species in the Tibetan Plateau contributed to the prevalence of hunting game until the late Neolithic

Chen

Ren

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Local wild bovids have been determined to be important prey on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), where hunting game was a major subsistence strategy until the late Neolithic, when farming lifestyles dominated in the neighboring Loess Plateau. However, the species affiliation and population ecology of these prehistoric wild bovids in the prehistoric NETP remain unknown. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis is highly informative in decoding this puzzle. Here, we applied aDNA analysis to fragmented bovid and rhinoceros specimens dating ∼5,200 y B.P. from the Neolithic site of Shannashuzha located in the marginal area of the NETP. Utilizing both whole genomes and mitochondrial DNA, our results demonstrate that the range of the present-day tropical gaur (Bos gaurus) extended as far north as the margins of the NETP during the late Neolithic from ∼29°N to ∼34°N. Furthermore, comparative analysis with zooarchaeological and paleoclimatic evidence indicated that a high summer temperature in the late Neolithic might have facilitated the northward expansion of tropical animals (at least gaur and Sumatran-like rhinoceros) to the NETP. This enriched the diversity of wildlife, thus providing abundant hunting resources for humans and facilitating the exploration of the Tibetan Plateau as one of the last habitats for hunting game in East Asia.

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Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence

Shên

Zhou

Betts

et al. 2018

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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Woodland vegetation composition and prehistoric human fuel collection strategy at the Shannashuzha site, Gansu Province, northwest China, during the middle Holocene

Cited by 11 publications

References 19 publications

Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene: Integrating wood charcoal analyses

Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene: Integrating wood charcoal analyses

Ancient genomes reveal tropical bovid species in the Tibetan Plateau contributed to the prevalence of hunting game until the late Neolithic

Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence

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