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Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene
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Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land–Climate Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 25360

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minmin Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MOE Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, College of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: environmental archaeology; isotope; Holocene; diet; subsistence strategy
Prof. Dr. Xianyong Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: pollen; Holocene; palaeoecology
Prof. Dr. Guanghui Dong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MOE Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, College of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: environmental archaeology; holocene; human-land interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human-environment interaction increasing and largely affects the ecosystem by complex ways in Holocene. For example, agriculture, pasture, and the exploitation of natural resource have transformed biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the context of climate warming in worldwide. Understanding the interplay effects of human activity and environment will be necessary to mitigate the profoundly influence of global change for ecosystem and human beings. However, the process and consequences of these changes for ecosystem and human society are unclear, especially in the past.

The interactive changes of humans and environment include impacts of environment change on human activity and effects of human activity on environment. The process of climate and human activity interplay affects the ecosystem across different spatial and temporal scales. For this special issue, we are interested in contributions that link changing climate, ecology, society, and human activity in the past, examining any key process, pattern, and effects from a wide range of perspectives (i.e., geographical, ecological, archaeological, etc.).

Suggested topics include but are not limited to:

  • Interaction of environment and human activity
  • Human subsistence practice
  • Paleoecology
  • Effects of climate, agriculture, pasture, and exploitation of natural resource on ecosystem
  • Effects of human activity and environment interaction on ecosystem

Dr. Minmin Ma
Prof. Dr. Xianyong Cao
Prof. Dr. Guanghui Dong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • human activity
  • human-environment interaction
  • ecosystem
  • Holocene
  • subsistence strategy

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 9846 KiB  
Article
Multicropping Pattern Reveals Human Adaptation at the Wanbei Site (ca. 5.7–4.4 ka cal. BP) in the Middle and Lower Huai River Valley, China
by Weixin Tian, Wuhong Luo, Yuzhang Yang, Huiyuan Gan, Zhijie Cheng, Yajie Sun, Dailing Zhang, Liugen Lin and Juzhong Zhang
Land 2023, 12(6), 1158; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061158 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1518
Abstract
The middle and lower Huai River Valley, located between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, was a key transitional zone for the northward spread of rice and southward migration of millet agriculture in central-eastern China during the Holocene. Knowing when millets spread here, how [...] Read more.
The middle and lower Huai River Valley, located between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, was a key transitional zone for the northward spread of rice and southward migration of millet agriculture in central-eastern China during the Holocene. Knowing when millets spread here, how they were combined with rice in mixed farming, the reasons for their spread, and the temporal variation of cropping patterns is of crucial significance to the development of our understanding of ancient adaptation strategies adopted by human societies in response to climatic and cultural changes. Focusing on crops, phytolith analyses of the soil samples, in tandem with radiocarbon dating from the Wanbei site, reveal evidence of a multicropping pattern of combining rice (Oryza sative), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) during the Dawenkou culture period between 5720 and 4426 cal. BP in the middle and lower Huai River Valley, China. The data show that rice was always the principal crop of the pattern, and that domesticated rice was developed during the early and middle Dawenkou culture periods. However, its domestication rate became lower during the late Dawenkou culture period. Broomcorn millet and foxtail millet with domesticated traits appeared only in lower proportions of the total produced throughout the period. The proportions of rice and foxtail millet increased slightly, while the proportions of broomcorn millet decreased over time. Finally, the formation of the multicropping pattern at Wanbei may have been primarily influenced by both the warm and wet climatic environment and the cultural exchange and communication between the Haidai region and the middle and lower Huai River Valley during the Dawenkou culture period. The findings in this paper may not only contribute to mapping the spatiotemporal route for the northward expansion of rice agriculture and southward spread of millet agriculture, but also assist in understanding the human adaptation strategies employed in eastern China during the Holocene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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11 pages, 2358 KiB  
Article
Agricultural Economic Transformations and Their Impacting Factors around 4000 BP in the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China
by Haiming Li, Nathaniel James, Junwei Chen, Shanjia Zhang, Linyao Du, Yishi Yang, Guoke Chen, Minmin Ma and Xin Jia
Land 2023, 12(2), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020425 - 6 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2228
Abstract
By 4000 BP, trans-Eurasian agricultural exchanges increased across the Hexi Corridor. However, the nature and timing of many early prehistoric agricultural exchanges remain unclear. We present systematically collected archaeobotanical data from the ancient Haizang site (3899–3601 cal a BP) within the Hexi Corridor. [...] Read more.
