CEA 2018: the 14th Conference of Environmental Archaeology in Modena and this Special Issue of IANSA

The 14th Conference of Environmental Archaeology, held in Modena on February 2018, proposed a bridge between palaeoecology and ecology and emphasized the role of archaeobotany in environmental archaeology and the modern science of conservation

Multiporate Pollen of Poaceae as Bioindicator of Environmental Stress: First Archaeobotanical Evidence from the Early–Middle Holocene Site of Takarkori in the Central Sahara

This paper reports on the most ancient unusual morphological trait of the apertures of Poaceae pollen found in archaeological layers. In Poaceae, high levels of hybridization, polyploidy, apomixis, and multiporate pollen are often related. Multiple genomes in polyploids are critical for the adaptation of plant species to stresses and could be revealed by anomalies in pollen development. Therefore, the paleoenvironmental research can gain great benefits from identifying polyploids in past contexts by observing anomalous pollen morphology during pollen counts. The occurrence of multiporate pollen in Poaceae has also been related to special features of the ecology of the species showing this anomaly, as well as to climatic and environmental stresses experienced by Poaceae living in a given region. Multiporate and bi- or tri-porate instead of monoporate pollen grains have been observed in samples taken from Takarkori rockshelter, an archaeological site in southwestern Libya (central Sahara) that has been occupied between ~10,200 and ~4650 cal BP. Multiporate pollen was found in organic sands and coprolites of ovicaprines. On the basis of archaeobotanical research, this work aims to investigate whether the presence of supernumerary pores in Poaceae pollen may be an effect of both climatic/hydrological changes and continued anthropogenic pressure on the wild grasses living in the region. The presence of multiporate pollen reveals that Poaceae that lived in central Sahara tackled several kinds of stress during the early and middle Holocene. The Takarkori pollen record suggests that climate change could have played a major role in the early Holocene, while human pressure became stronger during the middle Holocene. The change in environmental conditions determined adaptive responses of polyploid grasses even in the form of multiporate pollen

ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE GREEK COLONIAL SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN ITALY: POLLEN AND NPPS EVIDENCE OF GRAZING FROM THE RURAL SITE OF FATTORIA FABRIZIO (VI-IV CENT. BC; METAPONTO, BASILICATA)

this paper reports a study case showing integrated analyses of microscopic records from an archaeological site of southern italy. pollen and non pollen palynomorphs-Npps were found in archaeological layers and were basic in reconstructing both the past environment and the economic activities of the site. the site, Fattoria Fabrizio, is a modest 4th-cenury bc farmhouse of the chora (rural territory) of the Greek city (polis) of Metaponto (basilicata). pollen analyses in addition to the study of Npps have been particularly worthwhile for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoeconomical reconstructions of this site and others in the chora. the pollen spectra delineate an open plant landscape, with scanty woodlands and presence of local wet environments. Olea pollen is fairly well represented in all samples, suggesting that this tree was an important element of the agricultural economy of the chora. shrubby grasslands and a well-developed macchia characterized the territory, probably as result of grazing activities by sheep and goats. accordingly, the high percentages of poaceae and cichorieae pollen, together with coprophilous fungal spores (such as Sordaria type and Sporormiella type), suggest that pastoral activities were widely practiced. the low number of cerealia pollen grains suggests that the inhabitants’ fields covered small areas or were quite far from the farmhouse

The “Mediterranean Forest”: A Perspective for Vegetation History Reconstruction

Starting from the multifaceted meaning of “Mediterranean”, this thematic review wishes to reconnect the palaeobotanical with the phytogeographical approach in the reconstruction of the Mediterranean Forest of the past. The use of the term “Mediterranean” is somewhat ambiguous in its common use, and has not an unequivocal meaning in different research fields. In botany, geographical-floristic studies produce maps based on the distribution of the plant species; floristic-ecological studies, produce maps that deal with the distribution of the plant communities and their relationships with different habitats. This review reports on the different use of the term “Mediterranean” in geographical or floristic studies, and on the way climate and plant distributions are used to define the Mediterranean area. The Mediterranean Forest through the palynological records is then shortly reported on. Pollen analysis may be employed to reconstruct the Mediterranean Forest of the past but a number of problems make this a difficult task: low pollen preservation, lack of diagnostic features at low taxonomical level, and low pollen production of species which form the Mediterranean Forests. Variable images of this vegetation are visible in different landscapes, but the Mediterranean Forest often remains a sort of “ghost forest” in pollen spectra from the Mediterranean Region

Plant Responses to Climate Change: The Case Study of Betulaceae and Poaceae Pollen Seasons (Northern Italy, Vignola, Emilia-Romagna)

