Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia
Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian settlements is still unknown, although recent studies propose that human imp...
| Autor principal: | Levis, Carolina |
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| Outros Autores: | Souza, Priscila Figueira de, Schietti, Juliana, Emilio, Thaise, Pinto, José Luiz Purri da Veiga, Clement, Charles Roland, Costa, Flávia Regina Capellotto |
| Grau: | Artigo |
| Idioma: | English |
| Publicado em: |
PLoS ONE
2020
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| Acesso em linha: |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14723 |
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oai:repositorio:1-14723 |
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oai:repositorio:1-14723 Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia Levis, Carolina Souza, Priscila Figueira de Schietti, Juliana Emilio, Thaise Pinto, José Luiz Purri da Veiga Clement, Charles Roland Costa, Flávia Regina Capellotto Charcoal Agriculture Antiquity Arboreal Species Archeology Arecaceae Biomanipulation Domestication Environmental Sustainability Forest Geographic Distribution History Landscape Modern Times Nonhuman Plant Community Population Abundance Quantitative Analysis River Soil Analysis Species Composition Species Richness Tree Brasil Charcoal Geography Human Activities Humans Regression Analysis Rivers Soil Trees Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian settlements is still unknown, although recent studies propose that human impact away from rivers was minimal. We tested the hypothesis that past human management of the useful tree community decreases with distance from rivers. Methodology/Principal Findings: In six sites, we inventoried trees and palms with DBH≥10 cm and collected soil for charcoal analysis; we also mapped archaeological evidence around the sites. To quantify forest manipulation, we measured the relative abundance, richness and basal area of useful trees and palms. We found a strong negative exponential relationship between forest manipulation and distance to large rivers. Plots located from 10 to 20 km from a main river had 20-40% useful arboreal species, plots between 20 and 40 km had 12-23%, plots more than 40 km had less than 15%. Soil charcoal abundance was high in the two sites closest to secondary rivers, suggesting past agricultural practices. The shortest distance between archaeological evidence and plots was found in sites near rivers. Conclusions/Significance: These results strongly suggest that past forest manipulation was not limited to the pre-Columbian settlements along major rivers, but extended over interfluvial areas considered to be primary forest today. The sustainable use of Amazonian forests will be most effective if it considers the degree of past landscape domestication, as human-modified landscapes concentrate useful plants for human sustainable use and management today. © 2012 Levis et al. 2020-04-24T17:00:55Z 2020-04-24T17:00:55Z 2012 Artigo https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14723 10.1371/journal.pone.0048559 en Volume 7, Número 11 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Brazil http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/br/ application/pdf PLoS ONE |
| institution |
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - Repositório Institucional |
| collection |
INPA-RI |
| language |
English |
| topic |
Charcoal Agriculture Antiquity Arboreal Species Archeology Arecaceae Biomanipulation Domestication Environmental Sustainability Forest Geographic Distribution History Landscape Modern Times Nonhuman Plant Community Population Abundance Quantitative Analysis River Soil Analysis Species Composition Species Richness Tree Brasil Charcoal Geography Human Activities Humans Regression Analysis Rivers Soil Trees |
| spellingShingle |
Charcoal Agriculture Antiquity Arboreal Species Archeology Arecaceae Biomanipulation Domestication Environmental Sustainability Forest Geographic Distribution History Landscape Modern Times Nonhuman Plant Community Population Abundance Quantitative Analysis River Soil Analysis Species Composition Species Richness Tree Brasil Charcoal Geography Human Activities Humans Regression Analysis Rivers Soil Trees Levis, Carolina Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| topic_facet |
Charcoal Agriculture Antiquity Arboreal Species Archeology Arecaceae Biomanipulation Domestication Environmental Sustainability Forest Geographic Distribution History Landscape Modern Times Nonhuman Plant Community Population Abundance Quantitative Analysis River Soil Analysis Species Composition Species Richness Tree Brasil Charcoal Geography Human Activities Humans Regression Analysis Rivers Soil Trees |
| description |
Background: Native Amazonian populations managed forest resources in numerous ways, often creating oligarchic forests dominated by useful trees. The scale and spatial distribution of forest modification beyond pre-Columbian settlements is still unknown, although recent studies propose that human impact away from rivers was minimal. We tested the hypothesis that past human management of the useful tree community decreases with distance from rivers. Methodology/Principal Findings: In six sites, we inventoried trees and palms with DBH≥10 cm and collected soil for charcoal analysis; we also mapped archaeological evidence around the sites. To quantify forest manipulation, we measured the relative abundance, richness and basal area of useful trees and palms. We found a strong negative exponential relationship between forest manipulation and distance to large rivers. Plots located from 10 to 20 km from a main river had 20-40% useful arboreal species, plots between 20 and 40 km had 12-23%, plots more than 40 km had less than 15%. Soil charcoal abundance was high in the two sites closest to secondary rivers, suggesting past agricultural practices. The shortest distance between archaeological evidence and plots was found in sites near rivers. Conclusions/Significance: These results strongly suggest that past forest manipulation was not limited to the pre-Columbian settlements along major rivers, but extended over interfluvial areas considered to be primary forest today. The sustainable use of Amazonian forests will be most effective if it considers the degree of past landscape domestication, as human-modified landscapes concentrate useful plants for human sustainable use and management today. © 2012 Levis et al. |
| format |
Artigo |
| author |
Levis, Carolina |
| author2 |
Souza, Priscila Figueira de Schietti, Juliana Emilio, Thaise Pinto, José Luiz Purri da Veiga Clement, Charles Roland Costa, Flávia Regina Capellotto |
| author2Str |
Souza, Priscila Figueira de Schietti, Juliana Emilio, Thaise Pinto, José Luiz Purri da Veiga Clement, Charles Roland Costa, Flávia Regina Capellotto |
| title |
Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| title_short |
Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| title_full |
Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| title_fullStr |
Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Historical Human Footprint on Modern Tree Species Composition in the Purus-Madeira Interfluve, Central Amazonia |
| title_sort |
historical human footprint on modern tree species composition in the purus-madeira interfluve, central amazonia |
| publisher |
PLoS ONE |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14723 |
| _version_ |
1787141302038560768 |
| score |
11.653393 |