The 5.1 ka aridization event, expansion of piñon-juniper woodlands, and the introduction of maize ( Zea mays ) in the American Southwest
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19687213 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brandon Lee Drake (0000-0002-7230-1377, University of New Mexico, corresponding author), WH Wills (University of New Mexico), Erik Erhardt (0000-0002-9817-4011, University of New Mexico), Erik B Erhardt (University of New Mexico) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1353-1360 |
| Publication date | 2012-07-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Holocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-6836 • E-ISSN: 1477-0911 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0959683612449758 |
| OpenAlex | W1995554169 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 50 |
Pollen analysis is frequently used to build climate and environmental histories. A distinct Holocene pollen series exists for Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. This study reports linear modeling and hypothesis testing of long distance dispersal pollen from radiocarbon-dated packrat middens which reveal strong relationships between piñon pine ( Pinus edulis) and ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa). Ponderosa pollen dominates midden pollen assemblages during the early Holocene, while a rapid shift to a much higher proportion of piñon to ponderosa pine pollen between c. 5440 and 5102 cal. yr BP points to an aridization episode. This shift is associated with higher δ 18 O values in Southwest speleothem records relative to the preceding millennium. The period of aridization is followed by a sharp increase in El Niño/Southern Oscillation events that would have caused highly variable precipitation and lasted until c. 4200 cal. yr BP. Bayesian change-point analysis suggests that this aridization episode led to stable ecotonal boundaries for at least 3000 years. The piñon/ponderosa transition may have been caused by punctuated multiyear droughts, analogous to those in the 20th century. The earliest documented instance of Zea mays cultivation on the Colorado Plateau is around c. 3940 14 C yr BP ( c. 4364 cal. yr BP) (Hall SA (2010) Early maize pollen from Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA. Palynology 34(1): 125–137) in Chaco Canyon. The introduction of this labor-intensive cultigen from Mesoamerica may have been facilitated by changes in the regional ecosystems, specifically by an increase in piñon trees, that promoted increasing human territoriality. Linear modeling and hypothesis testing can complement traditional palynological techniques by adding greater resolution in vegetation patterning to climate/environmental histories
Archaeology · Biology · Geography · Holocene · Macrofossil · Midden · Palynology · Physical geography · Pollen · Radiocarbon dating · Woodland · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology
Early prehistoric agriculture in the American Southwest
Late Pleistocene Piñon Pines in the Chihuahuan Desert
Early Holocene pinyon ( Pinus monophylla ) in the northeastern Great Basin
Biogeographic Implications of a Packrat Midden Sequence from the Sacramento Mountains, South-Central New Mexico
Variability of El Niño/Southern Oscillation activity at millennial timescales during the Holocene epoch
Sea–land oxygen isotopic relationships from planktonic foraminifera and speleothems in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their implication for paleorainfall during interglacial intervals
The diffusion of maize to the southwestern United States and its impact
Late Quaternary Paleoclimate in the Eastern Mediterranean Region from Stable Isotope Analysis of Speleothems at Soreq Cave, Israel
Pollen Source Area and Pollen Productivity
Evidence of cacao use in the Prehispanic American Southwest
European lakes as palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatic indicators
Pine Nut Use in the Early Holocene and Beyond
Plant Utility Indices
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Radiocarbon Ages on Rodent Middens from the Southwestern United States
Extended 14 C Data Base and Revised Calib 3.0 14 C Age Calibration Program
Early agriculture and sedentism in the American Southwest
IntCal09 and Marine09 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves, 0-50,000 Years cal BP
Domesticated Chenopodium in Prehistoric Eastern North America
Evidence for Population Aggregation and Dispersal during the Basketmaker III Period in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Prehistoric Vegetation and Environment at Chaco Canyon
Predicting Maize Agriculture among the Fremont
Ritual and Mound Formation during the Bonito Phase in Chaco Canyon
The Role of Basketry in Early Holocene Small Seed Exploitation
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,23 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2023 (11) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |