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Example of six baseline-corrected Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) absorbance spectra of CR-03 peat samples.
Source publication
We present the results of multiproxy study of a peat deposit from Carlisle Island (the Islands of Four Mountains, Aleutians). Vegetation on the initial stage of the peat is characterized by heath vegetation dominated by Ericales indicating cold conditions at 7300–6100 cal yr BP. The appearance of Betula and Alnus is the result of long-distance tran...
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... detected the main absorption intensities of bulk peat samples in the following wavenumber ranges: 3700-3000/cm, 3002-2827/cm, 1835-1491/cm, 1479-1348/cm, 811-700/cm, 676-660/cm, 660-518/cm, and 515-403/cm (with one peak at 468/cm or three peaks at 468/cm, 421/cm, and 405/cm) (Fig. 6). There are no absorption intensities detected in the wavenumber range from 2827 to 1935/cm. The broad absorption falls within the 1835-1491/cm range, with the maximum fluctuating from 1661 to 1636/cm. The shape of the region at 1479-1348/cm is similar within the core. Some spectra show three peaks here at ~1453/cm, ~1420/cm, and ...
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... peaks of the CR-03 peat core spectra with the similar FT-IR peat studies (Holmgren and Nordén, 1988;Baes and Bloom, 1989;Niemeyer et al., 1992;Broder et al., 2012;Krumins et al., 2012;Biester et al., 2014). The wide absorption range around 3395/cm originates from the OH-stretch of various groups-phenols, aliphatic car- bohydrates, and H 2 O (Fig. ...
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... ethers and esters, and pri- mary and secondary alcohols). However, the main signal of volcanic ash ( Djobo et al., 2016) is also located in this region of IR wavenumbers because of SiO and Al-O vibrations of alumosilicates around 1014/cm. For the CR-03 peatland, volcanic tephra contributed significantly to the FT-IR spec- tral data (Table 5, Fig. 6) in which this volcanic input created partial overlap of an aluminosilicate signal with carbohydrate vibrations. However, we cannot confidently estimate the influence of ash without a special technique to identify ash concentration like that used by Broder et al. (2012). This circumstance complicates the interpretation of the sedi- ...
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... with C and N percentages, they reflect the total decrease of all the organics with depth, but 1053/cm absorption intensity does not correlate with depth in the same way. If we choose only those 17 samples that came from layers that visibly contain no volcanic con- taminants (Table 5), the trend of HI is similar to 1630/cm shown in Figure 6 and indicates the loss of organic matter from the top to the bottom of the core. ...
Citations
... Except for a few islands closest to Alaska and Kamchatka, the Aleutians are lacking top terrestrial mammal predators [21][22][23], which favored colonization of islands by seabirds forming great coastal colonies [22,24]. In turn, the activity of birds (active guano deposition) influenced the chemical composition of soil and water, and the structure of islands' flora [8,[25][26][27][28]. Since the beginning of the Early Holocene, the Aleutian Islands began to be colonized by ancient Aleuts, whose activities influenced the local flora and fauna, but not so crucially as people colonization in Europe [29]. ...
... For example, according to the study of the pollen spectra of the peat bog from another island of the Aleutian Arc, Carlisle Island, some changes in the pollen spectra after 4500 cal. years BP reflected an increase in humidity and the climate cooling [26]. ...
A diatom analysis of a peat deposit from Shemya Island (Aleutian Arc, USA) is performed, and the dynamics of the diatom community are described. According to the radiocarbon dating, the formation of the deposit began 9300 cal. years BP. Principal component analysis made it possible to relate the dynamics of the diatom community to certain environmental conditions and the factors that influenced the coastal ecosystems during its formation. The following factors (predictors) were considered: the influence of age, zoo- and anthropogenic effects, and changes in climatic conditions. Sea level change was the main driver of the diatom community in the studied water body having a continuous direct and indirect influence on the studied small water body, i.e., by bird colony formation and more humid and coastal conditions. Since 3000–2000 cal. years BP, the anthropogenic factor (hunting depression of the bird colony) also became significant. During the whole water body lifetime and following peat formation, the diatom community was influenced by groups of factors: global factors (e.g., sea level rise) caused gradual change of local factors, which resulted in smooth shifts in community. In contrast, local factor influence (bird colony rise and fall due to human activity) caused abrupt and transient shifts. We can hypothesize that the relatively stable global environmental conditions in the Late Holocene were an auspicious background to see abrupt changes due to influence of the zoogenic and anthropogenic factors. We believe that further works on the material from other islands will make it possible to form a general picture of changes in the diatom communities in the Holocene and interpret it in connection with climatic changes in the region.
