2024-03-29T14:02:09Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/280222018-07-26T11:25:23Zcom_10261_24com_10261_8col_10261_277
Paleoecology of Easter Island: Evidence and uncertainties
Rull, Valentí
Cañellas-Boltà, Núria
Sáez, Alberto
Giralt, Santiago
Pla, Sergi
Margalef, Olga
Rapa Nui
palynology
Pleistocene
Holocene
Palms
Deforestation
Islands
Pacific Ocean
11 p.
[EN] The existence of palm-dominated forests covering the island since the last glaciation and the recent
deforestation by humans are paradigmatic in Easter Island's paleoecological reconstructions. The timing and
mode of the deforestation are controversial, but there is general agreement that it actually occurred, and it is
often given as an example of a human-induced environmental catastrophe with philosophical implications
for the future of the whole planet. To evaluate whether this is the only well-supported hypothesis or if there
might be other scenarios compatible with the paleoecological data, this paper reviews all the available
evidence on past vegetation changes on Easter Island. The discussion is centered on three main points: 1) the
alleged nature and extension of the former forests, 2) the taxonomic identity of the dominant palms, and 3)
the nature of the recent ecological changes leading to a treeless island. The potential causes of the assumed
deforestation are beyond the scope of this study. Concerning the first point, palynological and
anthracological results obtained so far are not only compatible with a forested island, but also with other
scenarios, for example a mosaic vegetation pattern with forests restricted to sites with a high freshwater
table (gallery forests), which are mostly around the permanent lakes and along the coasts. With regard to
palm identity, some extant species have been proposed as potential candidates, but the palms that
dominated these forests seem to have become extinct and their identity remains unknown. The existence of
a sedimentary hiatus around the dates of forest decline complicates the picture and reinforces the possibility
of climatic changes. It is concluded that the hypothesis of a previously forested island has yet to be
demonstrated. Therefore, the recent ecological disaster, human-induced or not, is still speculative. Several
types of future studies are proposed for a better understanding of Easter Island's ecological history,
including: modern analog studies from similar situations, pollen dispersal modeling, high-resolution multiproxy
studies along the cores obtained so far, more coring campaigns in the search for older sediments, and
DNA and isotopic analyses of plant remains for taxonomic identification purposes
Peer reviewed
2010-09-28T06:59:45Z
2010-09-28T06:59:45Z
2010
artículo
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Earth-Science Reviews 99: 50–60 (2010)
0012-8252
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/28022
10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.02.003
en
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.02.003
none
631056 bytes
application/pdf
Elsevier