Dambrine E, Dupouey J L, Laüt L, Humbert L, Thinon M, Beaufils T, Richard H
INRA, 54280 Champenoux, France.
Ecology. 2007 Jun;88(6):1430-9. doi: 10.1890/05-1314.
Combined archaeological and ecological investigations in a large ancient oak forest in Central France have revealed a dense network of ancient human settlements dating from the Roman period. We demonstrate a strong correlation between present-day forest plant diversity patterns and the location of Roman farm buildings. Plant species richness strongly increases toward the center of the settlements, and the frequency of neutrophilous and nitrogen-demanding species is higher. This pattern is paralleled by an increase in soil pH, available P, and delta(15)N, indicating the long-term impact of former agricultural practices on forest biogeochemical cycles. These extensive observations in a forested region on acid soils complement and confirm previous results from a single Roman settlement on limestone. Ancient Roman agricultural systems are increasingly being identified in contemporary French forests; the broad extent and long-lasting effects of previous cultivation shown in this study require that land-use history be considered as a primary control over biodiversity variations in many forest landscapes, even after millennia of abandonment.
在法国中部一片大型古老橡树林中进行的考古与生态联合调查发现了一个可追溯至罗马时期的密集古代人类定居点网络。我们证明了当今森林植物多样性模式与罗马农场建筑位置之间存在强烈关联。植物物种丰富度朝着定居点中心显著增加，中性和需氮物种的频率更高。这种模式伴随着土壤pH值、有效磷和δ(15)N的增加，表明先前农业活动对森林生物地球化学循环的长期影响。在酸性土壤森林地区的这些广泛观察结果补充并证实了先前在石灰岩上单个罗马定居点的研究结果。在当代法国森林中越来越多地发现古罗马农业系统；本研究中显示的先前耕种的广泛范围和持久影响表明，即使经过数千年的荒废，土地利用历史仍应被视为许多森林景观中生物多样性变化的主要控制因素。