... Regional flora and vegetation were formed mainly in the Holocene (Garroutte et al., 2018;Hulten, 1968). Among more than 200 Aleutian Islands, the Holocene vegetation dynamics have been reconstructed on Attu (Heusser, 1990), Tanaga (Anderson & Bank, 1952), Adak (Heusser, 1978;Noguchi et al., 2018), Atka (Heusser, 1990), Carlisle (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), Umnak (Heusser, 1973), and Unalaska (Anderson & Bank, 1952). In these studies, climate was considered as the main factor affecting vegetation, but it was difficult to identify the general pattern of plant communities changing. ...
... These inconsistencies, among other things, are also associated with strong volcanic activity in this region. Eruptions and ash falls are the second most important factor determining the landscape and vegetation of the Aleutian Islands in the Holocene (Heusser, 1990;Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Noguchi et al., 2018). As a result of eruptions, plant communities are sometimes completely disrupted, and their formation begins anew . ...
... As a result of eruptions, plant communities are sometimes completely disrupted, and their formation begins anew . Ashes alter the chemical composition of soils, which also affects ecosystems (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019). Nevertheless, it also remains unknown how exactly volcanic activity influenced vegetation over long-term timescales. ...
In the Aleutian Islands during the Holocene, terrestrial predators were actually absent; as a result, large seabird colonies thrived along the coasts or across entire islands. Bird guano enriches the soil with nitrogen, which can lead to the formation of highly modified ornithogenic (bird-formed) ecosystems. For a more detailed investigation of avian influence, we reconstructed more than 10,000-year-old vegetation dynamics of the coast of Shemya Island (Near Islands) by pollen analysis. At the initial stages of vegetation development (10,000–4,600 cal year BP), sedge–heather tundra grew in the studied area. A seabird colony existed on Shemya from 4,600 to 2,400 cal year BP according to stable isotope analysis. During a period of at least 2,200 years, nitrogen enrichment led to the development of ornithogenic herb meadows with a high presence of Apiaceae. A long-term increase in δ15N above 9–10‰ led to radical shifts in vegetation. Noticeable reduction of seabird colonies due to human hunting led to grass-meadows spreading. After a prolonged decrease δ15N below 9–10‰ (2,400 cal year BP to present), there was a shift toward less productive sedge-tundra communities. However, the significant enrichment of guano affected only the coastal vegetation and did not alter the inland Shemya Island.
... Танага произошла как минимум одна смена растительных сообществ с вересковыми кустарничками на травяные сообщества. На данный момент изучены торфяники на островах Умнак (Heusser, 1973), Карлайл (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), Атка (Heusser, 1990), две колонки из торфяника на о. Адак (Heusser, 1978;Noguchi et al., 2018), торфяник на о. ...
... В состав первичных растительных сообществ других островов архипелага входили зонтичные и плауны, как и на о. Шемья (Heusser, 1973(Heusser, , 1978(Heusser, , 1990Kuzmicheva et al., 2019) ных сообществ могли быть значительными, а состав зависел скорее от локальных условий формирования, чем климатической обстановки. На о. ...
... Атту (Heusser, 1990) первичные сообщества были представлены разнотравьем с высоким участие зонтичных (Apiaceae) и сложноцветных (Asteraceae), которое формировалось в более защищенных от ветра условиях. На Алеутских островах, практически лишенных в голоцене наземных хищников, преобладание в спорово-пыльцевых спектрах зонтичных и сложноцветных может означать наличие рядом с торфяником крупной колонии морских птиц, поскольку отдельные виды этих семейств предпочитают богатые азотом субстраты (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019). Спектры первых сукцессионых стадий о. ...
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The vegetation history of the Alсan Creek peat deposit on Shemya Island (the Near Islands of the Aleutian Arc) has been reconstructed. We chose this flat island because there are no volcanoes on it and they have less impact on the vegetation. The sedge tundra dominated until 7000 years ago. Then it was replaced by mire with a noticeable participation of Sphagnum and Equisetum during the Holocene warming maximum 7000–5000 years ago. Forb sedge-grass meadows spread about 4700 years ago as a result of a local change in humidity. As a consequence of cooling and leaching processes, heather tundra began to dominate in the inner part of the island about 3400 years ago.
