Coherent changes in relative C4 plant productivity and climate during the late Quaternary in the North American Great Plains

Nordt, Lee C.; Fischer, Joseph C. von; Tieszen, Larry L.; Tubbs, J. D.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.05.008

Cited by 43 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…As discussed above, the increase in C 3 grasses at this northern latitude is attributable to increased temperatures. The low contribution of C 4 grasses to the total assemblage at the northern latitude St. Louis site illustrates the negative correlation between C 4 grasses and latitude discussed by Nordt et al (2008).…”

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Recent research by Nordt et al (2008) on the central and southern Great Plains identified an increase in C 4 grassland vegetation at 6700 14 C yr B.P. in correlation with increased summer temperatures.…”

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During this period of increased aridity, Northern Plains grassland productivity is thought to have decreased and the grassland/parkland boundary to have migrated north (Strong & Hills, 2003). However, the interpretations of the effects of Altithermal warming in the Northern Plains are inferred from research in the Central and Southern Plains, where extensive paleoenvironmental and geoarchaeological work has been conducted (Holliday, 1989;Meltzer, 1999;Dean & Schwalb, 2000;Nordt et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site, Saskatchewan, Canada

et al. 2011

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The St. Louis site, located in the Plains–Parkland transition zone along the South Saskatchewan River, in Saskatchewan, Canada, is a multiple‐component site consisting of stratified floodplain alluvium with multiple, weakly developed soils. Human occupation at the site spans the Late Paleoindian to Middle Precontact periods (10,000–5,000 14C yr B.P.), a time poorly represented archaeologically on the Northern Plains. The dearth of early–middle Holocene‐age archaeological sites is often attributed to reduced inhabitability of the Northern Plains during the Hypsithermal, a period of maximum aridity and limited water availability. Stable isotope and phytolith data from the site indicate increased temperatures during the Hypsithermal and an expansion of Northern Plains grasslands into north‐central Saskatchewan. Although characterized by increased xeric conditions, human occupation at the St. Louis site, as well as the predominance of C3 grasses, attests to the habitability of Northern Plains river systems during this time period. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site, Saskatchewan, Canada

et al. 2011

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“…Thus, the basic assumption underlying the use of δ 13 C ratios as indicators of vegetation dynamics and related environmental change is that the primary influence on δ 13 C PDP of soil organic matter is the relative contribution of C3 versus C4 plants to the total net primary productivity of the community (Kerns et al, 2001). Nordt et al (2007Nordt et al ( , 2008 emphasize the utility of stable carbon isotope analysis of SOM to ascertain the percent contribution of C4 plants as an indicator of temperature regime.…”

Section: Stable Carbon Isotopes and Vegetation Reconstruction In Teotmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C ratios determined as secondary products of radiocarbon dating are often eliminated from studies seeking to detect paleoenvironmental trends based on published data, in order to avoid potential bias during sample preparation and analysis (Nordt et al, 2007(Nordt et al, , 2008, Solleiro-Rebolledo (personal communication) evaluated the consistency between the δ 13 C ratios obtained as byproducts of radiocarbon dating with those obtained directly from SOM from several profiles in the Teotihuacan Valley; no significant differences were found between the results.…”

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confidence: 99%

Stable Carbon Isotopes Applied to Vegetation Reconstruction in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico

Tapia¹,

Adriano-Morán²

2012

BSGM

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Stable carbon isotope values (δ 13 C) from organic material in soils and sediments suggest possible sources of carbon in the organic component and contribute to the development of hypotheses concerning the composition of regional vegetation. This paper explores the application of δ 13 C to the study of soils and sediments in conjunction with the analysis of plant remains in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico, located approximately 50 km NE of Mexico City, known for the archaeological site of Teotihuacan, occupied between ca. AD 1-650. The ratios of 13 C/ 12 C from soil organic matter (SOM) provide a complementary approach towards the analysis of past vegetation change in regions characterized by relatively poor preservation of plant macrofossils and pollen. The analysis of phytoliths recovered from soils and sediments offers an additional source of evidence for broad changes in environmental conditions based on changes in the relative proportions of C3 and C4 grasses. In this paper δ 13 C ratios obtained from SOM in profiles in the Teotihuacan Valley are compared with the results of phytolith analysis in the same horizons. The relative proportion of carbon derived from C4-CAMS (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plants was calculated. Phytolith analysis focused on the relative proportions of C3 (diagnostic phytoliths of the Pooideae subfamily of Poaceae) and C4 grass taxa (subfamilies Panicoideae, Chloridoideae and Aristodoideae). The δ 13 C ratios obtained from Tlajinga, located in an area of prehispanic irrigation south of the San Lorenzo River in the central Valley, indicate the predominance of C4-CAMS plants while phytoliths from the same horizons reflect a greater proportion of C4 grasses, although proportionally lower than isotopic indicators. The values of δ 13 C in SOM from Otumba, situated in close proximity to a river that also provided water for a prehispanic irrigation system, reflect a slightly lower predominance of C4-CAMS plants, and a slight increase in C4 grass phytoliths, with respect to Tlajinga. San Pablo provided evidence for the greatest predominance of C4-CAMS plants based on δ 13 C values in SOM whereas the phytoliths recovered from the same horizons indicate a higher proportion of C3 grasses. In general, the isotopic signatures reported here indicate changes in relative proportions of C4-CAMS plants, suggesting variability in the response of vegetation to local conditions, with a predominance of C4-CAMS plants in soil organic matter and considerable variability in proportions of C4 grass phytoliths in the contexts analyzed.Keywords: Stable carbon isotopes, buried soils, Teotihuacan, phytoliths. Resumen Los valores de los isótopos estables de carbono (δ

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Stable Isotopes in Ancient Agriculture

Riehl¹

2020

A Companion to Ancient Agriculture

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Coherent changes in relative C4 plant productivity and climate during the late Quaternary in the North American Great Plains

Cited by 43 publications

References 73 publications

Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site, Saskatchewan, Canada

Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site, Saskatchewan, Canada

Stable Carbon Isotopes Applied to Vegetation Reconstruction in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico

Stable Isotopes in Ancient Agriculture

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