ORCID

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

Acceptance Date

2023-11-26

Deposit Date

2023-11-27

Embargo Period

2024-01-31

Funding

The research is financed through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme within the TERRANOVA project, No 813904, and supported by the Liveable Planet programme of Leiden University . The paper reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Jens-Christian Svenning was further supported by the VILLUM Investigator project “Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World”, funded by VILLUM FONDEN (grant 16549 ), Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), funded by Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173 ), and the Independent Research Fund Denmark Natural Sciences project MegaComplexity (grant 0135–00225 B). This work was performed using compute resources from the Academic Leiden Interdisciplinary Cluster Environment (ALICE) provided by Leiden University. We would like to thank Prof. Jan Kolen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Corrie Bakels (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Marie-Jose Gaillard-Lemdahl (Linnaeus University, Sweden), Dr. Tuna Kalayci (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Frank Arthur (University College of Southeast Norway, Norway), Prof. Hans Renssen (University College of Southeast Norway, Norway), Dr. Izabella Romanowska (Aarhus University, Denmark), Dr. Alex Brandsen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Gabriela Florescu (Stefan cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania), Dr. Kim Cohen (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), Cyril Piou (CIRAD, France), Dr. Anneli Poska (Lund University, Sweden; Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia), Dr. Dennis Braekmans (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Lucile Marescot (CIRAD, France), Agnes Schneider (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Femke Reidsma (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Andrew Sorensen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Guido R. van der Werf (Vrije University, The Netherlands), Dr. Nicolas Viovy (Université Paris-Saclay, France), Julian Coupas (France), Dr. Wouter Verschoof-van der Vaart (Leiden University, The Netherlands), and Bjørn Peare Bartholdy (Leiden University, The Netherlands). We extend our gratitude to all the members of the Human Origins group at Leiden University (The Netherlands). The authors would also like to thank Prof. Louis M. François (University of Liège, Belgium) for providing the CARAIB global dynamic vegetation model and his help in running it. The research is financed through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme within the TERRANOVA project, No 813904, and supported by the Liveable Planet programme of Leiden University. The paper reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Jens-Christian Svenning was further supported by the VILLUM Investigator project “Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World”, funded by VILLUM FONDEN (grant 16549), Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), funded by Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173), and the Independent Research Fund Denmark Natural Sciences project MegaComplexity (grant 0135–00225B). This work was performed using compute resources from the Academic Leiden Interdisciplinary Cluster Environment (ALICE) provided by Leiden University. We would like to thank Prof. Jan Kolen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Corrie Bakels (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Marie-Jose Gaillard-Lemdahl (Linnaeus University, Sweden), Dr. Tuna Kalayci (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Frank Arthur (University College of Southeast Norway, Norway), Prof. Hans Renssen (University College of Southeast Norway, Norway), Dr. Izabella Romanowska (Aarhus University, Denmark), Dr. Alex Brandsen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Gabriela Florescu (Stefan cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania), Dr. Kim Cohen (Utrecht University, The Netherlands), Cyril Piou (CIRAD, France), Dr. Anneli Poska (Lund University, Sweden; Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia), Dr. Dennis Braekmans (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Lucile Marescot (CIRAD, France), Agnes Schneider (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Femke Reidsma (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Dr. Andrew Sorensen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Prof. Guido R. van der Werf (Vrije University, The Netherlands), Dr. Nicolas Viovy (Université Paris-Saclay, France), Julian Coupas (France), Dr. Wouter Verschoof-van der Vaart (Leiden University, The Netherlands), and Bjørn Peare Bartholdy (Leiden University, The Netherlands). We extend our gratitude to all the members of the Human Origins group at Leiden University (The Netherlands). The authors would also like to thank Prof. Louis M. François (University of Liège, Belgium) for providing the CARAIB global dynamic vegetation model and his help in running it.

Keywords

Agent-based modelling, Europe, HUMLAND, Hunter-gatherers, Landscape burning, Vegetation modelling

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