By 4000 BP, trans-Eurasian agricultural exchanges increased across the Hexi Corridor. However, the nature and timing of many early prehistoric agricultural exchanges remain unclear. We present systematically collected archaeobotanical data from the ancient Haizang site (3899–3601 cal a BP) within the Hexi Corridor. Adding to previous archaeobotanical studies of the Hexi Corridor, we find that agricultural production transformed from purely millet-based agriculture during the Machang Period (4300–4000) to predominantly millet-based agriculture increasingly supplemented with wheat and barley during the Xichengyi and Qijia periods (4000–3600 BP). These transformations are likely due to adaption to a cooler and drier climate through cultural exchange. A warm and humid climate during 4300–4000 BP likely promoted millet agriculture, Machang cultural expansion westward, and occupation across the Hexi corridor. However, after the “4.2 ka BP cold event” people adopted wheat and barley from the West to make up for declining millet agricultural productivity. This adoption began first with the Xichengyi culture, and soon spread further eastward within the Hexi Corridor to the Qijia culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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18 pages, 6099 KiB  
Article
Asynchronous Transformation of Cropping Patterns from 5800–2200 cal BP on the Southern Loess Plateau, China
by Liu Yang, Yishi Yang, Shanjia Zhang, Haiming Li, Huihui Cao, Yifu Cui, Fengwen Liu and Minmin Ma
Land 2023, 12(2), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020343 - 27 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1996
Abstract
Archaeobotanical studies have largely illuminated spatiotemporal differences in agricultural development across the Loess Plateau. However, the particularities of local agricultural development have not been adequately studied for complex geographical, environmental, and prehistoric contexts. Here, new archaeobotanical data and radiocarbon dating results from 27 [...] Read more.
Archaeobotanical studies have largely illuminated spatiotemporal differences in agricultural development across the Loess Plateau. However, the particularities of local agricultural development have not been adequately studied for complex geographical, environmental, and prehistoric contexts. Here, new archaeobotanical data and radiocarbon dating results from 27 Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in Baoji are reported. Combining these data with published archaeobotanical datasets, this study explores shifts (and underlying driving factors) in cropping patterns from the late Neolithic to Bronze Age on the southern Loess Plateau (SLP). Regional geographic, environmental, and climatic factors produced mixed millet-rice agricultural systems in the Guanzhong Plain (GZP) and western Henan Province (WHN) and foxtail and broomcorn millet dry-farming systems in the Upper Weihe River (UWR) from 5800–4500 cal BP. Wheat and barley were added to the agricultural systems of the UWR as auxiliary crops after ~4000 cal BP, while cropping patterns remained largely unchanged in GZP and WHN from 4500–3500 cal BP. Cultural exchanges and technological innovations may have influenced the formation of different agricultural patterns across the three regions (i.e., GZP, WHN, and UWR) from 4500–3500 cal BP. From 3500–2200 cal BP, wheat and barley became increasingly important crops on the SLP, although their importance varied spatially, and rice was rarely cultivated. Spatiotemporal variation in cropping patterns was driven by altered survival pressures associated with climate deterioration and population growth from 3500–2200 cal BP. This process was reinforced by internal social developments, as well as interactions with close northern neighbors, in the Shang-Zhou period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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14 pages, 2540 KiB  
Article
The Neolithic Culture and Paleogeographic Environment Evolution in the Eastern Jianghuai Area
by Jiayi Xiao, Zhiyuan Shang, Jiahao Xu, Xin Jia and Shengjun Xiao
Land 2023, 12(1), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010156 - 3 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1863
Abstract
According to previous studies, the Lixiahe area in the east of the Jianghuai River was an alternate environment of land and sea in the middle Holocene, and it was not until the late Holocene that the eastern Jianghuai completely became a terrestrial environment. [...] Read more.