... Collectively, the small size and isolation limited ecosystem diversity, as shorter shorelines, fewer reefs, and smaller inland areas reduced foraging possibilities. Here we introduce and synthesize the results of our team whose research focused specifically on how paleoenvironmental conditions facilitated and/or challenged human arrival (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Persico et al., 2018), how frequently geologic hazards imposed cultural responses (Okuno et al., 2017;Griswold et al., 2018), how people sustained themselves between and during hazardous events (Admiraal et al., 2018;Persico et al., 2018;Johnson, 2018;Rojek and Williams, 2018;Krylovich et al., 2019;Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Vasyukov et al., 2019), and the duration of the hazardous impact in the archaeological record (Hatfield et al. 2016;Krylovich et al., 2019). ...
... Collectively, the small size and isolation limited ecosystem diversity, as shorter shorelines, fewer reefs, and smaller inland areas reduced foraging possibilities. Here we introduce and synthesize the results of our team whose research focused specifically on how paleoenvironmental conditions facilitated and/or challenged human arrival (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Persico et al., 2018), how frequently geologic hazards imposed cultural responses (Okuno et al., 2017;Griswold et al., 2018), how people sustained themselves between and during hazardous events (Admiraal et al., 2018;Persico et al., 2018;Johnson, 2018;Rojek and Williams, 2018;Krylovich et al., 2019;Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Vasyukov et al., 2019), and the duration of the hazardous impact in the archaeological record (Hatfield et al. 2016;Krylovich et al., 2019). ...
... Deglaciation timing and spatial patterning, sea level change, and sea ice extent undoubtedly influenced colonization of these islands (Persico, et al., 2018). There is some indication that people colonized these islands around 7000 years ago (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), but we do not have stratigraphic or radiocarbon evidence of this event. Further research in the Four Mountains may yet result in an extended time depth for the human occupations in these islands. ...
Combined archaeological, ecological, and geologic research on Chuginadak and Carlisle Islands in the Islands of Four Mountains (IFM) probed questions about the sustainability of human settlements over the past 4000 years in the face of geologic, ecological, and social hazards. We use a human ecodynamics approach to frame the investigation and present original archaeological evidence from this poorly known region of the remote Aleutian Islands. Several village sites occupied during the last four millennia are clustered in locations that were not damaged by earthquake-induced tsunamis; however, new geologic evidence indicates that at least one volcanic eruption forced humans to abandon one or more prehistoric village sites. Combined archaeological, ecological, and geologic analyses demonstrate resilient Unangax̂ occupations of the IFM through long-term climate change as well as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions with occasional community vulnerability to volcanic eruptions.
... This evidence suggests that, on Carlisle, a local event unconnected with environmental changes occurred throughout the Aleutian Islands. Changing nitrogen stable isotopes ratios of the 7000-yr-old peat deposit on Carlisle Island suggests that a large sea bird nesting colony arose on Carlisle Island after 2000 cal yr BP (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019). According to δ 15 N dynamics, the bird colony reached its peak of development at 750-500 cal yr BP (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), following a large eruption of Cleveland volcano on neighboring Chuginadak Island (CR-02 tephra fall, 1050 cal BP; Okuno et al., 2017). ...
... Changing nitrogen stable isotopes ratios of the 7000-yr-old peat deposit on Carlisle Island suggests that a large sea bird nesting colony arose on Carlisle Island after 2000 cal yr BP (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019). According to δ 15 N dynamics, the bird colony reached its peak of development at 750-500 cal yr BP (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), following a large eruption of Cleveland volcano on neighboring Chuginadak Island (CR-02 tephra fall, 1050 cal BP; Okuno et al., 2017). The sea bird colony then decreased very rapidly after 500 cal yr BP. ...
... Because storm petrels are especially vulnerable to human predation because they nest in burrows and establish dense colonies, the human recolonization of Carlisle Island had a severe impact on the bird colony. Our assumption of island abandonment before 500 cal yr BP is supported by: (1) the lack of sites identified in the IFM archaeological sequence and (2) the evidence that both the birds' colony development and the human occupation history are supported by isotopic data from Carlisle peat deposits (Kuzmicheva et al., 2019). ...
