The Lowland Maya Area: Three Millennia at the Human-Wildland Interface

Inhaltsverzeichnis

* About the Editors * Contributors * Foreword * Acknowledgments *
Part I: Introduction *
Chapter 1. Research Challenges for the Lowland Maya Area: An Introduction *
Part II: The Biological and Physical Environment *
Chapter 2. The Changing Global Environment and the Lowland Maya: Past Patterns and Current Dynamics * Introduction * Past Environments and the Yucatan Peninsula * The El Eden Tropical Seasonal Forest: Current Ecosystem Structure * Ecosystem Dynamics: Current versus Past * Current and Projected Environmental Change and the Yucatan Peninsula * Conclusion *
Chapter 3. In the Beginning: Early Events in the Development of Mesoamerica and the Lowland Maya Area * Introduction * Geologic History * Climatic History * Vegetational History * Conclusion *
Chapter 4. Paleolimnological Approaches for Inferring Past Climate Change in the Maya Region: Recent Advances and Methodological Limitations * Introduction * Theoretical Basis for Isotope-Based Paleoclimate Studies * Choosing a Study Site * Complementary Sediment Proxies * Results and Discussion *
Chapter 5. Rhythms of Precipitation in the Yucatan Peninsula * Introduction * Experimental Details * Normal Conditions for the Yucatan Peninsula * Yucatan in the Context of SPI-12 of All Mexico * Periodicity * Typical Patterns * Conclusion *
Chapter 6. Structure and Diversity of the Forests at the El Eden Ecological Reserve * Introduction * Study Area * Methods and Materials * Results * Discussion *
Chapter 7. Hydrogeology of the Yucatan Peninsula * General Geology of the Northern Yucatan Peninsula * Soils * Regional Hydrogeology * Evaporites/Breccia As a Source of Geochemical Tracers * Coastal Region * Origin of the Coastal Lagoons * Other Studies * Conclusion *
Chapter 8. Depression Soils in the Lowland Tropics of Northwestern Belize: Anthropogenic and Natural Origins * Introduction * Environments * Holocene Human-Environment Relations * Soils * Methods * Soil Findings: Physical and Chemical Characteristics * Soil Excavations Around La Milpa * Alluvial Lowlands: Dos Hombres and Sierra de Agua Surveys * Interpretation: Radiocarbon Dates * Environmental Change and Bajo Aggradation * Hypotheses About Soil Profile Deformation * Conclusion *
Chapter 9. Interaction of Microorganisms with Maya Archaeological Materials * Introduction * Microbial Biofilm Formation * Microbiology of Maya Archaeological Structures * Material Degradation Process and Analysis * Effects of Air Pollution * Preventative Measures * Conclusion *
Chapter 10. Impacts of Hurricanes on the Forests of Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico * Introduction * Hurricanes on the Yucatan Peninsula * Methods * Results * Discussion *
Part III: Biodiversity *
Chapter 11. The Role of Periphyton in the Regulation and Supply of Nutrients in a Wetland at El Eden, Quintana Roo * Introduction * Study Area and Sampling Methods * Laboratory Methods and Materials * Results * Discussion * Conclusion *
Chapter 12. Distribution and Ecology of Myxomycetes in the Forests of Yucatan * Introduction * Study Area * Methods and Materials * Results * Discussion *
Chapter 13. A Preliminary Assessment of the Butterfly Fauna of El Eden Ecological Reserve: Species Richness and Habitat Preferences * Introduction * Methods * Results * Discussion * Appendix: Checklist of the Butterflies at El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico *
Chapter 14. Diversity of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) at El Eden Ecological Reserve, Mexico * Introduction * How Many Species of Chalcidoidea? * How Many Species in Mexico? * Species Richness at El Eden * Species Richness in Central America * Where Do We Go from Here? * Conclusion *
Chapter 15. Diversity and Habitat Associations of the Ants (Insecta: Formicidae) of El Eden Ecological Reserve * Introduction * Materials and Methods * Results * Discussion * Appendix: List of the Ant Species Collected at El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico *
Chapter 16. The "Nonmarine" Mollusks of the Yucatan Peninsula: A Review * Introduction * Yucatan * Quintana Roo * Campeche * Low Species Richness versus High Species Richness * Subsistence Studies in the Maya Region * Summary *
Chapter 17. Fungi in the Maya Culture: Past, Present, and Future * Introduction * Knowledge in the Past * Mycological and Ethnomycological Studies in the Maya Area * The Project on the Fungi of El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana Roo *
Chapter 18. Moss Distribution in the Yucatan Peninsula * Introduction * Method * Results * Discussion *
Part IV: Agriculture *
Chapter 19. Archaeological Evidence for Ancient and Historic Resource Use Associated with the El Eden Wetland, Northern Quintana Roo, Mexico * Introduction * Wetlands of the Yalahau Region * Previous Studies of Wetland Use in the Northern Maya Lowlands * Survey Methods * Results * Interpretation * Conclusion *
Chapter 20. Three Millennia in the Southern Yucatan Peninsula: Implications for Occupancy, Use, and Carrying Capacity * Introduction * The Concept of Carrying Capacity * Carrying Capacity and the Southern Yucatan Peninsular Region * Environmental Impacts * Three Millennia Clues *
Chapter 21. Periphyton As a Potential Biofertilizer in Intensive Agriculture of the Ancient Maya * Introduction * Materials and Methods * Results and Discussion * Conclusions *
Chapter 22. