Ecological legacies of prehistoric agricultural practices in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of the southwestern US
Author(s):
- Sharon Hall, Arizona State University
Abstract:
This work examines the long-term ecological legacies of land use intensity in two different ecosystem types of the southwestern US, which supported agroecologically active and well-studied populations of humans until 1200- 1400 AD. This unique perspective, accessible only through the archaeological record, provides an understanding of the importance of humans and their varied land use activities as drivers of persistent ecological patterns and processes. Data were collected across a gradient of known prehistoric human activity in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of central Arizona that represent two ends of a spectrum of human occupation in population and duration. Cave Creek, located in the Sonoran desert of the northern Phoenix basin, supported relatively large human populations for approximately four centuries using both irrigated and dry land farming techniques. Perry Mesa is located at higher elevation in the semi-arid desert grasslands of Agua Fria National Monument. Populations at Perry Mesa were smaller and more ephemeral than at Cave Creek, and were supported by only dry land agricultural fields and house gardens. In each system, the importance of land use intensity on modern ecological properties and processes is evaluated by comparing areas of high intensity use (irrigated fields at Cave Creek, rain-fed terraces at Perry Mesa) with areas of relative low use (rain-fed terraces at Cave Creek, house gardens at Perry Mesa) and nearby areas where there is no archaeological evidence of human land use (off-site controls).
Keywords:
Temporal Coverage:
2008-02-01 to 2011-02-01Geographic Coverage:
Geographic Description: Pueblo La Plata- a prehistoric settlement in Agua Fria National Monument, AZBounding Coordinates:
Longitude:-112.061 to -112.019
Latitude:34.267 to 34.227
Geographic Coverage:
Geographic Description: Cave Creek- prehistoric agricultural fields within the northern Phoenix basinBounding Coordinates:
Longitude:-112.035 to -111.993
Latitude:33.795 to 33.755
Contact:
Data Manager, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University,PO Box 875402,Tempe
Methods used in producing this dataset: Show
Data Files (4) :
Tabular: 635_soil_and_plant_e653232d4064d29711bfbb1e67905e0a.csv
Description: legacies project: soil and plant data
Column | Description | Type | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Site | La Plata or Bull Tank sites located in AFNM; or Cave Creek sites |
||
season | time of sampling: spring, summer or fall |
||
year | year of data collection |
Format: YYYY | |
Position on slope | Upslope or Downslope for Bull Tank site description |
||
Natural or Ag | Natural or Agricultural for site description |
||
FeatureType | Terraced sites are prehistoric agricultural, between terrace sites lie between terraces, non-terrace sites are control |
||
Feature Code | Sample site ID code |
||
Plot | Sample plot ID |
||
pH | pH of soil sample |
dimensionless | |
SOM % | Percent soil organic matter of soil sample |
dimensionless | |
100% WHC | Percent water holding capacity of soil sample |
dimensionless | |
ug NO3-N/g dry soil | Nitrogen as nitrate in ug per g of dry soil |
microgramsPerGram | |
ug NH4-N/g dry soil | Nitrogen as ammonia in ug per g of dry soil |
microgramsPerGram | |
Total intial inorganic N | Total inorganic nitrogen in ug per g of dry soil |
microgramsPerGram | |
Net N min µg/g/d | Net nitrogen mineralization in ug per g of dry soil per day |
microgramsPerGramPerDay | |
Net nit µg/g/d | Net nitrification in ug per g of dry soil per day |
microgramsPerGramPerDay | |
ug PO3-P/g dry soil | Phosphorous as phosphate in ug per g of dry soil |
microgramsPerGram | |
Soil moisture g/g wet soil | Soil moisture content of pre-dried soil sample |
dimensionless | |
Gravimetric WC g/g | Gravimetric soil water content measurement in g/g dry soil |
dimensionless | |
%Sand | Percent sand in soil sample |
dimensionless | |
%Silt | Percent silt in soil sample |
dimensionless | |
% Clay | Percent clay in soil sample |
dimensionless | |
EC (µmhos/cm) | Electrical conductivity of soil sample |
micromohsPerCentimeter | |
ECEC(cmol charge/kg) | Effective cation exchange capacity of soil sample |
centimolesOfChargePerKilogram | |
Biomass (g/m2) | Annual plant biomass in grams per square meter of sample site |
gramsPerSquareMeter | |
Foliar C | Percent carbon of foliar tissue |
dimensionless | |
Foliar N | Percent nitrogen of foliar tissue |
dimensionless | |
Foliar P | Percent phosphorous of foliar tissue |
dimensionless | |
C:N Ratio | Ratio of foliar carbon to nitrogen |
dimensionless | |
Bulk Density (g/cm3) | Density of soil sample in grams per cubic centimeter |
gramsPerCubicCentimeter | |
Distance from tank (m) | Distance of soil sample from nearest watering tank |
meter |
Tabular: 635_feature_metrics_2160e7f3cc543d3593889aa2958e9013.csv
Description: legacies project: feature metrics
Column | Description | Type | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Site | La Plata or Bull Tank sites located in AFNM; or Cave Creek sites |
||
season | time of sampling: spring, summer or fall |
||
year | year of data collection |
