ORCID
- Ralph Fyfe: 0000-0002-5676-008X
Abstract
This article focuses on hunter-gatherer impact on interglacial vegetation in Europe, using a case study from the Early Holocene (9200–8700 BP). We present a novel agent-based model, hereafter referred to as HUMLAND (HUMan impact on LANDscapes), specifically developed to define key factors in continental-level vegetation changes via assessment of differences between pollen-based reconstruction and dynamic global vegetation model output (climate-based vegetation cover). The identified significant difference between these two datasets can be partially explained by the difference in the models themselves, but also by the fact that climate is not the sole factor responsible for vegetation change. Sensitivity analysis of HUMLAND showed that the intensity of anthropogenic vegetation modification mainly depended on three factors: the number of groups present, their preferences for vegetation openness around campsites, and the size of an area impacted by humans. Overall, both climate and human activities had strong impacts on vegetation openness during the study period. Our modelling results support the hypothesis that European ecosystems were strongly shaped by human activities already in the Mesolithic.
Publication Date
2024-01-15
Publication Title
Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume
324
ISSN
1873-457X
Embargo Period
2024-01-31
Keywords
Agent-based modelling, Europe, HUMLAND, Hunter-gatherers, Landscape burning, Vegetation modelling
Recommended Citation
Nikulina, A., MacDonald, K., Zapolska, A., Serge, M., Roche, D., Mazier, F., Davoli, M., Svenning, J., van, W., Pearce, E., Fyfe, R., Roebroeks, W., & Scherjon, F. (2024) 'Hunter-gatherer impacts on interglacial vegetation: a modelling approach', Quaternary Science Reviews, 324. Available at: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108439
