Abstract

Despite decades of archaeological research on Jamaica, little is known about how settlers influenced landscape change on the island over time. Here, we examine the impact of human occupation through a multi-proxy approach using phytolith, charcoal, and stratigraphic analyses. White Marl was a continuously inhabited village settlement (ca. 1050–450 cal yrs BP) with large mounded midden areas, precolonial house structures, and human landscape management practices. We have shown that the local vegetation at White Marl was directly affected by human settlement through the use of agroforestry and burning, and suggest that fire was used to modify vegetation. Manioc phytoliths were found throughout human occupation and are broadly associated with increases in evidence for burning, suggesting fire was used to modify the landscape and clear vegetation for crop cultivation. The phytolith assemblages relate to three distinct temporal vegetation phases: (1) the earliest occupation dominated by arboreal vegetation (pre-ca. 870 cal yrs BP); (2) a transition to palm-dominated vegetation (ca. 870–670 cal yrs BP); and (3) the latest occupation representing European colonization associated with a more open, grass-dominated landscape (after ca. 670 cal yrs BP). These transitions occur independent of changes in paleoclimate records, suggesting humans were the dominant driver of vegetation change.

摘要

尽管对牙买加进行了数十年的考古研究，但人们对定居者如何随着时间的推移影响岛上的景观变化知之甚少。在这里，我们通过使用植硅体、木炭和地层分析的多代理方法来检查人类职业的影响。White Marl 是一个持续有人居住的村庄聚居地（约 1050-450 cal yrs BP），拥有大型丘陵地带、前殖民时期的房屋结构和人文景观管理实践。我们已经证明 White Marl 的当地植被通过使用农林业和燃烧直接受到人类住区的影响，并建议使用火来改变植被。在整个人类职业中都发现了木薯植硅体，并且与燃烧证据的增加广泛相关，建议用火来改变景观和清除植被以种植农作物。植硅体组合与三个不同的时间植被阶段有关：（1）以树栖植被为主的最早职业（约 870 cal yrs BP）；(2) 向以棕榈树为主的植被过渡（约 870-670 cal yrs BP）；(3) 代表欧洲殖民化的最新职业，与更开放、以草为主的景观相关（大约在 670 cal yrs BP 之后）。这些转变与古气候记录的变化无关，这表明人类是植被变化的主要驱动力。870–670 cal yrs BP); (3) 代表欧洲殖民化的最新职业，与更开放、以草为主的景观相关（大约在 670 cal yrs BP 之后）。这些转变与古气候记录的变化无关，这表明人类是植被变化的主要驱动力。870–670 cal yrs BP); (3) 代表欧洲殖民化的最新职业，与更开放、以草为主的景观相关（大约在 670 cal yrs BP 之后）。这些转变与古气候记录的变化无关，这表明人类是植被变化的主要驱动力。