This book addresses present-day landscapes, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity as legacies of the past. It implements an interdisciplinary approach to understand how natural or human-impacted ecological systems have changed over time.

Historical Ecology combines theory, methods, regional case studies and syntheses to provide a complete up-to-date overview of historical ecology. Beginning with the crucial role of time and inference from observed patterns, the book critically reviews the main methodological approaches, including monitoring of permanent plots, analysis of old maps, repeat photography, remote sensing, soil analysis, charcoal analysis, botanical indicators, and combinations of these methods applied to forest ecosystems.

A series of case studies from various biomes shows how historical ecology can help in understanding today’s socio-ecosystems, such as mainland and island forests, orchards, tundra and coastal dunes. The book concludes by showing how historical ecology can answer timely fundamental research questions and provide science-based evidence for landscape and ecosystem management.

Chapter 1 A General Introduction to Historical Ecology 1
Guillaume DECOCQ

1.1 The roots of historical ecology 2

1.2 A multidisciplinary approach of socio-ecosystems 3

1.3 Recent trends in historical ecology 4

1.4 The way forward 6

1.5 References 7

Chapter 2 Historical Resurveys Reveal Causes of Long-term Ecological Change 11
Donald M WALLER

2.1 Serious ecological changes are pervasive 11

2.2 Anthropogenic drivers of ecological change 12

2.2.1 The missing baseline problem 12

2.2.2 Ecological communities are complex 13

2.3 Kinds of ecological change 14

2.3.1 Natural community dynamics 14

2.3.2 Anthropogenic drivers of ecological change 14

2.4 Understanding the forces driving ecological change 18

2.4.1 Natural experiments 18

2.4.2 Metrics of change 19

2.4.3 Can functional traits reveal drivers of change? 19

2.4.4 Vectors of change – ordination 20

2.5 Conclusion 22

2.6 References 22

Chapter 3 Getting the Right Answer Can Take a While: Long-term Ecological Field Studies as Historical Ecology 27
Frank S GILLIAM

3.1 Introduction 27

3.2 Fernow Experimental Forest 29

3.2.1 Background 29

3.2.2 Site description 30

3.2.3 Field design 30

3.3 Long-term studies at Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia 32

3.3.1 Effects of acidification on soil fertility and herb layer cover and foliar nutrients 32

3.3.2 Effects of N addition on soil N dynamics 34

3.3.3 Effects of N addition on herb layer composition and diversity 35

3.3.4 The N homogeneity hypothesis 37

3.3.5 A look at the future: declines in the atmospheric deposition of N 40

3.4 Conclusion 40

3.5 References 41

Chapter 4 Gaps and Cracks in Land Cover Mapping for Historical Ecology 45
Francesca Di PIETRO, Roger COLY, Clémence CHAUDRON, Samuel LETURCQ

4.1 Introduction 45

4.2 Three main steps of past land cover mapping 46

4.3 Land cover in the 19th century: the old cadasters 47

4.4 Land cover in the 20th century: aerial photographs 50

4.5 Present land cover: modern databases 52

4.6 From different sources to one land cover typology 53

4.7 Conclusion 55

4.8 References 55

Chapter 5 The Use of Repeat Photography in African Historical Ecology 57
Michael Timm HOFFMAN and Rick F ROHDE

5.1 Repeat photography as an emerging tool in African historical ecology 57

5.2 Repeat photography and landscape change in Africa 58

5.2.1 Early contributions 58

5.2.2 Ethiopia 58

5.2.3 Southern Africa 59

5.3 Long-term change in plant populations as revealed by repeat photography 62

5.4 Strengths and limitations 64

5.5 Future directions 65

5.6 References 66

Chapter 6 Remote Sensing for Historical Ecology 71
Pierre-Alexis HERRAULT and David SHEEREN

6.1 Introduction 71

6.2 Landscape spatio-temporal changes as a proxy of biodiversity 72

6.3 Mapping landscapes at different dates 73

6.3.1 Airborne laser scanning data 73

6.3.2 Historical maps 74

6.3.3 Old aerial photographs 75

6.3.4 Satellite images 76

6.4 Modeling the effects of spatio-temporal changes on present-day biodiversity 77

6.4.1 Structural spatio-temporal metrics 77

6.4.2 Functional spatio-temporal metrics 79

6.5 References 81

Chapter 7 Soil Archives: Where Soilscape History Meets Present-day Ecosystems 85
Boris BRASSEUR, Damien ERTLEN and Vincent ROBIN

