Human occupation and ecosystem change on Upolu (Samoa) during the Holocene

Aim

To track the peopling of the South Pacific and assess their impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Location

Upolu, Samoa.

Taxon

Ancient charcoal, pollen, sprores, algae and cyanobacteria types are recorded.

Methods

A sedimentary record covering the last c. 10,500 years was recovered from the volcanic crater that contains Lake Lanoto'o near the centre of Upolu Island. Information on past ecological change was obtained from microscopic and macroscopic remains extracted from the sediments: charcoal (fire history), pollen/spores and plant remains (vegetation history), and lake status (algae/cyanobacteria). Information on the depositional environment and climate was obtained from geochemical and sedimentary analysis: loss‐on‐ignition (sediment composition), cryptotephras (volcanic eruptions) and precipitation regime (Ti/inc). The environmental history developed was compared with the archaeological record from the region.

Results

Charcoa...