Amelioration of habitat since the early Holocene contributed to the origin of agriculture in the farming-pastoral zone of northern China

The origin of agriculture in the farming-pastoral zone of northern China remains in dispute.The central region of the Inner Mongolia Plateau is located in the core area of the farming-pastoral zone;thus,it is a critical region for exploring the origin of the dryland farming system in northern China.This study selected the Yumin Site and Banan Site,which belong to the Yumin Culture-the beginning of Neolithic culture in Inner Mongolia-as the research objects.Based on the quartz optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)dating on the sedimentary sections from the Yumin site(YM)and Banan site(BN1 and BN2),the Holocene chronology framework of each section was established.After that,by identifying carbonized grains in the Yumin site and the multi-proxy analysis of each section,we investigated the relationship between the origin of agriculture and climate change in this region.The results revealed that the timing of the origin of agriculture recorded in the Yumin site lagged behind the timing of a significant increase of precipitation during the early Holocene but coincided with the timing of a significant increase of vegetation around 8.4 ka.This phenomenon was further confirmed by the published high-resolution paleoenvironmental records from the surrounding area of the Yumin Culture.We propose that with the gradual amelioration of hydrothermal conditions since the beginning of the Holocene,the regional ecosystem had been improved,resulting in the gradual conversion of the land surface from infertile sand to organic-rich soil,providing an appropriate environmental foundation for the origin of dryland farming in northern China around 8.4 ka.This study highlighted that the“accumulative environmental effects”during the early Holocene played a vital role in the origin of agriculture in northern China and provided a reference for agricultural management in the context of future climate change.

约4900年前东亚和东南亚枢纽地区狩猎采集向农业的转变

The southward expansion of East Asian farmers profoundly influenced the social evolution of Southeast Asia by introducing cereal agriculture.However,the timing and routes of cereal expansion in key regions are unclear due to limited empirical evidence.Here we report macrofossil,microfossil,multiple isotopic(C/N/Sr/O)and paleoproteomic data directly from radiocarbon-dated human samples,which were unearthed from a site in Xingyi in central Yunnan and which date between 7000 and 3300 a BP.Dietary isotopes reveal the earliest arrival of millet ca.4900 a BP,and greater reliance on plant and animal agriculture was indicated between 3800 and 3300 a BP.The dietary differences between hunter-gatherer and agricultural groups are also evident in the metabolic and immune system proteins analysed from their skeletal remains.The results of paleoproteomic analysis indicate that humans had divergent biological adaptations,with and without farming.The combined application of isotopes,archaeobotanical data and proteomics provides a new approach to documenting dietary and health changes across major subsistence transitions.

New methods and progress in research on the origins and evolution of prehistoric agriculture in China

China is one of the main global centers of origin of agriculture. Foxtail millet(Setaria italica), common millet(Panicum miliaceum), and rice(Oryza sativa) were the first crops to be domesticated in China. There remain many uncertainties and controversies in our current understanding of the chronology, locations, and plant types at the origins and the process of evolution of prehistoric millet and rice farming, and their relationships with climate change and human adaptation. This review summarizes the research progress made by Chinese scientists over the last decade on the origins and evolution of prehistoric agriculture. It highlights novel techniques and methods for identifying early crop remains, including plant macrofossils(carbonized seeds, spikelets), microfossils(phytoliths, calciphytoliths, starch, pollen), and biomarkers; new evidence on the origins, development, and spread of early agriculture; and research related to climate and environmental changes. Further, we pinpoint and discuss existing challenges and potential opportunities for further in-depth investigation of the origins and evolution of agriculture and the adaption of human activities to climate change.

Divergent responses of runoff to climate change in the upper basins of the Third Pole dominated by westerlies and monsoon

The diverse climates,distribution of snow and glaciers,and geographic locations directly affect the runoff response to climate change in the upper basins of the Third Pole.At present,a comprehensive analysis of runoff variations and their distinct responses to climate change in the westerlies-and monsoon-dominated upper basins is still lacking.This study comprehensively analyzed annual runoff variations in westerlies-dominated basins(the upper basins of the Aksu(UAKS),Syr Darya(USRD),Yarkant(UYK),Hotan(UHT),Amu Darya(UAMD),and Indus(UI))and monsoon-dominated basins(the upper basins of the Yangtze(UYA),Yellow(UYE),Lancang(ULC),Nujiang(UNJ),and Yarlung Zangbo(UYZ))of the Third Pole from 1961 to2015.Using multi-source meteorological data and large-scale circulation factors,this study investigated the divergent responses of runoff in the upper basins to climate change,and explored the large-scale circulation mechanisms underlying runoff variations in these upper basins.The results showed that:(1)The annual runoff in the majority of upper basins(except for the UYE and UYZ)exhibited an increasing trend,and the annual runoff in the UAKS,UYK,and UI showed a significant increasing trend from1961 to 2015.The annual runoff in the upper basins of the Third Pole changed abruptly from decreasing to increasing between the 1980s and 2000s,with the exception of the UYE.(2)The runoff in the monsoon-dominated upper basins has been controlled primarily by changes in precipitation over the past 55 years.In contrast,the runoff in the westerlies-dominated upper basins exhibited three distinct long-term responses to climate change:temperature-dominated(UYK and UHT),precipitation-dominated(USRD and UAMD),and the combined influence of precipitation and temperature(UAKS and UI).Since the 1960s,the sensitivity of runoff to warm season temperature changes in the most westerlies-dominated upper basins has decreased,while the response of runoff to precipitation changes has intensified.(3)The study revealed the connection between large-scale circulation,climate,and runoff in the upper basins of the Third Pole.The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation,the Westerly Index,and the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation predominantly impact the precipitation or temperature in the upper basins of the Third Pole,which in turn affect the runoff variations in the upper basins dominated by either the westerlies or the monsoon.This study will be a valuable scientific reference for water resource management and climate change adaptation for both the westerlies-and monsoon-dominated upper basins in the Third Pole.

Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene

It is generally recognized that millet agriculture originated in northern China. However, the domestication process of foxtail millet(Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet(Panicum miliaceum) is still poorly understood. Based on statistical and morphological analyses of ancient millet starch grains, a tangible hypothesis has been proposed for the long-term domestication of green foxtail millet(S. viridis). However, the hypothesis requires validation by evidence from more regions and more archaeological finds. The West Liaohe region is one of the earliest regions of millet cultivation. Here, we report ancient starch grains recovered from 12 stone grinding tools from eight sites of the Xiaohexi culture(before 8.5 ka BP), Xinglongwa culture(8.2–7.4 ka BP), Zhaobaogou culture(7.0–6.4 ka BP), and Hongshan culture(6.5–5.0 ka BP) in the West Liaohe region of China. Our results indicate that the proportion of millet starch grains with wrinkled surfaces and rough edges, which are diagnostic of wild millet grasses, decreased from 13.0% to 3.4% from the Xiaohexi culture to the Hongshan culture. Millet starch grains measuring >16.8 ?m, a size class recorded only in domesticated foxtail millet, increased from 55.0% to 62.1%. These millet data imply that the process of millet domestication in the West Liaohe region began in the Xiaohexi period and continued up to the Hongshan period.