7.1 Introduction 85

7.2 Mechanisms of soil archiving and the associated dynamics 86

7.2.1 Pedoturbations of biological and physical origins 86

7.2.2 Eluviation–Illuviation 86

7.2.3 Anthropogenic factors 88

7.2.4 Effects of geomorphological processes on soil archives 88

7.3 Examples of soil archives and their influence on current ecosystems 90

7.3.1 Chemical archives, witnesses of progressive soil transformations 90

7.3.2 Physical archives: reading the soil pit profile and microtopographic features 92

7.3.3 Soil organic matter 93

7.3.4 Botanical remains 94

7.4 Conclusion 95

7.5 References 95

Chapter 8 Continuous and Nested Time in Historical Ecology: Application to Soil Studies 99
Damien ERTLEN

8.1 Interdisciplinarity and time in historical ecology 99

8.2 Continuous time 100

8.3 Nested time 102

8.4 Different disciplines, different tools 103

8.5 Examples of nested and continuous time: soils and strata 105

8.6 Conclusion 107

8.7 References 108

Chapter 9 The Analysis of Relic Charcoal Kilns for the Assessment of Forest Trajectories 111
Vincent ROBIN, Alexa DUFRAISSE and Claudia OLIVEIRA

9.1 Introduction 111

9.2 Looking at the platform of the kiln 112

9.2.1 Looking at the dimensions of the kiln platforms 112

9.2.2 Platform inventory 113

9.3 Looking at the charcoal pieces 115

9.3.1 Sampling 115

9.3.2 Taxonomic identification 115

9.3.3 Dendro-anthracology 117

9.4 Looking at the ages 117

9.5 Conclusion 119

9.6 References 119

Chapter 10 Ancient Trees and Botanical Indicators as Evidence for Change and Continuity in Landscape Evolution 123
Ian D ROTHERHAM

10.1 Introduction 123

10.2 What is ancient woodland? Questions of woods versus old-growth forest, and of continuity versus antiquity 124

10.3 The value of ancient woods 124

10.4 Methodology 125

10.4.1 Evidencing ancient woodlands and the use of indicators 125

10.4.2 Tree form and growth as evidence of antiquity and continuity 128

10.4.3 The importance of ancient and veteran trees in woodland 129

10.4.4 Soils and sediments 130

10.5 An emerging woodland paradigm 131

10.6 A simple new conceptual framework 131

10.7 Conclusion 133

10.8 References 133

Chapter 11 Towards a Methodological Framework for Investigating the Hidden History of Woodland Covers 135
Damien MARAGE, Catherine FRUCHART, Isabelle JOUFFROY-BAPICOT, Olivier GIRARDCLOS, Vincent BALLAND

11.1 Why talk about hidden history when studying forest vegetation? 135

11.2 From recent forests: a synecological point of view 136

11.3 From the walls: ancient documents and maps 136

11.4 From the wood: dendrochronology 139

11.5 From the ground: palynology 140

11.6 From the air: LiDAR 142

11.7 Discussion 143

11.8 References 146

Chapter 12 The Gate to the Forest is in its History 151
Keith J KIRBY

12.1 Introduction 151

12.2 The ancient woodland idea 152

12.3 Legacies of woodland management 153

12.4 Seeing the trees, not the woods 154

12.5 Exploring the distant past 155

12.6 Trees and woods from the past to the future 157

12.7 References 158

Chapter 13 Plant Assemblages and Ecosystem Functioning, a Legacy of Long-term Interactions with Large Herbivores 163
Christophe BALTZINGER and Anders MÅRELL

13.1 Introduction 163

13.2 Large herbivores are ecosystem dominant interactors 164

13.2.1 Large herbivores as ecosystem engineers 164

13.2.2 Large herbivores and plant assemblages 166

13.3 Long-term effects and methodological changes 167

13.3.1 Paleoecological records 167

13.3.2 Modern data 167

13.4 Plant–herbivore interactions over the long-term 168

13.4.1 Quaternary communities of large herbivores and associated flora 168

13.4.2 The forest in the early Holocene 169

13.5 Modern vegetation trajectories driven by large herbivores 170

13.5.1 Herbivory effects 170

13.5.2 Temporal trajectories 170

13.6 Perspectives, rewilding and ecosystem restoration 172

13.7 References 173

Chapter 14 A Historical Ecology of the Compiègne Forest (N France) 177
Jérôme BURIDANT, Boris BRASSEUR, Hélène HOREN, Emilie GALLET-MORON and Guillaume DECOCQ

14.1 Introduction 177

14.2 The ancient forest: an intensively managed agricultural landscape? 178

14.3 The Medieval forest: a woodland (re)birth or a savanna-like ecosystem? 184

14.4 The contemporary forest (19th century onward): a closed-canopy multifunctional woodland 188

14.5 Conclusion 190

14.6 References 191

Chapter 15 The Chestnut Orchards in the Bolognese Apennines: A Vanishing Socio-ecological Habitat 195
Giovanna PEZZI, Fabrizio FERRETTI, Alberto MALTONI, Patrik KREBS, Marco CONEDERA and Giorgio MARESI

