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Early Holocene crop cultivation and landscape modification in Amazonia.

Authors :
Lombardo U
Iriarte J
Hilbert L
Ruiz-Pérez J
Capriles JM
Veit H
Source :
Nature [Nature] 2020 May; Vol. 581 (7807), pp. 190-193. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Apr 08.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

The onset of plant cultivation is one of the most important cultural transitions in human history <superscript>1-4</superscript> . Southwestern Amazonia has previously been proposed as an early centre of plant domestication, on the basis of molecular markers that show genetic similarities between domesticated plants and wild relatives <superscript>4-6</superscript> . However, the nature of the early human occupation of southwestern Amazonia, and the history of plant cultivation in this region, are poorly understood. Here we document the cultivation of squash (Cucurbita sp.) at about 10,250 calibrated years before present (cal. yr BP), manioc (Manihot sp.) at about 10,350 cal. yr BP and maize (Zea mays) at about 6,850 cal. yr BP, in the Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia). We show that, starting at around 10,850 cal. yr BP, inhabitants of this region began to create a landscape that ultimately comprised approximately 4,700 artificial forest islands within a treeless, seasonally flooded savannah. Our results confirm that the Llanos de Moxos is a hotspot for early plant cultivation and demonstrate that-ever since their arrival in Amazonia-humans have markedly altered the landscape, with lasting repercussions for habitat heterogeneity and species conservation.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1476-4687
Volume :
581
Issue :
7807
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Nature
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32404996
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2162-7