According to previous studies, the Lixiahe area in the east of the Jianghuai River was an alternate environment of land and sea in the middle Holocene, and it was not until the late Holocene that the eastern Jianghuai completely became a terrestrial environment. However, recent archaeological studies have found that the extensive Neolithic sites in the Lixiahe area have recorded the rich human activities and cultural connotations of the prehistoric civilization in the Middle Holocene. In this paper, the Gangxi section of Jianhu Lake, Jiangsu Province (GX2) was selected and pollen analysis was fulfilled, then the geomorphic evolution process of the study area from sea to land was investigated according to the palynological assemblages and algae fossils of brackish water, semi-saline water, fresh water and terrestrial in the section strata. During the period of 8500–3800 cal. BP, GX2 was affected by multiple factors such as sea surface fluctuation, ocean flow and sediment deposition carried by seagoing rivers. Since 5800 cal. BP, the area east of the Grand Canal between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, and the west of the Yangzhai town, Funing–Longgang town, Yancheng–Dagang town and Yancheng–west of the Dongtai–Hai’an line, have become a terrestrial environment. After the eastern Jianghuai became a land, the Liangzhu culture (5300–4300 cal. BP) in the Taihu Lake basin in the south wing of the Yangtze River delta expanded to the eastern Jianghuai area, and the Longshan culture and Yueshi culture in the Haidai area in the north also migrated south to the eastern Jianghuai area. Admittedly, the main reason in the process of Neolithic cultural development is the internal motivation that the ancient ancestors struggled with nature and pushed forward the continuous development of civilizations. However, our study explains the palaeogeographical origin of Neolithic culture in the eastern and coastal areas of Jianghuai in the middle Holocene, and meanwhile, provides an example for the man–land relationship research on Neolithic culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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18 pages, 4165 KiB  
Article
Land-Use Changes on Ob River Floodplain (Western Siberia, Russia) in Context of Natural and Social Changes over Past 200 Years
by Vladimir Ivanov, Ivan Milyaev, Alexander Konstantinov and Sergey Loiko
Land 2022, 11(12), 2258; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122258 - 10 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1842
Abstract
Over the past century, substantial changes in land use have taken place in the boreal zone of northern Eurasia. The consequences of these large-scale changes for the ecosystems of Europe have been well studied; however, they have not been addressed for the large [...] Read more.
Over the past century, substantial changes in land use have taken place in the boreal zone of northern Eurasia. The consequences of these large-scale changes for the ecosystems of Europe have been well studied; however, they have not been addressed for the large expanses of Russia. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the landscape dynamics of the middle reaches of the Ob floodplain (Western Siberia) using multitemporal maps of the vegetation cover and land use for five time points (1830, 1910, 1950, 1976, and 2019). By the 1830s, all the land that was suitable for haymaking and plowing (rarely flooded and not swamped) had been put to agricultural use. The meadows of the Ob floodplain are human-controlled and were mainly formed before the 1830s. From the 1830s to the 1990s, the meadows were used in agriculture and their areas increased. The maximum development of the floodplain occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, when previous wetlands were put into operation through the construction of drainage systems. A massive abandonment of pastures and reclaimed land occurred in the late 20th century. According to the data over the last 30 years, abandoned meadows are resistant to overgrowth with trees and shrubs. The spatial configurations of the floodplain landscapes have also been quite stable. The main spatial changes are confined to the near-channel floodplain, with the formation of new near-channel shallows. The floodplain landscapes of the Ob River demonstrate substantial spatial and temporal stabilities, and long-standing agricultural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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17 pages, 4819 KiB  
Article
The Ecological and Social Effects of Cropland Expansion in the HehuangValley during theMing and Qing Dynasties
by Zhirui Hou, Zhuoma Lancuo and Guangliang Hou
Land 2022, 11(12), 2143; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122143 - 28 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1383
Abstract
In this paper, we strive to showthat the protection of the ecological environment of the Yellow River can impact regional sustainable development and human society. Based on GIS and historical documents, we selected 1640AD in the late Ming Dynasty and 1726, 1746, and [...] Read more.
In this paper, we strive to showthat the protection of the ecological environment of the Yellow River can impact regional sustainable development and human society. Based on GIS and historical documents, we selected 1640AD in the late Ming Dynasty and 1726, 1746, and 1856AD in the early and middle Qing Dynasty as time sections to reconstruct the distributions of cropland and vegetation in the Hehuang valley. Our results showed that the cropland in the Ming Dynasty was mainly distributed in the valley of Sainei;during the early and mid-Qing Dynasty, the cropland reclamation broke the boundary of the Great Wall. Furthermore, replacing vegetation with cropland resulted in the rapid decline of water conservation capacity in the medium and high mountain areas. The decline of water conservation capacity significantly contributed to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters, such as drought, flood, water erosion, and sand pressure, which led to decreased cropland output. By the mid-Qing Dynasty, the cropland area had saturated while the population was still growing, and the grain yield could not meet the demands of the expanding population. Due to both natural and social factors, two social upheavals occurred in the late Qing Dynasty, which significantly affected the development of the regional social economy. Therefore, the destruction of the ecological environment and the reduction of water conservation capacity became an important driving force for the destruction of sustainable regional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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19 pages, 11771 KiB  
Article
Climate and Sea Level Controls on the Spatial Heterogeneity of Mid-Holocene Vegetation in the North China Plain
by Mingxia Xie, Qinmian Xu, Yuecong Li, Tianyu Du, Baoshuo Fan, Wensheng Zhang and Bing Li
Land 2022, 11(11), 2051; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112051 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1803
Abstract
Understanding the response of regional vegetation succession to climate changes and human activities in the Middle Holocene can help predict the trajectory of future vegetation changes. The North China Plain, modulated by the East Asian monsoon, is sensitive to global climate changes. However, [...] Read more.
Understanding the response of regional vegetation succession to climate changes and human activities in the Middle Holocene can help predict the trajectory of future vegetation changes. The North China Plain, modulated by the East Asian monsoon, is sensitive to global climate changes. However, its vegetation type and distribution during the Middle Holocene are still unclear. Based on the comprehensive analysis of 155 samples for pollen and grain sizes as well as other environmental proxies from the LD03 drill core, vegetation was reconstructed quantitatively using the REVEALS model during the period of 8.4–5.5 cal ka BP. (1) Compared to the pollen percentage, the coverage of Pinus (13.5%) decreased most significantly, while the coverage of Quercus increased significantly (51.3%). The proportion of Ephedra (11.9%) increased. A large area of temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests mainly with deciduous Quercus developed in the eastern coastal plain of Hebei from 8.0 ka BP to 5.5 ka BP. (2) During 7.4–7.1 ka BP, the proportion of broadleaved trees decreased significantly, while herbaceous plants such as Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae increased. Vegetation components such as Quercus and Pinus and Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae were sensitive to marine transgression. (3) The vegetation distribution during the Middle Holocene in the eastern and western regions of Hebei was mainly as follows: There was a large area of Pinus in the Taihang Mountains in western Hebei, whereas grasslands mainly composed of Asteraceae and Poaceae (reeds) developed in the floodplain of central Hebei. Coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests or temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests developed in the eastern coastal plain of Hebei. The possible mechanisms of vegetation heterogeneity are sea level rise and the enhanced monsoon precipitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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19 pages, 7613 KiB  
Article
On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives
by Huihui Cao, Yongqiang Wang, Menghan Qiu, Zhilin Shi and Guanghui Dong
Land 2022, 11(9), 1416; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091416 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2086
Abstract
Natural and social environment changes have played important roles in social evolution in different times and spaces. Geopolitical change, in particular, might play a decisive role in social evolution during historical periods. The eastern Tienshan Mountains was a transportation hub for communication between [...] Read more.