Format: YYYY | |
Position | Upslope or Downslope for Bull Tank site description |
||
Natural or Ag | Natural or Agricultural for site description |
||
Feature Type | Terraced sites are prehistoric agricultural, between terrace sites lie between terraces, non-terrace sites are control |
||
Feature Code | Sample site ID code |
||
Plot | Sample plot ID |
||
Alignment length in meters | Measured length of the site feature |
meter | |
Alignment width in meters | Measured width of the site feature |
meter | |
Alignment Height in meters | Measured height of the site feature |
meter | |
# of course High | METADATA WAS NOT PROVIDED |
||
# of Courses wide | METADATA WAS NOT PROVIDED |
||
Density of rocks in alignment (% of 100) Gravel(<7.6cm) | Percent of surface cover of site attributed to gravel |
dimensionless | |
Density of rocks in alignment (% of 100) Cobbles( 7.6-25cm) | Percent of surface cover of site attributed to cobbles |
dimensionless | |
Density of rocks in alignment (% of 100) Stones (25-60cm) | Percent of surface cover of site attributed to stones |
dimensionless | |
Density of rocks in alignment (% of 100) Boulders (>60cm) | Percent of surface cover of site attributed to boulders |
dimensionless | |
Density of rocks in alignment (% of 100) Dirt/Veg | Percent of surface cover of site attributed to dirt or vegetation |
dimensionless | |
Total % Rock in the alignment | Estimated total rock cover for the site |
dimensionless | |
Total % Soil in the alignment | Estimated total soil cover for the site |
dimensionless | |
Density of Rocks in alignment=100 | Combined total of rock type densities |
dimensionless | |
Planting surface Length in meters | Measured length of the agricultural surface site feature |
meter | |
Planting Surface Width in Meters | Measured width of the agricultural surface site feature |
meter | |
Cover of planting surface with Rocks (% of 100) Gravel (<7.6cm) | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to gravel |
dimensionless | |
Cover of planting surface with Rocks (% of 100) Cobbles(7.6-25cm) | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to cobbles |
dimensionless | |
Cover of planting surface with Rocks (% of 100) Stones (25-60cm) | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to stones |
dimensionless | |
Cover of planting surface with Rocks (% of 100) Boulders (>60cm) | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to boulders |
dimensionless | |
Cover of planting surface with Dirt/Veg (% of 100) | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to dirt or vegetation |
dimensionless | |
Surface cover just rocks | Percent of surface cover of planting area attributed to all rock types |
dimensionless | |
Slope of probable cultivated area or surface area of non-alignment in degrees | Measured slope of sample site |
degree | |
Slope 5m upslope from back of planting surface or Surface area of non-alignment in degrees | Measured slope 5 meters upslope of site |
degree | |
Distance from next uphill feature for alignments OR non-alignments in Meters | Distance of site from nearest upslope feature |
meter |
Tabular: 635_bulk_density_18708e89e72c02551286d8c76501c411.csv
Description: legacies project: bulk density. Samples collected during the spring of 2010.
Column | Description | Type | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Sample ID | Sample number |
||
Site | La Plata or Bull Tank sites located in AFNM; or Cave Creek sites |
||
Plot + rep | Site identification code plus the sample replicate number |
||
Seived soil wt. | Weight of soil after removal of rocks from sample |
gram | |
Tin wt. (g) | Weight of sample tin |
gram | |
Pre-oven tin+soil (g) | Weight of soil sample and tin |
gram | |
Post-oven tin + soil (g) | Post-analysis weight of soil sample and tin |
gram | |
Soil Moisture (g/g) | Soil moisture content of pre-dried soil sample |
dimensionless | |
Dry soil wt. (g) | Weight of oven dried soil sample |
gram | |
Rock wt. (g) | Weight of sieved rocks from soil sample |
gram | |
Total soil + rocks collected (g) | Total weight of soil core sample |
gram | |
Total Vol. Displacement (ml) | Displacement in ml from soil sample |
milliliter | |
Corrected Core Volume (cm3) | Total volume of soil core sample in cubic centimeters |
cubicCentimeter | |
Corrected BD (g/cm3) | Final bulk density calculation of soil core sample |
gramsPerCubicCentimeter | |
Sand | % sand from soil texture analysis |
dimensionless | |
Silt | % silt from soil texture analysis |
dimensionless | |
Clay | % clay from soil texture analysis |
dimensionless | |
Rocks | % rocks from soil texture analysis |
dimensionless |
Spatial Vector: feature_metrics_locations
Description:
This zipped file contains a shapefile of select locations of feature metrics observed as part of the legacies project.
Horizontal Coordinate System:GCS_WGS_1984
Geometry Type: Point
Column | Description | Type | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Site | La Plata or Bull Tank sites located in AFNM; or Cave Creek sites |
||
season | time of sampling: spring, summer or fall |
||
year | year of data collection |
Format: YYYY | |
Nat_Ag | Natural or Agricultural for site description |
||
Ftr_type | Terraced sites are prehistoric agricultural, between terrace sites lie between terraces, non-terrace sites are control |
||
Ftr_code | Sample site ID code |