The mid-Holocene extinction of silver fir ( Abies alba ) in the Southern Alps: a consequence of forest fires? Palaeobotanical records and forest simulations

Pollen records suggest that Abies alba played a dominating role in both the montane and lowland forests at the border of the Southern Alps between ca. 8500 and 5700 years ago. Two major declines in fir, at about 7300-7000 cal b.p. and at ca. 6000 cal b.p., followed by the local extinction of the species are characteristic of the area below ca. 1000 m a.s.l. In order to test the impact of fire on the population dynamics of silver fir, a dynamic model (DisCForm) with a fire module was applied to simulate the early- and mid-Holocene forest development. Simulation outputs based on different fire scenarios were compared with the pollen record from Lago di Annone (226ma.s.l.). The marked Abies decreases shown in the pollen record can be simulated with very intensive fire scenarios, but they do not result in an extinction of silver fir in the model. Low charcoal influx values related to the Abies declines in the palaeobotanical record suggest that fire was not the only reason for the extinction of silver fir. Human impact, as well as Holocene climatic changes leading to temporary moisture deficits and reduced adaptability due to low genetic variation may have had a significant impact on the Abies forest

Late glacial environmental history and early soil formation in Northwest Switzerland

In 1996, well preserved deer bones, antler fragments and black grouse bones were found in a filled karst crack. Those animal remains were discovered in a limestone quarry in the Jura Mountains near Dittingen (canton Basel-Landschaft, Northwest Switzerland). The site is located in a gully of a dry valley beneath a loess covered high plain. In the framework of an archaeological excavation, the karst crack filling and overlying sediments (hill-washed loess, soils and colluviums) were documented. Samples for granulometry, geochemistry, micromorphology and palynology were analysed. The animal remains derived from the karstic fissure were radiocarbon dated to the early Bølling Interstadial (14’800 to 14’200 cal. BP). In addition, the palynological study shows that the overlying gully sediments were deposited between the Younger Dryas and the Middle Ages. The interdisciplinary investigation of the sediments revealed new insights into early soil formation processes, morphogenetic events and the vegetation history of periglacial environments. The new results clearly show that soil formation started immediately in the early Late Glacial. Decalcification and clay illuviation quickly developed in the course of intense vertical water flow through the sediment. It is therefore evident that luvisol development took place during the Late Glacial Interstadial (Bølling-Allerød Interstadial)

Cadre géologique et environnemental

Pfyngut: Geologischer Rahmen und natürliches Umfeld Dieses Kapitel ist der Geologie der Region gewidmet, unter besonderer Beachtung der Schichtabfolge von Pfyngut. Die Fundstelle befindet sich im alpinen Raum, am Oberlauf der Rhone, zwischen Siders und Leuk. Sie liegt auf einem Schuttkegel, der sich am Fusse des Illgrabens gebildet hat, einer tief in die penninischen Decken eingeschnittenen Schlucht mit carbonatreichen Gesteinen und Quarziten. Die untersuchten Schichtabfolgen liegen auf der linken Seite des Rhonetals, rund 20 m über der Überschwemmungsebene, und bestehen hauptsächlich aus Wildbachablagerungen und durch Oberflächenwasser verlagerten Feinsedimenten, zwischen denen sich fossile Böden erhalten haben. Diese Ablagerungen erreichen eine Gesamtmächtigkeit von maximal 2,50 m und liegen über den pedogen verwitterten Schottern (cambisol) des Illgrabenfächers. Die Sequenz beginnt an der Basis mit einer Abfolge fossiler Böden. Mikromorphologische Untersuchungen, in Kombination mit den Ergebnissen der Pollenanalysen und Makrorestuntersuchungen belegen, dass der menschliche Einfluss ab der frühen Eisenzeit das lokale Landschaftsbild zu verändern begann : nach einer Rodungsphase, setzte Erosion ein, auf die ackerbauliche Nutzung folgt. Pollen von Weizen und Ruderalplanzen sprechen für eine ausgedehnte Bewirtschaftung der Gegend ab der späten Eisenzeit. Ein weiterer starker menschlicher Eingriff stellt der Bau einer grossen Fernverkehrsstrasse in frührömischer Zeit dar. Sie wird mehfach aufwändig erneuert und nach Aufgabe von feinkörnigen Überflutungssedimenten überdeckt. An deren Oberfläche bildet sich wiederum ein humöser Oberboden, der Pflugspuren eines ausgedehnten Ackerbaus aufweist und ins Mittelalter datiert. Nach dem 12. Jh. wird die gesamte Westflanke des Kegels wiederholt von Bachgeschiebe und Murgangsedimenten überdeckt, was auf eine Destabilisierung der Berghangs hinweist. Der oberste Bereich der Schichtabfolge besteht hauptsächlich aus feinen Ablagerungen, wie sie bei der Bewässerung der Wiesen mittels Suonen entstehen. Darüber folgt der Humushorizont der heutigen Bodenoberfläche. Die Untersuchung der Pflanzenreste erbrachte ausschliesslich den Nachweis von Wildpflanzen, die wohl alle aus der nahen Umgebung stammen. Sie zeigt zudem, dass die Waldföhre bereits in der Eisenzeit die dominante Baumart im Gebiete des Pfynwalds war. Die Landschaft war relativ offen und besass Wiesen- und Weideflächen. Das Fehlen von Kulturpflanzen, wie auch von typischen Ackerunkräutern lässt den Schluss zu, dass in dieser frühen Zeit kaum Ackerstandorte in unmittelbarer Nähe des Fundorts lagen, und mit den untersuchten Proben auch keine Siedlungsbereiche erfasst worden sind, wo Nahrungsmittel gelagert oder verarbeitet wurden

