Historical Ecology

Chapter 1 A General Introduction to Historical Ecology 1 Guillaume DECOCQ 1.1 The roots of historical ecology 2 1.2 A multidisciplinary approach of socio-ecosystems 3 1.3 Recent trends in historical ecology 4 1.4 The way forward 6 1.5 References 7 Chapter 2 Historical Resurveys Reveal Causes of Long-term Ecological Change 11 Donald M WALLER 2.1 Serious ecological changes are pervasive 11 2.2 Anthropogenic drivers of ecological change 12 2.2.1 The missing baseline problem 12 2.2.2 Ecological communities are complex 13 2.3 Kinds of ecological change 14 2.3.1 Natural community dynamics 14 2.3.2 Anthropogenic drivers of ecological change 14 2.4 Understanding the forces driving ecological change 18 2.4.1 Natural experiments 18 2.4.2 Metrics of change 19 2.4.3 Can functional traits reveal drivers of change? 19 2.4.4 Vectors of change – ordination 20 2.5 Conclusion 22 2.6 References 22 Chapter 3 Getting the Right Answer Can Take a While: Long-term Ecological Field Studies as Historical Ecology 27 Frank S GILLIAM 3.1 Introduction 27 3.2 Fernow Experimental Forest 29 3.2.1 Background 29 3.2.2 Site description 30 3.2.3 Field design 30 3.3 Long-term studies at Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia 32 3.3.1 Effects of acidification on soil fertility and herb layer cover and foliar nutrients 32 3.3.2 Effects of N addition on soil N dynamics 34 3.3.3 Effects of N addition on herb layer composition and diversity 35 3.3.4 The N homogeneity hypothesis 37 3.3.5 A look at the future: declines in the atmospheric deposition of N 40 3.4 Conclusion 40 3.5 References 41 Chapter 4 Gaps and Cracks in Land Cover Mapping for Historical Ecology 45 Francesca Di PIETRO, Roger COLY, Clémence CHAUDRON, Samuel LETURCQ 4.1 Introduction 45 4.2 Three main steps of past land cover mapping 46 4.3 Land cover in the 19th century: the old cadasters 47 4.4 Land cover in the 20th century: aerial photographs 50 4.5 Present land cover: modern databases 52 4.6 From different sources to one land cover typology 53 4.7 Conclusion 55 4.8 References 55 Chapter 5 The Use of Repeat Photography in African Historical Ecology 57 Michael Timm HOFFMAN and Rick F ROHDE 5.1 Repeat photography as an emerging tool in African historical ecology 57 5.2 Repeat photography and landscape change in Africa 58 5.2.1 Early contributions 58 5.2.2 Ethiopia 58 5.2.3 Southern Africa 59 5.3 Long-term change in plant populations as revealed by repeat photography 62 5.4 Strengths and limitations 64 5.5 Future directions 65 5.6 References 66 Chapter 6 Remote Sensing for Historical Ecology 71 Pierre-Alexis HERRAULT and David SHEEREN 6.1 Introduction 71 6.2 Landscape spatio-temporal changes as a proxy of biodiversity 72 6.3 Mapping landscapes at different dates 73 6.3.1 Airborne laser scanning data 73 6.3.2 Historical maps 74 6.3.3 Old aerial photographs 75 6.3.4 Satellite images 76 6.4 Modeling the effects of spatio-temporal changes on present-day biodiversity 77 6.4.1 Structural spatio-temporal metrics 77 6.4.2 Functional spatio-temporal metrics 79 6.5 References 81 Chapter 7 Soil Archives: Where Soilscape History Meets Present-day Ecosystems 85 Boris BRASSEUR, Damien ERTLEN and Vincent ROBIN 7.1 Introduction 85 7.2 Mechanisms of soil archiving and the associated dynamics 86 7.2.1 Pedoturbations of biological and physical origins 86 7.2.2 Eluviation–Illuviation 86 7.2.3 Anthropogenic factors 88 7.2.4 Effects of geomorphological processes on soil archives 88 7.3 Examples of soil archives and their influence on current ecosystems 90 7.3.1 Chemical archives, witnesses of progressive soil transformations 90 7.3.2 Physical archives: reading the soil pit profile and microtopographic features 92 7.3.3 Soil organic matter 93 7.3.4 Botanical remains 94 7.4 Conclusion 95 7.5 References 95 Chapter 8 Continuous and Nested Time in Historical