Natural and social environment changes have played important roles in social evolution in different times and spaces. Geopolitical change, in particular, might play a decisive role in social evolution during historical periods. The eastern Tienshan Mountains was a transportation hub for communication between the East and the West, where the natural environment is fragile and the social environment has been complex during the historical period. However, geopolitical change and its impact on local social development remain unclear due to fragmented historical records and limited studies. This study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of military facilities in the Hami region, and compares historical documents and archaeological and paleoclimate records to discuss geopolitical changes and social evolution during the historical period in the eastern Tienshan Mountains. A total of 84 visible organic remains from 38 historic beacon towers and 8 dak sites in the Hami region of the eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China, were collected and the radiocarbon (14C) dates of these ruins were systematically determined with accelerator mass spectrometry. The dating results show that these sites were mainly built during two major periods: ca. 600–900 cal AD and ca. 1600–1950 cal AD, which roughly correspond to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912 AD) in ancient China. Human settlement intensity was high during the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties, and relatively low when the area was controlled by nomadic or local regimes. This suggests that agricultural empires and nomadic/local regimes adopted different strategies for regional management. Climate change might have affected geopolitical patterns, which, in turn, profoundly influenced human activities and social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains over the last two millennia. This study systematically reveals the spatiotemporal variations of beacon towers and dak ruins in the region through a large number of reliable direct 14C dating, it reveals the remarkable differences in human activities in the eastern Tienshan Mountains under different administrations, and it explores the influence of geopolitics and climate change on social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains from a multidisciplinary perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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27 pages, 3210 KiB  
Article
Subsistence, Environment, and Society in the Taihu Lake Area during the Neolithic Era from a Dietary Perspective
by Yingying Wu, Can Wang, Zhaoyang Zhang and Yong Ge
Land 2022, 11(8), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081229 - 3 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3506
Abstract
The Taihu Lake region is an important area where China’s rice agriculture originated and where early Chinese civilisation formed. Knowing how this ecologically sensitive area’s Neolithic residents adapted to environmental changes and utilised natural resources is key to understanding the origins of their [...] Read more.
The Taihu Lake region is an important area where China’s rice agriculture originated and where early Chinese civilisation formed. Knowing how this ecologically sensitive area’s Neolithic residents adapted to environmental changes and utilised natural resources is key to understanding the origins of their agricultural practices and civilisation. Focusing on food resources, we systematically organised data from archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological research, human bone stable isotopic analyses, and fatty acid and proteome residue analyses on the Taihu Lake area’s Neolithic findings to explore the interrelationships between subsistence, the environment, and society through qualitative and quantitative analysis supported by paleoenvironmental and archaeological evidence. The results showed that during the Neolithic era (7.0–4.3 ka BP), under a suitable climate with stable freshwater wetland environments, 38 varieties of edible animals and plants were available to humans in the Taihu Lake area. Despite agriculture being an important food source, rice cultivation and husbandry developed at different paces. Paddy rice cultivation began in wetlands and had always dominated the subsistence economy, as although gathering was universal and diverse, it produced a relatively low volume of food. In contrast, husbandry did not provide sufficient meat throughout the 2000 years of the Majiabang and Songze Cultures. Thus, fishing for freshwater organisms and hunting for wild mammals were the main meat sources before the domestication of pigs became the primary source of meat during the Liangzhu Cultural period. With the available wetland ecological resources and paddy rice farming (the sole crop), the Taihu Lake area transformed into an agricultural society in which rice cultivation dominated the Songze Culture’s subsistence economy, which was also the first to exhibit social complexity. Then, finally, early civilisation developed in the Liangzhu Cultural period. This study contributes to understanding the unique evolutionary path of early Chinese civilisation and has important implications on sustainable resource utilisation for constructing ecological civilisations in present-day societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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13 pages, 3115 KiB  
Article
Discovery of the Earliest Rice Paddy in the Mixed Rice–Millet Farming Area of China
by Xiujia Huan, Xingtao Wei, Jianping Zhang, Jindou Li, Xiaohu Zhang, Konglan Shao, Yong Ge, Xiaoyan Yang and Houyuan Lu
Land 2022, 11(6), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11060831 - 2 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2715
Abstract
Neolithic rice remains were recovered from a mixed rice–millet farming area in China outside the original centers of rice farming. Whether the rice remains were the result of local cultivation or obtained through trade remains unclear. Rice paddy fields are direct evidence of [...] Read more.
