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Intertidal resource use over millennia enhances forest productivity.
Andrew J Trant1,2,3, Wiebe Nijland2,3,4, Kira M Hoffman2,3
1School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1.
Nature Communications
|August 31, 2016
Summary
For 13,000 years, First Nations
Area of Science:
- Ecological studies
- Archaeological science
- Forestry
Background:
- Human settlements often degrade landscapes.
- Coastal temperate rainforests face nutrient limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term impact of First Nations' occupation on British Columbia's coastal temperate rainforests.
- To determine if intertidal resource use enhances forest productivity.
Main Methods:
- Soil analysis at habitation sites.
- Comparative study of Western redcedar (Thuja plicata) growth on shell middens versus adjacent areas.
- Assessment of soil calcium and phosphorous levels.
Main Results:
- Soils at habitation sites are enriched in calcium and phosphorous.
- Western redcedar trees on shell middens exhibit enhanced growth, increased wood calcium, and reduced die-back.
- Long-term intertidal shellfish use has demonstrably improved forest productivity.
Conclusions:
- Sustained First Nations' occupation, particularly shellfish use, has enhanced coastal temperate rainforest productivity.
- Shell middens create nutrient-rich conditions that benefit Western redcedar.
- This pattern of resource use enhancing forest productivity may be a global phenomenon at coastal archaeological sites.
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