This first zooarchaeological analysis for the Islands of Four Mountains (IFM), Aleutian Islands, Alaska, provides data about local hunter-gatherer resource exploitation over three thousand yr. The majority of zooarchaeological material represents faunal resources that were harvested within several kilometers of villages. Our analysis shows that IFM subsistence system was shaped by the small size of these islands, which is mostly true for all of the Aleutian Islands. The archaeological middens indicate that Aleuts readily exploited new resources when they became available, expanding their dietary niche. Despite human harvesting, most faunal populations remained stable; however, Aleuts overexploited the storm-petrel colony on Carlisle Island.
... Collectively, the small size and isolation limited ecosystem diversity, as shorter shorelines, fewer reefs, and smaller inland areas reduced foraging possibilities. Here we introduce and synthesize the results of our team whose research focused specifically on how paleoenvironmental conditions facilitated and/or challenged human arrival ( Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Persico et al., 2018), how frequently geologic hazards imposed cultural responses ( Okuno et al., 2017;Griswold et al., 2018), how people sustained themselves between and during hazardous events ( Admiraal et al., 2018;Persico et al., 2018;Johnson, 2018;Rojek and Williams, 2018;Krylovich et al., 2019;Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Vasyukov et al., 2019), and the duration of the hazardous impact in the archaeological record ( Hatfield et al. 2016;Krylovich et al., 2019). ...
... Collectively, the small size and isolation limited ecosystem diversity, as shorter shorelines, fewer reefs, and smaller inland areas reduced foraging possibilities. Here we introduce and synthesize the results of our team whose research focused specifically on how paleoenvironmental conditions facilitated and/or challenged human arrival ( Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Persico et al., 2018), how frequently geologic hazards imposed cultural responses ( Okuno et al., 2017;Griswold et al., 2018), how people sustained themselves between and during hazardous events ( Admiraal et al., 2018;Persico et al., 2018;Johnson, 2018;Rojek and Williams, 2018;Krylovich et al., 2019;Kuzmicheva et al., 2019;Vasyukov et al., 2019), and the duration of the hazardous impact in the archaeological record ( Hatfield et al. 2016;Krylovich et al., 2019). ...
... Deglaciation timing and spatial patterning, sea level change, and sea ice extent undoubtedly influenced colonization of these islands (Persico, et al., 2018). There is some indication that people colonized these islands around 7000 years ago ( Kuzmicheva et al., 2019), but we do not have stratigraphic or radiocarbon evidence of this event. Further research in the Four Mountains may yet result in an extended time depth for the human occupations in these islands. ...
Quaternary (last 2.6 million years) botany involves studying plant megafossils (e.g. tree stumps), macrofossils (e.g. seeds, leaves), and microfossils (e.g. pollen, spores) preserved in peat bogs and lake sediments. Although megafossils and macrofossils have been studied since the late eighteenth century, Quaternary botany today is largely dominated by pollen analysis.
Quaternary pollen analysis is just over 100 years old. It started primarily as a geological tool for correlation, relative dating, and climate reconstruction. In 1950 a major advance occurred with the publication by Knut Fægri and Johs Iversen of their Text-book of Modern Pollen Analysis which provided the foundations for pollen analysis as a botanical and ecological tool for studying past dynamics of biota and biotic systems. The development of radiocarbon dating in the 1950s freed pollen analysis from being a tool for relative dating. As a result of these developments, pollen analysis became a valuable implement in long-term ecology and biogeography.
Selected contributions that Quaternary botany has made to ecology and biogeography since 1950 are reviewed. They fall into four general parts: (1) ecological aspects of interglacial and glacial stages such as location and nature of glacial-stage tree refugia and long-term soil development in glaciated and unglaciated areas; (2) biotic responses to Quaternary environmental change (spreading, extinction, persistence, adaptation); (3) ecological topics such as potential niches, the nature of vegetation, and tree and forest dynamics; and (4) its application to ecological topics such as human impact in tropical systems, conservation in a changing world, island palaeoecology, plant–animal interactions, and biodiversity patterns in time.
The future of Quaternary botany is briefly discussed and 10 suggestions are presented to help strengthen it and its links with ecology and biogeography. Quaternary botany has much to contribute to ecology and biogeography when used in conjunction with new approaches such as ancient-DNA, molecular biomarkers, and multi-proxy palaeoecology.
