Human Input and Coastal Landscape Change

该项目将侧重于伴随着太平洋沿岸人员和植物的长期移动而产生的环境和社会变化。以前的学者认为，以食物生产为基础的久坐社区的出现是现代世界发展的一个关键转折点，塑造了当今的环境、经济和社会秩序。这个项目探索了长期的生态反馈，在这一独特的背景下，为人类历史上的这一关键转变奠定了基础。考古研究表明，人类对地貌的修改如何有助于推动长期变化，特别是沿海岸线，那里的森林砍伐与稳定的海平面相互作用，创造了高生产力的湿地环境。鉴于当今全球人口中有很大一部分生活在沿海地区，在这个充满活力的生态系统中重建人类适应的广度，以及它们可能负担得起的经济和社会弹性，具有巨大的价值。在世界各地的沿海地区，更好地了解生态系统结构变化的性质和时机、宜居土地的可获得性以及经济战略的长期可持续性具有重要意义。研究小组将研究(1)早期觅食者和后来的农民对沿海森林的影响，(2)沿海生态系统和社会的发展，以及(3)人类如何适应新栖息地的出现带来的变化的机会和限制。该小组将通过对太平洋沿海地区的沉积和考古记录进行抽样，详细了解该地区的景观和占领史，从而实现这些目标。研究小组由专门从事地质考古、考古测量、考古植物学和史前研究的考古学家组成，将对从沿海和内陆沉积物岩心获得的古植物学、同位素和放射性碳数据进行综合分析，同时进行广泛的考古调查和现场测试。这一综合办法将使该小组不仅能够记录最初人类定居和植物驯化使用的时间和性质，而且还有助于重建塑造了该区域内陆和沿海生态系统的森林管理做法。这项高度协作的研究将产生新的数据和解释，以更好地了解沿海社区和景观变化，同时为学生和当地利益相关者创造教育和培训机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will focus on environmental and social changes that accompanied the long term movement of people and plants along the Pacific coast. Previous scholarship has identified the emergence sedentary communities based on food production as a critical turning point in the development of the modern world, shaping current day environment, economy, and social order. This project explores the long-term ecological feedbacks that set the stage for this key transition in human history, within this unique context. Archaeological research has demonstrated how human modifications of the landscape helped drive long-term changes, especially along the coastline, where forest clearance interacted with stabilizing sea levels to create highly productive wetland environments. Given that a large proportion of the global population today lives within proximity to the coast, there is great value in reconstructing the breadth of human adaptations within this dynamic ecosystem, along with the economic and societal resilience that they may afford. In coastal regions throughout the world, better understanding the nature and timing of changes in ecosystem structure, the availability of habitable land, and the long-term sustainability of economic strategies is of great significance. The research team will examine the (1) impacts of early foragers and later farmers on the coastal forests, (2) the development of coastal ecosystems and societies, and (3) how humans adapted to changing opportunities and constraints afforded by the emergence of novel habitats. The team will accomplish these goals through a detailed landscape and occupation history of a Pacific coastal region by sampling the region’s sedimentary and archaeological records. The research team is composed of archaeologists specializing in geoarchaeology, archaeometry, archaeobotany, and prehistory, and will employ an integrated analysis of paleobotanical, isotopic, and radiocarbon data acquired from coastal and interior sediment cores alongside extensive archaeological survey and site testing. This combined approach will allow the team to document not only the timing and nature of initial human settlement and use of plant domesticates but also facilitate reconstruction of forest management practices that shaped both interior and coastal ecosystems in this region. This highly collaborative research will generate new data and interpretations for better understanding coastal communities and landscape transformations, while creating educational and training opportunities for students and local stakeholders.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.