Aerobiological data have especially demonstrated that there is correlation between climate warming and the pollination season of plants. This paper focuses on airborne pollen monitoring of Betulaceae and Poaceae, two of the main plant groups with anemophilous pollen and allergenic proprieties in Northern Italy. The aim is to investigate plant responses to temperature variations by considering long-term pollen series. The 15-year aerobiological analysis is reported from the monitoring station of Vignola (located near Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region) that had operated in the years 1990-2004 with a Hirst spore trap. The Yearly Pollen Index calculated for these two botanical families has shown contrasting trends in pollen production and release. These trends were well identifiable but fairly variable, depending on both meteorological variables and anthropogenic causes. Based on recent reference literature, we considered that some oscillations in pollen concentration could have been a main effect of temperature variability reflecting global warming. The duration of pollen seasons of Betulaceae and Poaceae, depending on the different species included in each family, has not unequivocally been determined. Phenological responses were particularly evident in Alnus and especially in Corylus as a general moving up of the end of pollination. The study shows that these trees can be affected by global warming more than other, more tolerant, plants. The research can be a contribution to the understanding of phenological plant responses to climate change and suggests that alder and hazelnut trees have to be taken into high consideration as sensible markers of plant responses to climate change

LAND USE FROM SEASONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: THE ARCHAEOBOTANICAL EVIDENCE OF SMALL ROMAN FARMHOUSES IN CINIGIANO, SOUTH-EASTERN TUSCANY - CENTRAL ITALY

this paper focuses on the archaeobotanical study of two Roman small farmhouses, san Martino and poggio dell’amore, located near cinigiano, in the province of grosseto-tuscany. the sites were probably occupied during seasonal agricultural works, a peculiar typology of site that has not been usually identified in Roman sites of central italy. the integrated analyses of pollen, non pollen palynomorphs, charcoal particles and seeds/fruits help to obtain interesting details on the site function, land use and palaeoenvironment of these archaeological contexts. the archaeobotanical reconstruction shows that the landscape was fairly treeless. pastures surrounded the small buildings while cereal fields were probably less extended or further away than legume fields cultivated to forage. shrubs and some fruit trees might mark boundaries of fields, while the woods, including oak woods, were distributed far from the sites. anthropogenic pollen indicators, spores of coprophilous fungi and parasite eggs point to the presence of excrements in the sites suggesting that the small buildings were used as small barns for domestic animals, or a temporary shed

MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION ON EARLY-MID HOLOCENE WILD CEREALS FOUND AT TAKARKORI (CENTRAL SAHARA)

Plant macroremains from rock shelters of central Sahara give information about the environmental conditions during the Holocene, and the adaptive strategies of human groups living in the area. Takarkori was excavated by the Italian-Libyan Archaeological Mission in the Acacus and Messak (directed by S. di Lernia, Sapienza University of Rome) and its chronology ranges from ca. 10,200 to ca. 4,600 cal yr BP (Cremaschi et al. 2014)

Multidisciplinary analysis of wild cereals from the Holocene archaeological site of Takarkori (central Sahara)

Pollen and plant macroremains from central Sahara archaeological sites give information about the environmental conditions during the Holocene and the adaptive strategies of human groups living in the area . Wild cereals have been exploited for long time and are the prevalent taxa among those selected and transported to shelters and caves. The extraordinary state of preservation of the organic materials found at Takarkori allowed the morphological and molecular analyses of seeds/fruits belonging to the Poaceae family

Multidisciplinary analysis of Early \u2013 Mid Holocene wild cereal remains from central Sahara (SW Libya).

.Pollen and plant macroremains from rock shelters of central Sahara give information about environmental conditions during the Holocene, and adaptive strategies of human groups living in the area. Wild cereals were long-time exploited and are prevalent among plants selected and transported to these sites. Spikelets and grains of Panicoideae are the most abundant plant remains found at Takarkori, a rock shelter in the Tadrart Acacus Mts. (SW Libya). They have been studied by means of morphological and molecular (ancient DNA) analyses. The excavation by the Italian-Libyan Archaeological Mission in the Acacus and Messak (Sapienza University of Rome and Libyan Department of Archaeology) exposed a surface of 140 m2. The deposit includes stone structures, fireplaces, plant accumulations and a burial area. The site (dated 10,200-4,600 cal yr BP) was occupied throughout Early and Middle Holocene, a pivotal period for human development as include the transition from hunter-gatherer subsistence to food production. Peculiarity of the sequences is the surprising preservation of organic matter. Systematic morphobiometrical analysis was carried out on 1,450 spikelets of Panicum, Echinochloa and Sorghum selected on the basis of their different cultural contexts. The records showed uniform size in each genus. aDNA was extracted testing different protocols and then was studied by the DNA barcoding technique using four chloroplast markers. Bioinformatic analysis of the results allowed to inspect the phylogenetic relationships between the archaeobotanical records and the modern species of African wild cereals