Neolithic rice remains were recovered from a mixed rice–millet farming area in China outside the original centers of rice farming. Whether the rice remains were the result of local cultivation or obtained through trade remains unclear. Rice paddy fields are direct evidence of local cultivation. In this study, phytolith samples from the Zhangwangzhuang site were analyzed. The discriminant function distinguished 17 of 30 samples in the suspected paddy field area as rice paddy fields with an average probability of 74%; The proportion of rice bulliform phytoliths with ≥9 scales indicated that rice (Oryza sativa) was still being domesticated and, moreover, six η-type phytoliths from broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) were identified. These results suggested that the suspected paddy field at Zhangwangzhuang might be the earliest rice paddy field (ca. 6000 cal. BP) in northern China and that mixed farming was practiced here since the early Yangshao period. This study adopted discriminant analysis methods to discover ancient rice paddy fields, observed rice paddy fields outside the core rice origin area, and provided the earliest evidence regarding the development of mixed rice–millet farming in the upper Huai River region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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21 pages, 6254 KiB  
Article
Hydrological Regime, Provenance, and Impacts on Cultural Development at Changsha Kiln Archaeological Site since 1300 a, Lower Xiangjiang River, China
by Aipeng Guo, Longjiang Mao, Siwei Shan, Xingguo Zhang and Duowen Mo
Land 2022, 11(6), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11060789 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2220
Abstract
Changsha kilns were exported to more than 20 countries and regions and were an essential part of the culture in the central Yangtze River during the late Holocene. Reconstructing the hydrological landform and sedimentary history of its surrounding areas (Shizhu) is significant for [...] Read more.
Changsha kilns were exported to more than 20 countries and regions and were an essential part of the culture in the central Yangtze River during the late Holocene. Reconstructing the hydrological landform and sedimentary history of its surrounding areas (Shizhu) is significant for further constraining any links between regional paleoenvironmental change and the human−land relationship in the lager river valley. To examine paleo−hydrological and provenance evolution, the rare earth element (REE) and trace element ratio from the Shizhuping (SZP) section were analyzed. The SZP section records the paleo−hydrological evolution over 1300 years: river network cutting plain landscape—Shizhu Lake—river floodplain—Shizhu Lake reformation—Shizhu flat. This section was labeled as stages IV to I, respectively. The deposition of stages IV was wind and dust accumulation during the Last Glacial. The provenance of stages III (1288–1094 a.BP) was wasted from the ceramic production process. The layer of stage II (1094–380 a.BP) was in two parts. In stage II−2 (1094–890 a.BP), provenance was dominated by granite. Sedimentary rocks became the source of stage II−1 (890–380 a.BP). In stages I (380 a.BP–), the primary material sources were anthropogenic bedding and weathering erosion deposits around the slope. During the Medieval Warm Period, the climate was warm and humid, and the rising water level of the Xiangjiang River led to the emergence of lakes in the Shizhu area. The migration of northern China into Changsha kiln brought new technology and labor. In the late Five Dynasties, the climate turned dry, and the falling water level of the Xiangjiang River caused Changsha kiln to lose its commercial wharf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Human-Environment Interaction on Land Ecosystem since Holocene)
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