Differences in forest composition following two periods of settlement by pre-Columbian Native Americans

Commerford, Julie L.; Gittens, Gabrielle; Gainforth, Sydney; Wilson, Jeremy J.; Bird, Broxton W.

doi:10.1007/s00334-021-00864-9

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, they are not too helpful for isolating the temperature component of possible agricultural shortfalls. Recent pollen analysis of a core from Avery Lake in extreme SE Illinois near the Kincaid Mounds shows that “the end of the Mississippian settlement occurred simultaneously with a regional shift in moisture characterized by drier summers and wetter winters associated with the Little Ice Age” (Commerford et al, 2022: 467), once again leaving the temperature component (if any) of such changes unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A low-frequency summer temperature reconstruction for the United States Southwest, 3000 BC–AD 2000

Gillreath-Brown,

Bocinsky,

Kohler

2024

The Holocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Temperature variability likely played an important role in determining the spread and productive potential of North America’s key prehispanic agricultural staple, maize. The United States Southwest (SWUS) also served as the gateway for maize to reach portions of North America to the north and east. Existing temperature reconstructions for the SWUS are typically low in spatial or temporal resolution, shallow in time depth, or subject to unknown degrees of insensitivity to low-frequency variability, hindering accurate determination of temperature’s role in agricultural productivity and variability in distribution and success of prehispanic farmers. Here, we develop a model-based modern analog technique (MAT) approach applied to 29 SWUS fossil pollen sites to reconstruct July temperatures from 3000 BC to AD 2000. Temperatures were generally warmer than or similar to those of the modern (1961–1990) period until the first century AD. Our reconstruction also notes rapid warming beginning in the AD 1800s; modern conditions are unprecedented in at least the last five millennia in the SWUS. Temperature minima were reached around 1800 BC, 1000 BC, AD 400 (the global minimum in this series), the mid-to-late AD 900s, and the AD 1500s. Summer temperatures were generally depressed relative to northern hemisphere norms by a dominance of El Niño-like conditions during much of the second millenium BC and the first millenium AD, but somewhat elevated relative to those same norms in other periods, including from about AD 1300 to the present, due to the dominance of La Niña-like conditions.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A low-frequency summer temperature reconstruction for the United States Southwest, 3000 BC–AD 2000

Gillreath-Brown,

Bocinsky,

Kohler

2024

The Holocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the northern hemisphere, species adapted to the temperate climate were forced to adapt in cold periods, move, or retreat to refugia, with populations decreasing or going extinct in the process; warming episodes allowed for population expansion, colonizations, and adaptive divergence ( Pamilo and Savolainen 2004 ; Lorenzen et al 2011 ; Martchenko and Shafer 2023 ). The peopling of North America ∼15,000 yrs ago (kya; Willerslev and Meltzer 2021 ) followed by human expansion was also a driver of regional ecological shifts ( Gajewski et al 2019 ; Fulton and Yansa 2021 ; Commerford et al 2022 ), although there is no consensus on whether this was involved in large mammal declines across the continent ( Stuart 2015 ; Meltzer 2020 ; Stewart et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic Analyses Capture the Human-Induced Demographic Collapse and Recovery in a Wide-Ranging Cervid

Kessler,

Shafer

2024

Molecular Biology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The glacial cycles of the Quaternary heavily impacted species through successions of population contractions and expansions. Similarly, populations have been intensely shaped by human pressures such as unregulated hunting and land use changes. White-tailed and mule deer survived in different refugia through the Last Glacial Maximum, and their populations were severely reduced after the European colonisation. Here, we analysed 73 re-sequenced deer genomes from across their North American range to understand the consequences of climatic and anthropogenic pressures on deer demographic and adaptive history. We found strong signals of climate-induced vicariance and demographic decline; notably, MSMC2 recovers a severe decline in mainland white-tailed deer effective population size (Ne) at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. We found robust evidence for colonial overharvest in the form of a recent and dramatic drop in Ne in all analysed populations. Historical census size and restocking data show a clear parallel to historical Ne estimates, and temporal Ne/Nc ratio shows patterns of conservation concern for mule deer. Signatures of selection highlight genes related to temperature, including a cold receptor previously highlighted in woolly mammoth. We also detected immune-genes that we surmise reflect the changing land-use patterns in North America. Our study provides a detailed picture of anthropogenic and climatic-induced decline in deer diversity, and clues to understanding the conservation concerns of mule deer and the successful demographic recovery of white-tailed deer.

show abstract

“…In the northern hemisphere, species adapted to the temperate climate were forced to adapt in cold periods, move or retreat to refugia, their population decreasing or going extinct in the process; warming episodes allowed for population expansion, colonisations, and adaptive divergence (Pamilo and Savolainen 2004; Lorenzen et al 2011; Martchenko and Shafer 2023). The peopling of North America ∼15,000 years ago (kya; Willerslev and Meltzer 2021) followed by human expansion was also a driver of regional ecological shifts (Gajewski et al 2019; Fulton and Yansa 2021; Commerford et al 2022), although there is no consensus on whether this was responsible for large mammal declines (Stuart 2015; Meltzer 2020; Stewart et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic analyses capture the human-induced demographic collapse and recovery in a wide-ranging cervid

Kessler

Shafer

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The glacial cycles of the Quaternary heavily impacted species through refugial contractions and post-glaciation expansions. Similarly, population demographic trajectories were intensely shaped by human pressures such as harvest and land use changes, particularly during the colonial-era. White-tailed and mule deer survived in different refugia during the last glacial maximum and were heavily impacted by the European colonisation as harvest and forestry practices drove white-tailed deer to extirpation in some regions, and severely reduced mule deer populations. Here, we analysed 73 re-sequenced deer genomes form across their North American range to understand the consequences of climatic and anthropogenic pressures on deer demographic history and adaptation. We found a strong signal of glacial-induced vicariance and demographic decline; notably, there is a severe decline in white-tailed deer effective population size (Ne) at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. We found robust evidence for a colonial impact in the form of a recent and dramatic drop in Ne in all analysed populations, followed by a recovery in mainland white-tailed deer only. Historical census size and restocking data show a remarkable parallel to historical Ne estimates, while temporal Ne/Nc ratio shows patterns of conservation concern for mule deer. Signatures of selection highlight genes related to olfaction genes essential to deer biology and a cold receptor previously detected in woolly mammoth. We also detected numerous immune-genes that we surmise reflect the changing land-use patterns in North America. Our study provides a detailed picture of anthropogenic and climatic-induced decline in deer diversity, and clues to understanding the conservation concerns of mule deer and the incredible demographic recovery of white-tailed deer.

show abstract

Differences in forest composition following two periods of settlement by pre-Columbian Native Americans

Cited by 5 publications

References 51 publications

A low-frequency summer temperature reconstruction for the United States Southwest, 3000 BC–AD 2000

A low-frequency summer temperature reconstruction for the United States Southwest, 3000 BC–AD 2000

Genomic Analyses Capture the Human-Induced Demographic Collapse and Recovery in a Wide-Ranging Cervid

Genomic analyses capture the human-induced demographic collapse and recovery in a wide-ranging cervid

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About