The Central American Isthmus: ecological dynamics of the middle-late Holocene

Harvey, W

Abstract:: An ever-increasing demand for agriculture while conserving biodiversity, maintaining livelihoods, and providing critical ecosystem services is one of the largest challenges for tropical land management across the Central American Isthmus today. Climatic and anthropogenic drivers currently provide the largest threats to changes in the vegetation cover and composition for this region therefore understanding the dynamics of these systems, their variability across space and through time is imp...
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APA Style

Harvey, W. (2019). The Central American Isthmus: ecological dynamics of the middle-late Holocene [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford.

MLA Style

Harvey, W. The Central American Isthmus: Ecological Dynamics of the Middle-Late Holocene. University of Oxford, 2019.

Chicago Style

Harvey, W. 2019. “The Central American Isthmus: Ecological Dynamics of the Middle-Late Holocene.” PhD thesis, University of Oxford.
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Files:: WJH_DPhil_2019.pdf

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Authors

+ Harvey, W More by this author

Division:: MPLS
Department:: Zoology
Role:: Author

Contributors

+ Willis, K

Department:: University of Oxford
Role:: Supervisor

+ Nogué, S

Department:: University of Southampton
Role:: Supervisor

+ Stansell, N

Department:: Northern Illinois University
Role:: Supervisor

+ NSF More from this funder

Grant:: EAR−1502989

+ Natural Environmental Research Council More from this funder

Grant:: NE/L002612/1

DOI:: 10.5287/ora-qoy8mbaj6
Type of award:: DPhil
Level of award:: Doctoral
Awarding institution:: University of Oxford

Language:: English
Keywords:: Nicaragua

Central American Isthmus

Guatemala

Systematic Review

Forestry

Sporormiella

Charcoal

Pollen

Palynology

Diatoms

Fire

Maya
Subjects:: Ecology

Paleoecology

Archaeology

Plant Sciences

Zoology

Central America
UUID:: uuid:1adb2fc4-71a1-4fea-8e8a-6164658009c2
Deposit date:: 2019-10-16

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Description:: The study of fossil and modern pollen assemblages provides essential information about vegetation dynamics in space and time. A major methodological component of these studies is the identification of pollen grains to plant family, genus and species. This identification is achieved through the use of pollen keys and reference collections of physical specimens, which are regional in scope, disparate and incomplete, slowing the identification process. Reference material is also held in museums ...
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Related item:: The legacy of Pre–Columbian fire on the pine–oak forests of Upland Guatemala
Description:: Mountain tropical forests of the Southern Maya Area (Pacific Chiapas and Guatemala, El Salvador, and Northern Honduras) predominantly comprise pine and oak formations, which form intricate mosaics and complex successional interactions following large–scale fire. These forests have been transformed by the peoples of the Maya civilization through practices of horticulture, agriculture, and architectural developments over thousands of years. Anthropogenic impacts and the extent of early human interaction with these upland forests is currently poorly understood. In this study we identify: (i) the natural baseline vegetation of the region; (ii) when human impact and agrarian practices began in the Maya uplands; and (iii) what impacts the Maya had on forest structure, composition, and successional regeneration. Past vegetation, anthropogenic use of fire, and faunal abundance were reconstructed using proxy analysis of fossil pollen, macroscopic charcoal, microscopic charcoal, and dung fungal spores (Sporormiella). Three phases of forest succession were identified from 4000B.C.E. to 1522CE that broadly overlap with the well–defined archaeological periods of (i) the Archaic (10,000–2000B.C.E.); (ii) Pre–Classic (2000B.C.E.−100C.E.); (iii) Terminal Pre–Classic (100–250C.E.); (iv) Classic (250–950C.E.); and (v) Post–Classic (950–1522C.E.). These results also include the earliest evidence for agriculture within the Southern Maya Area through presence of peppers (Capsicum) from 3850B.C.E. and the rise of maize cultivation (Zea mays) from 970B.C.E. Persistent high intensity burning driven by agricultural practices and lime production during the Late–Pre-Classic (400–100B.C.E.) to Classic Period resulted in a compositional change of forest structure c.150B.C.E. from oak (Quercus) dominated forests to pine (Pinus) dominated forests. The legacy of Pre–Columbian anthropogenically driven fire in these mountain tropical forests demonstrates the resilience and thresholds for fire driven succession. These findings are particularly relevant for addressing current land use and management strategies involving agriculture, fire, and forest management in the mountain tropical forests of the Southern Maya Area.
Related item:: The Apparent Resilience of the Dry Tropical Forests of the Nicaraguan Region of the Central American Dry Corridor to Variations in Climate Over the Last C. 1200 Years
Description:: The Central American Dry Corridor (CADC) is the most densely populated area of the Central American Isthmus and is subject to the greatest variability in precipitation between seasons. The vegetation of this region is composed of Dry Tropical Forests (DTF), which are suggested to be highly susceptible to variations in climate and anthropogenic development. This study examines the vulnerability of past DTF surrounding the Asese peninsula, Nicaragua to climatic and anthropogenic disturbances over the past c. 1200 years. Past vegetation, climate, burning, and animal abundance were reconstructed using proxy analysis of fossil pollen, diatoms, macroscopic charcoal, and Sporormiella. Results from this research suggest that DTF have been highly resilient to past climatic and anthropogenic perturbations. Changes in DTF structure and composition appear to be linked to the abundance and intensity of fire. Pre-Columbian anthropogenic impacts on DTF are not detected in the record; however, DTF taxa decline slightly after European contact (1522 C.E.). Overall the DTF for the Nicaraguan region of the CADC were found to be highly resilient to both climatic and anthropogenic disturbances, suggesting that this region will continue to be resilient in the face of future population expansion and climatic variation.

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Copyright holder:: Harvey, W

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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The Central American Isthmus: ecological dynamics of the middle-late Holocene

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The Central American Isthmus: ecological dynamics of the middle-late Holocene

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