PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
This study aimed to reconstruct the environmental conditions and the crop management practices and plant characteristics when agriculture appeared in western Europe. We analyzed oak charcoal and a large number of cereal caryopsides recovered from La Draga (Girona, Spain), an early (5300 to 4800 cal. BC) agricultural site from the Iberian Peninsula. The carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) values of oak, the dominant forest species in the region, indicates prevalence of a wet climate at the site. Further, we reconstructed crop management conditions, achievable yield, and crop characteristics through the analysis of Δ13C, nitrogen isotope composition (δ15N), nitrogen content, and the reconstructed weight of wheat and barley caryopsides, following protocols developed by our team [Araus et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 3953 (2014)] and comparison of these parameters with present-day organic agriculture in the region. In parallel, a regional perspective was achieved through the study of wheat and barley grains of seventeen Neolithic sites from the western Mediterranean. The results suggest that rather than small-garden cultivation, a more extensive agriculture was practiced under good water availability and moderate manuring. Moreover, results from La Draga evidence that grain weight and spike morphology were comparable to contemporary cereals. Growing conditions and the prevalence of improved crop traits indicate that agriculture was fairly consolidated at the time it reached the western edge of Europe.
摘要：
这项研究旨在重建西欧农业出现时的环境条件，作物管理实践和植物特征。我们分析了从LaDraga（Girona，西班牙),早期(5300至4800卡。BC）伊比利亚半岛的农业遗址。橡木的碳同位素识别(Δ13C)值，该地区的优势森林物种，表示现场气候潮湿。Further,我们重建了作物管理条件，可实现的产量，通过对Δ13C的分析和作物特性，氮同位素组成(δ15N)，氮含量，以及重新构建的小麦和大麦圆周石的重量，遵循我们团队开发的协议[Araus等人。,纳特。Commun.5，3953（2014）]，并将这些参数与该地区当今的有机农业进行比较。并行,通过研究地中海西部17个新石器时代遗址的小麦和大麦谷物，获得了区域视角。结果表明，而不是小花园种植，在良好的水资源供应和适度的肥料下，实行了更广泛的农业。此外，LaDraga的结果表明，谷物重量和穗形态与当代谷物相当。生长条件和改良作物性状的流行表明，农业在到达欧洲西部边缘时已相当巩固。