15.1 Introduction 195

15.2 The traditional chestnut orchards 197

15.3 The chestnut groves of the Bolognese Apennines 198

15.4 A changing world: abandonment, diseases and other problems 199

15.5 The turning point of the 1980s 199

15.6 Current constraints and future perspectives 200

15.7 References 203

Chapter 16 Claudius’ Coin in the Forest – Niche Construction and Strategies by Early Colonizers of Boreal Inlands in Central Scandinavia 207
Ove ERIKSSON and Karl-Johan LINDHOLM

16.1 Introduction 207

16.2 Concepts and theoretical framework 210

16.3 A historical overview of the colonization 211

16.4 A structured landscape 212

16.4.1 Constructing the environment 212

16.4.2 Managing livestock 213

16.4.3 Shielings (secondary farms) 214

16.5 Concluding remarks 216

16.6 References 217

Chapter 17 Recent History of Vegetation Changes in the Arctic 221
Antoine BECKER-SCARPITTA, Bastien PARISY and Tomas ROSLIN

17.1 Introduction 221

17.2 The Arctic tundra biome 222

17.3 The Arctic historical ecological archive 222

17.3.1 Remote sensing over time 223

17.3.2 Field-based records 223

17.4 Changes over time in tundra vegetation 225

17.4.1 Changes in vegetation productivity 225

17.4.2 Changes in vegetation phenology 226

17.4.3 Changes in plant community structure, composition and diversity 227

17.5 Synthesis and perspectives 229

17.6 References 230

Chapter 18 Reconstructing the Impact of Humans on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Biodiversity 233
Nicolas J RAWLENCE, Alexander J.F VERRY, Karen GREIG, Justin J MAXWELL, Lara D SHEPHERD and Richard WALTER

18.1 Introduction 233

18.2 Archaeological evidence for anthropogenic impact in New Zealand 234

18.3 Paleovegetation change in pre- and post-European contact New Zealand 237

18.4 Utilizing Aotearoa’s natural resources: Māori cultivation and translocation of flora and fauna 239

18.5 Evolutionary consequences of Polynesian and European arrival 240

18.6 Conclusion 243

18.7 References 243

Chapter 19 Historical Ecology of the Coastal Aeolian Sedimentary Systems of the Canary Islands 247
Aarón Moisés SANTANA-CORDERO, Antonio Ignacio HERNÁNDEZ-CORDERO, Néstor MARRERO-RODRÍGUEZ, Leví GARCÍA-ROMERO, Elisabet FERNÁNDEZ-CABRERA, Carolina PEÑA-ALONSO, Emma PÉREZ-CHACÓN ESPINO and Luis HERNÁNDEZ-CALVENTO

19.1 Introduction 247

19.2 Study sites 248

19.3 Historical evolution of the coastal aeolian sedimentary systems of the Canary Islands 251

19.3.1 19th century: territorial consolidation and spread of the agrarian socioeconomic system 252

19.3.2 20th century to the present day: the tourism transformation 253

19.4 Conclusion 255

19.5 References 256

Chapter 20 Historical Forest Microclimates 259
Emiel DE LOMBAERDE, Karen DE PAUW, Pallieter DE SMEDT, Jonathan LENOIR, Camille MEEUSSEN, Thomas VANNESTE, Kris VERHEYEN, Florian ZELLWEGER and Pieter DE FRENNE

20.1 Drivers of microclimate at the plot, forest and landscape scale 261

20.2 Methods to infer microclimate from the past and predict into the future 265

20.3 Why do historical microclimates matter? Impacts on biodiversity from the plot to landscape scale 268

20.4 Conclusion 270

20.5 References 270

Chapter 21 Causes and Consequences of Extinction Debts: Perspectives for Historical Ecology and Biological Conservation 273
Grégoire BLANCHARD and François MUNOZ

21.1 Introduction 273

21.2 Causes and processes entailing extinction debts 274

21.3 Studying and detecting extinction debts from ecosystem history 276

21.4 Implications for biodiversity conservation and management 280

21.5 Conclusion 281

21.6 References 282

Chapter 22 Historical Ecology for the Past and the Future: Organizing at Local and Regional Scales 285
Carole L CRUMLEY

22.1 Introduction 285

22.2 Founding IHOPE 286

22.3 Integrating the social sciences and humanities 287

22.4 Historical ecology 288

22.5 Conclusion 290

22.6 References 291

List of Authors 295

Index 301

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