The onset of plant cultivation is one of the most important cultural transitions in human history^1,2,3,4. Southwestern Amazonia has previously been proposed as an early centre of plant domestication, on the basis of molecular markers that show genetic similarities between domesticated plants and wild relatives^4,5,6. However, the nature of the early human occupation of southwestern Amazonia, and the history of plant cultivation in this region, are poorly understood. Here we document the cultivation of squash (Cucurbita sp.) at about 10,250 calibrated years before present (cal. yr bp), manioc (Manihot sp.) at about 10,350 cal. yr bp and maize (Zea mays) at about 6,850 cal. yr bp, in the Llanos de Moxos (Bolivia). We show that, starting at around 10,850 cal. yr bp, inhabitants of this region began to create a landscape that ultimately comprised approximately 4,700 artificial forest islands within a treeless, seasonally flooded savannah. Our results confirm that the Llanos de Moxos is a hotspot for early plant cultivation and demonstrate that—ever since their arrival in Amazonia—humans have markedly altered the landscape, with lasting repercussions for habitat heterogeneity and species conservation.

植物种植的开始是人类历史上最重要的文化转型之一^1,2,3,4。亚马逊西南部以前曾被提议作为植物驯化的早期中心，基于显示驯化植物和野生近缘种之间遗传相似性的分子标记^4,5,6。然而，人们对亚马逊西南部早期人类占领的性质以及该地区植物种植的历史知之甚少。在这里，我们记录了距今约 10,250 校准年 (cal. yr bp ) 的南瓜 ( Cucurbita sp.)和约 10,350 cal. 的木薯 ( Manihot sp.) 的种植。yr bp和玉米 ( Zea mays) 约 6,850 卡。年，在 Llanos de Moxos（玻利维亚）。我们展示了这一点，从大约 10,850 卡路里开始。年初至今，该地区的居民开始创造一个景观，最终由大约 4,700 个人工森林岛屿组成，这些岛屿位于无树、季节性泛滥的大草原上。我们的研究结果证实，Llanos de Moxos 是早期植物种植的热点，并表明——自从人类到达亚马逊地区以来——人类已经显着改变了景观，对栖息地异质性和物种保护产生了持久影响。