Intensification of agriculture in southwestern Germany between the Bronze Age and Medieval period, based on archaeobotanical data from Baden-Württemberg

A system of farming with an alternation of land use between being cultivated or left fallow as grassland (Feldgraswirtschaft) developed in southwestern Germany since the Bronze Age. It involved fallow periods, where the arable land is left without crops in order to let it recover its fertility for several years while becoming grassland. This led to regeneration of the topsoil humus, which could later be mobilized by cultivation. With later farming systems, the supply of nutrients needed for crops could also be provided by manuring, which allowed shorter fallow periods but required the production of manure. Such cultivation systems with short or even without fallow phases and with intensive manuring are known from the medieval period as one, two or three field systems of agriculture and their development was an important step towards the intensification of farming. The current study considers on-site plant macrofossil data from archaeological sites as well as the off-site pollen data from cores in Baden-Württemberg in order to recognize the main changes towards agricultural intensification through time from the Bronze Age up to medieval times. The various landscape types included in the study area also reveal their different agricultural histories of intensification. In lowlands with good soils, the intensification can be recognized earlier and more strongly than in uplands or other marginal areas. The main shift towards intensification took place in the Roman period, which is also confirmed by written sources of the time that mention manuring as well as a kind of two field system and alternation between grassland and arable land.publishedVersio

Concern-driven integrated approaches to nanomaterial testing and assessment - report of the NanoSafety Cluster Working Group

Abstract Bringing together topic-related European Union (EU)-funded projects, the so-called "NanoSafety Cluster" aims at identifying key areas for further research on risk assessment procedures for nanomaterials (NM). The outcome of NanoSafety Cluster Working Group 10, this commentary presents a vision for concern-driven integrated approaches for the (eco-)toxicological testing and assessment (IATA) of NM. Such approaches should start out by determining concerns, i.e., specific information needs for a given NM based on realistic exposure scenarios. Recognised concerns can be addressed in a set of tiers using standardised protocols for NM preparation and testing. Tier 1 includes determining physico-chemical properties, non-testing (e.g., structure-activity relationships) and evaluating existing data. In tier 2, a limited set of in vitro and in vivo tests are performed that can either indicate that the risk of the specific concern is sufficiently known or indicate the need for further testing, including details for such testing. Ecotoxicological testing begins with representative test organisms followed by complex test systems. After each tier, it is evaluated whether the information gained permits assessing the safety of the NM so that further testing can be waived. By effectively exploiting all available information, IATA allow accelerating the risk assessment process and reducing testing costs and animal use (in line with the 3Rs principle implemented in EU Directive 2010/63/EU). Combining material properties, exposure, biokinetics and hazard data, information gained with IATA can be used to recognise groups of NM based upon similar modes of action. Grouping of substances in return should form integral part of the IATA themselves

Safety Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials: Focus on Human Health and the Environment

Graphene and its derivatives are heralded as 'miracle' materials with manifold applications in different sectors of society from electronics to energy storage to medicine. The increasing exploitation of graphene-based materials (GBMs) necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of the potential impact of these materials on human health and the environment. Here we discuss synthesis and characterization of GBMs as well as human and environmental hazard assessment of GBMs using in vitro and in vivo model systems with the aim to understand the properties that underlie the biological effects of these materials; not all GBMs are alike, and it is essential that we disentangle the structure-activity relationships for this class of materials

On-site data cast doubts on the hypothesis of shifting cultivation in the Late Neolithic (c. 4300-2400 cal. BC): Landscape management as an alternative paradigm

This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro- and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn – as known from tropical regions – is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals (Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea (Pisum sativum), flax (Linum usitatissimum) and opium-poppy (Papaver somniferum). Cycles of landscape use are traceable, including coppicing and moving around the landscape with animal herds. Archaeobiological studies further indicate also that hunting and gathering were an important component and that the landscape was manipulated accordingly. Late Neolithic land-use systems also included the use of fire as a tool for opening up the landscape. Here we argue that bringing together all the types of palaeoenvironmental proxies in an integrative way allows us to draw a more comprehensive and reliable picture of the land-use systems in the late Neolithic than had been reconstructed previously largely on the basis of off-site data

Develier-Courtételle, un habitat rural mérovingien 4: Environnement et exploitation du terroir

Cet ouvrage présente les structures et matériaux de construction découverts sur ce site de l'époque mérovingienne. Cet habitat rural mis au jour lors des travaux de l'A16 est unique en Suisse