Early Neolithic vegetation history, fire regime and human activity at Kuahuqiao, Lower Yangtze River, East China: New and improved insight

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• 作者：Junwu Shu ; Weiming Wang ; Leping Jiang ; Hikaru Takahara
• 刊名：Quaternary International
• 出版年：2010
• 出版时间：1 November 2010
• 年：2010
• 卷：227
• 期：1
• 页码：10-21
• 全文大小：2229 K

文摘

A new 2.6-m long archaeological sedimentary profile from Kuahuqiao, Zhejiang Province, was examined for pollen-phytolith-charcoal microfossil content. The results bring a new and improved insight into the previously established vegetation sequence, contributing to better understanding the interaction between vegetation, fire and human activity in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze, discussed in the context of archaeological record and published available data. Three distinctive phases were well represented: the nature-dominated phase (c. 8250–7950 cal. BP), the human-affected phase (c. 7950–7400 cal. BP) and the marine-controlled phase (post-7400 cal. BP), considering vegetation changes, human impact, and environment dynamics. Around 8300 cal. BP, the mixed broadleaved evergreen and deciduous forest, mainly consisting of Quercus, Pinus, Cyclobalanopsis, Liquidambar, and Ulmus/Zelkova, developed at Kuahuqiao. It was initially opened by the early local Neolithic hunters and foragers by means of fire since c.7950 cal. BP, indicated by abundant microfossil charcoal in cultural layers. The disturbed forest in the lowlands progressively retreated and was predominately replaced by a Poaceae-dominated vegetation pattern, suggesting increasingly intensified human interference including rice cultivation since 7760 cal. BP. Quercus and Pinus were the main components among the woods targeted by humans in the local small basin, strongly supported by archaeological records as well. However, the short period of Alnus flourishing reported elsewhere is not documented in the pollen sequence. In addition, the combined pollen and archaeological evidence shows that the well recorded local spread of Typha around 7400 cal. BP could mainly be a natural response to the expansion of water regime in addition to the result of human management of the environment. The increasing water level was presumably induced by the local blocked hydrological ecosystem as a result of its retrogression prompted by rising sea level, before the Kuahuqiao Culture ended in the subsequent marine transgression.