Phytoliths, stable carbon isotopes and micromorphology of a buried alluvial soil in Southern Mexico: A polychronous record of environmental change during Middle Holocene

Solís‐Castillo, Berenice; Golyeva, Alexandra; Sedov, Sergey; Solleiro‐Rebolledo, Elizabeth; López-Rivera, Sara

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.06.043

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…These components had already been described by Bishop (1994) in the Usumacinta region. The presence of phytoliths is evidence of an organic A horizon soil, colonized by a plant cover (Solís-Castillo et al, 2015). Phytoliths or complete opal tissues are easily confused with volcanic glass fragments because they share similar optical properties, such as the refraction index (less than 1.54) and isotropy (Jack, 2005).…”

Section: Relict Organic Components From Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soils as a source of raw materials for ancient ceramic production in the Maya region of Mexico: Micromorphological insight

Cabadas-Báez

Sedov

Álvarez

et al. 2018

BSGM

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Section: Relict Organic Components From Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soils as a source of raw materials for ancient ceramic production in the Maya region of Mexico: Micromorphological insight

Cabadas-Báez

Sedov

Álvarez

et al. 2018

BSGM

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“…Communicated by K. Neumann. Phytolith analysis of soils and sediments potentially gives more particular and local data of vegetation change than pollen analysis (Rovner 1988;Rosen 1994;Lentfer and Boyd 1998), and is a useful source of evidence when other micro-or macrobotanical remains are absent (Neumann et al 2017). Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on only one proxy may not lead to reliable results in every case, but phytolith analysis may be useful to complement pollen analyses, macrobotanical and other studies Chen et al 2015;Solis-Castillo et al 2015;Sakai et al 2016;Neumann et al 2017;Woodburn et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoliths of six woody species important in the Carpathians: characteristic phytoliths in Norway spruce needles

Lisztes‐Szabó

Braun

Csík

et al. 2019

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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Phytoliths-also known as plant opals-are preserved in soils and sediments and have taxonomical relevance, therefore phytoliths can be fingerprints of the vegetation of the period from which they originated. Comparative phytolith studies are essential for finding phytolith morphotypes with taxonomic relevance. These are used to build reference collections for future palaeoecological and archaeobotanical studies. Biogenic silica extracted from the leaves of six woody species commonly occurring in temperate climate plant communities was examined using light and scanning electron microscope methods (Deciduous broad-leaved species: Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur. Coniferous species: Abies alba, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris). The element content of phytoliths was analysed by SEM EDX and the phytolith taxonomic diagnostic potential of element content was tested by discriminant analysis. An inventory of phytolith types with their anatomical origin was provided and type-frequencies were assessed. Three species have been systematically screened here for the first time in detail (C. avellana, F. sylvatica, Q. robur). This is the first time that a characteristic cubical phytolith morphotype ("Picea-blocky type") originating from transfusion tissue was described as a distinct layer encompassing the central cylinder of the needle. High concentrations of aluminium and magnesium in phytoliths are associated with two of three conifer species. A. alba and P. sylvestris could be differentiated statistically on the basis of elemental content. Our findings open up the possibility to identify these taxa based on their phytoliths and it is anticipated that this could be a useful tool for phytolith identification originating from soils and sediments as well. Moreover, Picea-blocky type allows comparative, in situ studies (amongst others isotopic) to provide the possibility of finding further measurable proxies.

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“…Other agricultural and land use practices, such as coppicing, burning of pastures and agricultural fields, grazing livestock, and cultivation, change soil nutrient composition in ways that are not always obvious from a “macro-view” of site formation processes. Techniques such as soil micromorphology combined with geochemical reconstruction offer a comparative before-and-after perspective on the qualitative and quantitative impacts of human niche construction on the environment (Meharg et al, 2006; Ackermann et al, 2014; Solís-Castillo et al, 2015). Geochronometry of both depositional and organic facies using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating, respectively, provides a temporal framework of the timing and rates of anthropogenic environmental change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron Age landscape changes in the Benoué River Valley, Cameroon

et al. 2019

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The introduction of agriculture is known to have profoundly affected the ecological complexion of landscapes. In this study, a rapid transition from C3 to C4 vegetation is inferred from a shift to higher stable carbon (13C/12C) isotope ratios of soils and sediments in the Benoué River Valley and upland Fali Mountains in northern Cameroon. Landscape change is viewed from the perspective of two settlement mounds and adjacent floodplains, as well as a rock terrace agricultural field dating from 1100 cal yr BP to the recent past (<400 cal yr BP). Nitrogen (15N/14N) isotope ratios and soil micromorphology demonstrate variable uses of land adjacent to the mound sites. These results indicate that Early Iron Age settlement practices involved exploitation of C3 plants on soils with low δ15N values, indicating wetter soils. Conversely, from the Late Iron Age (>700 cal yr BP) until recent times, high soil and sediment δ13C and δ15N values reflect more C4 biomass and anthropogenic organic matter in open, dry environments. The results suggest that Iron Age settlement practices profoundly changed landscapes in this part of West Africa through land clearance and/or utilization of C4 plants.

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Phytoliths, stable carbon isotopes and micromorphology of a buried alluvial soil in Southern Mexico: A polychronous record of environmental change during Middle Holocene

Cited by 12 publications

References 36 publications

Soils as a source of raw materials for ancient ceramic production in the Maya region of Mexico: Micromorphological insight

Soils as a source of raw materials for ancient ceramic production in the Maya region of Mexico: Micromorphological insight

Phytoliths of six woody species important in the Carpathians: characteristic phytoliths in Norway spruce needles

Iron Age landscape changes in the Benoué River Valley, Cameroon

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