Pre-contact and post-colonial ecological legacies shape Surinamese rainforests

Abstract

This dataset belongs to the Ecology manuscript (ECY23-0681) "Pre-contact and post-colonial ecological legacies shape Surinamese rainforests". Table S1 contains radiocarbon dating results (uncalibrated and calibrated age ranges and 1 sigma errors). Table S2 contains the phytolith morphotypes used that were used in the data analyses and fig.2-3, their corresponding plant taxa and literature Table S3 contains CROSS 1 sizes, the count of CROSS and bilobate morphotypes and its ratio. In bold are extended countsTable S4 shows the data used to create fig. 2, showing phytoliths in abundances (%) or as "present" and charcoal in volume (cm3/mm3)Table S5 shows the data used to create fig. 3, showing burned phytoliths (%), total arboreal phytoliths (%), the openess index, total palm abundances (%) and modern AGB estimates for surface samples (Avitabile et al., 2016; Hijmans et al., 2013).Table S6 contains the raw phytolith data in abundances (%) or as noted as "present", when observed during an extended scan. Abstract of the manuscript:Disturbances in tropical forests can have long-lasting ecological impacts, but their manifestations (ecological legacies) in modern forests are uncertain. Many Amazonian forests bear the mark of past soil modifications, species enrichments and fire events, but the trajectories of ecological legacies from the pre-contact or post-colonial period remains relatively unexplored. We assessed the fire and vegetation history from 15 soil cores ranging from 0 to 10 km from a post-colonial Surinamese archaeological site. We show that: i) fires occurred from 96 BC to recent times and induced significant vegetation change, ii) persistent ecological legacies from pre-contact and post-colonial fire and deforestation practices were mainly within 1 km of the archaeological site, and iii) palm enrichment of Attalea, Oenocarpus and Astrocaryum occurrewithin 0 km, 1 km, and 8 km of the archaeological site, respectively. Our results challenge the notion of spatially extensive and persistent ecological legacies. Instead, our data indicate that the persistence and extent of ecological legacies is dependent on its timing, frequency, type, and intensity. Examining the mechanisms and manifestations of ecological legacies is crucial in assessing forest resilience and Indigenous and local land rights in the highly threatened Amazonian forests.</p