Archaeology and agriculture: plants, people, and past land-use

Ancient plant remains hold information on past subsistence strategies and land use. Recent advances in the field of archaeobotany have broadened range techniques by which ancient can be studied. Archaeobotanical investigations show a diverse farming practices innovative solutions to social natural pressures. Descriptions use could integrated into models human–environment interactions, thus enabling more accurate understanding impacts practices, providing potential lessons for future. As specialised branch archaeology requiring specific laboratory methodologies, contributions often been overlooked ecological research community. Developments fields botany, chemistry, DNA analyses greatly increased contribute topical questions relating Anthropocene landscape transformations. We review role identifying describing arable Analytical are illustrated with examples at both local regional scales, demonstrating how provide unique details wide array land-use strategies. These data their should better recognised as important that underpin seeking evaluate or predict effects socioenvironmental interactions. an approach measures physiological traits individual species relation conditions. In archaeobotany, this is now preferentially used over synecology, communities, biomes, ecosystems. development from emergence maturity triggered above particular temperature threshold (that every plant) after defined number days given temperature. GDDs measure accumulated heat phenological stages. intensity cultivation amount labour expended per unit food production. Intensive regimes characterised small 'garden' plots receive high levels (weeding, manuring, irrigating, etc). Large, extended relatively little (less weeding/disturbance, no manuring) described extensively cultivated usually associated larger settlements where few farmers expected feed large population. historically grown area using traditional methods, having never undergone any formal crop improvement. A landrace locally adapted, unique, genetically diverse. analytical framework through genealogical relationship genes within species, between very closely related established correlated spatial distribution. The biogeographical history lineages therefore traced. microscopic silica structures form cells. Some diagnostic family, genus sometimes plant, such leaves stems. when seeds shed onto ground they seed bank. Plants classified according four bank types [66.Grime J.P. et al.Comparative Plant Ecology. Functional Approach Common British Species. Unwin Hyman, 1988Google Scholar]: (i) transient – germinate shortly being do not survive until next season; (ii) semi-transient overwinter spring; (iii) mostly shed, although some will persist bank; (iv) persistent least 1 year before germinating. shifting slash-and-burn cultivation, parcels cleared vegetation, burning, years soil fertility declines. Cultivation then shifts new land, letting previous regenerate. Shifting has traditionally tropics woodland regeneration fast.