Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island
Fires play a significant role in ecosystems, exerting a profound influence on climate, vegetation, and geochemical cycles, while being reciprocally affected by these factors. The reconstruction of past fire events serves as a valuable window into understanding environmental changes over time. To inv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1320539/full |
| _version_ | 1797300317341089792 |
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| author | Zhigang Wang Zhigang Wang Cuiping Wang Yao Zhang Yuanyu Cheng Shaofang Ren Chengxin Yi Hui Wang Limin Zhou Peng Qian Xiangmin Zheng |
| author_facet | Zhigang Wang Zhigang Wang Cuiping Wang Yao Zhang Yuanyu Cheng Shaofang Ren Chengxin Yi Hui Wang Limin Zhou Peng Qian Xiangmin Zheng |
| author_sort | Zhigang Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fires play a significant role in ecosystems, exerting a profound influence on climate, vegetation, and geochemical cycles, while being reciprocally affected by these factors. The reconstruction of past fire events serves as a valuable window into understanding environmental changes over time. To investigate the history of ancient fires on the Eastern Coast of China, we conducted the first charcoal analysis on a loess profile of Shengshan Island (East China Sea). Along with other biological and geochemical proxies, we successfully reconstructed the ancient fire dynamics and elucidated their driving mechanisms in this region since the Late Pleistocene. Our initial findings revealed a peak in charcoal concentration during the 60-50 ka period, but after calibrating for sedimentation rate, the concentration significantly decreased. Fire activities remained weak during 50-30 ka, likely due to the scarcity of combustible materials. Between 30-12 ka, fires were frequent in the early period, while gradually diminishing during the later stage. Dry climate and dense vegetation likely attributed to frequent fires in early period, while some extreme events (e.g., sudden change in temperature) may have decreased the fire frequency in later period. The Holocene (began ~12 ka) evidenced the most frequent fire events as a high charcoal concentration was recorded, likely caused by human activities. After comparing our findings with other paleoecological records from surrounding areas, we confirmed the accuracy of our reconstruction of ancient fires. This reconstruction captures not only local shifts but also broader regional changes. Overall, our study highlights the importance of calibrating sedimentation rate in charcoal profiles, while also contributing to an enhanced understanding of environmental changes along the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:05:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d44029927dfb44a3bcebc47986f20e60 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:05:32Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-d44029927dfb44a3bcebc47986f20e602024-02-22T05:10:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2024-02-011210.3389/fevo.2024.13205391320539Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan IslandZhigang Wang0Zhigang Wang1Cuiping Wang2Yao Zhang3Yuanyu Cheng4Shaofang Ren5Chengxin Yi6Hui Wang7Limin Zhou8Peng Qian9Xiangmin Zheng10The Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaPolar Terrestrial Environmental Systems Research Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, GermanyThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, ChinaDepartment of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaThe School of Geography, Nantong University, Nantong, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Geo-information Science of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaFires play a significant role in ecosystems, exerting a profound influence on climate, vegetation, and geochemical cycles, while being reciprocally affected by these factors. The reconstruction of past fire events serves as a valuable window into understanding environmental changes over time. To investigate the history of ancient fires on the Eastern Coast of China, we conducted the first charcoal analysis on a loess profile of Shengshan Island (East China Sea). Along with other biological and geochemical proxies, we successfully reconstructed the ancient fire dynamics and elucidated their driving mechanisms in this region since the Late Pleistocene. Our initial findings revealed a peak in charcoal concentration during the 60-50 ka period, but after calibrating for sedimentation rate, the concentration significantly decreased. Fire activities remained weak during 50-30 ka, likely due to the scarcity of combustible materials. Between 30-12 ka, fires were frequent in the early period, while gradually diminishing during the later stage. Dry climate and dense vegetation likely attributed to frequent fires in early period, while some extreme events (e.g., sudden change in temperature) may have decreased the fire frequency in later period. The Holocene (began ~12 ka) evidenced the most frequent fire events as a high charcoal concentration was recorded, likely caused by human activities. After comparing our findings with other paleoecological records from surrounding areas, we confirmed the accuracy of our reconstruction of ancient fires. This reconstruction captures not only local shifts but also broader regional changes. Overall, our study highlights the importance of calibrating sedimentation rate in charcoal profiles, while also contributing to an enhanced understanding of environmental changes along the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1320539/fullShengshan IslandLate Pleistoceneancient firescharcoalclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Zhigang Wang Zhigang Wang Cuiping Wang Yao Zhang Yuanyu Cheng Shaofang Ren Chengxin Yi Hui Wang Limin Zhou Peng Qian Xiangmin Zheng Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Shengshan Island Late Pleistocene ancient fires charcoal climate change |
| title | Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island |
| title_full | Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island |
| title_fullStr | Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island |
| title_short | Fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the Eastern Coast of China since the Late Pleistocene: evidence from charcoal records on Shengshan Island |
| title_sort | fire dynamics and driving mechanisms on the eastern coast of china since the late pleistocene evidence from charcoal records on shengshan island |
| topic | Shengshan Island Late Pleistocene ancient fires charcoal climate change |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1320539/full |
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