Ecology: Application to Soil Studies 99 Damien ERTLEN 8.1 Interdisciplinarity and time in historical ecology 99 8.2 Continuous time 100 8.3 Nested time 102 8.4 Different disciplines, different tools 103 8.5 Examples of nested and continuous time: soils and strata 105 8.6 Conclusion 107 8.7 References 108 Chapter 9 The Analysis of Relic Charcoal Kilns for the Assessment of Forest Trajectories 111 Vincent ROBIN, Alexa DUFRAISSE and Claudia OLIVEIRA 9.1 Introduction 111 9.2 Looking at the platform of the kiln 112 9.2.1 Looking at the dimensions of the kiln platforms 112 9.2.2 Platform inventory 113 9.3 Looking at the charcoal pieces 115 9.3.1 Sampling 115 9.3.2 Taxonomic identification 115 9.3.3 Dendro-anthracology 117 9.4 Looking at the ages 117 9.5 Conclusion 119 9.6 References 119 Chapter 10 Ancient Trees and Botanical Indicators as Evidence for Change and Continuity in Landscape Evolution 123 Ian D ROTHERHAM 10.1 Introduction 123 10.2 What is ancient woodland? Questions of woods versus old-growth forest, and of continuity versus antiquity 124 10.3 The value of ancient woods 124 10.4 Methodology 125 10.4.1 Evidencing ancient woodlands and the use of indicators 125 10.4.2 Tree form and growth as evidence of antiquity and continuity 128 10.4.3 The importance of ancient and veteran trees in woodland 129 10.4.4 Soils and sediments 130 10.5 An emerging woodland paradigm 131 10.6 A simple new conceptual framework 131 10.7 Conclusion 133 10.8 References 133 Chapter 11 Towards a Methodological Framework for Investigating the Hidden History of Woodland Covers 135 Damien MARAGE, Catherine FRUCHART, Isabelle JOUFFROY-BAPICOT, Olivier GIRARDCLOS, Vincent BALLAND 11.1 Why talk about hidden history when studying forest vegetation? 135 11.2 From recent forests: a synecological point of view 136 11.3 From the walls: ancient documents and maps 136 11.4 From the wood: dendrochronology 139 11.5 From the ground: palynology 140 11.6 From the air: LiDAR 142 11.7 Discussion 143 11.8 References 146 Chapter 12 The Gate to the Forest is in its History 151 Keith J KIRBY 12.1 Introduction 151 12.2 The ancient woodland idea 152 12.3 Legacies of woodland management 153 12.4 Seeing the trees, not the woods 154 12.5 Exploring the distant past 155 12.6 Trees and woods from the past to the future 157 12.7 References 158 Chapter 13 Plant Assemblages and Ecosystem Functioning, a Legacy of Long-term Interactions with Large Herbivores 163 Christophe BALTZINGER and Anders MÅRELL 13.1 Introduction 163 13.2 Large herbivores are ecosystem dominant interactors 164 13.2.1 Large herbivores as ecosystem engineers 164 13.2.2 Large herbivores and plant assemblages 166 13.3 Long-term effects and methodological changes 167 13.3.1 Paleoecological records 167 13.3.2 Modern data 167 13.4 Plant–herbivore interactions over the long-term 168 13.4.1 Quaternary communities of large herbivores and associated flora 168 13.4.2 The forest in the early Holocene 169 13.5 Modern vegetation trajectories driven by large herbivores 170 13.5.1 Herbivory effects 170 13.5.2 Temporal trajectories 170 13.6 Perspectives, rewilding and ecosystem restoration 172 13.7 References 173 Chapter 14 A Historical Ecology of the Compiègne Forest (N France) 177 Jérôme BURIDANT, Boris BRASSEUR, Hélène HOREN, Emilie GALLET-MORON and Guillaume DECOCQ 14.1 Introduction 177 14.2 The ancient forest: an intensively managed agricultural landscape? 178 14.3 The Medieval forest: a woodland (re)birth or a savanna-like ecosystem? 184 14.4 The contemporary forest (19th century onward): a closed-canopy multifunctional woodland 188 14.5 Conclusion 190 14.6 References 191 Chapter 15 The Chestnut Orchards in the Bolognese Apennines: A Vanishing Socio-ecological Habitat 195 Giovanna PEZZI, Fabrizio FERRETTI, Alberto MALTONI, Patrik KREBS, Marco CONEDERA and Giorgio MARESI 15.1 Introduction 195 15.2 The traditional chestnut orchards 197 15.3 The chestnut groves of the Bolognese Apennines 198 15.4 A changing world: abandonment, diseases and other problems 199 15.5 The turning point of the 1980s 199 15.6 Current constraints and future perspectives 200 15.7 References 203 Chapter 16 Claudius’ Coin in the Forest – Niche Construction and Strategies by Early Colonizers of Boreal Inlands in Central Scandinavia 207 Ove ERIKSSON and Karl-Johan LINDHOLM 16.1 Introduction 207 16.2 Concepts and theoretical framework 210 16.3 A historical overview of the colonization 211 16.4 A structured landscape 212 16.4.1 Constructing the environment 212 16.4.2 Managing livestock 213 16.4.3 Shielings (secondary farms) 214 16.5 Concluding remarks 216 16.6 References 217 Chapter 17 Recent History of Vegetation Changes in the Arctic 221 Antoine BECKER-SCARPITTA, Bastien PARISY and Tomas ROSLIN 17.1 Introduction 221 17.2 The Arctic tundra biome 222 17.3 The Arctic historical ecological archive 222 17.3.1 Remote sensing over time 223 17.3.2 Field-based records 223 17.4 Changes over time in tundra vegetation 225 17.4.1 Changes in vegetation productivity 225 17.4.2 Changes in vegetation phenology 226 17.4.3 Changes in plant community structure, composition and diversity 227 17.5 Synthesis and perspectives 229 17.6 References 230 Chapter 18 Reconstructing the Impact of Humans on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Biodiversity 233 Nicolas J RAWLENCE, Alexander J.F VERRY, Karen GREIG, Justin J MAXWELL, Lara D SHEPHERD and Richard WALTER   18.1 Introduction 233 18.2 Archaeological evidence for anthropogenic impact in New Zealand 234 18.3 Paleovegetation change in pre- and post-European contact New Zealand 237 18.4 Utilizing Aotearoa’s natural resources: Māori cultivation and translocation of flora and fauna 239 18.5 Evolutionary consequences of Polynesian and European arrival 240 18.6 Conclusion 243 18.7 References 243 Chapter 19 Historical Ecology of the Coastal Aeolian Sedimentary Systems of the Canary Islands 247 Aarón Moisés SANTANA-CORDERO, Antonio Ignacio HERNÁNDEZ-CORDERO, Néstor MARRERO-RODRÍGUEZ, Leví GARCÍA-ROMERO, Elisabet FERNÁNDEZ-CABRERA, Carolina PEÑA-ALONSO, Emma PÉREZ-CHACÓN ESPINO and Luis HERNÁNDEZ-CALVENTO 19.1 Introduction 247 19.2 Study sites 248 19.3 Historical evolution of the coastal aeolian sedimentary systems of the Canary Islands 251 19.3.1 19th century: territorial consolidation and spread of the agrarian socioeconomic system 252 19.3.2 20th century to the present day: the tourism transformation 253 19.4 Conclusion 255 19.5 References 256 Chapter 20 Historical Forest Microclimates 259 Emiel DE LOMBAERDE, Karen DE PAUW, Pallieter DE SMEDT, Jonathan LENOIR, Camille MEEUSSEN, Thomas VANNESTE, Kris VERHEYEN, Florian ZELLWEGER and Pieter DE FRENNE 20.1 Drivers of microclimate at the plot, forest and landscape scale 261 20.2 Methods to infer microclimate from the past and predict into the future 265 20.3 Why do historical microclimates matter? Impacts on biodiversity from the plot to landscape scale 268 20.4 Conclusion 270 20.5 References 270 Chapter 21 Causes and Consequences of Extinction Debts: Perspectives for Historical Ecology and Biological Conservation 273 Grégoire BLANCHARD and François MUNOZ 21.1 Introduction 273 21.2 Causes and processes entailing extinction debts 274 21.3 Studying and detecting extinction debts from ecosystem history 276 21.4 Implications for biodiversity conservation and management 280 21.5 Conclusion 281 21.6 References 282 Chapter 22 Historical Ecology for the Past and the Future: Organizing at Local and Regional Scales 285 Carole L CRUMLEY 22.1 Introduction 285 22.2 Founding IHOPE 286 22.3 Integrating the social sciences and humanities 287 22.4 Historical ecology 288 22.5 Conclusion 290 22.6 References 291 List of Authors 295 Index 301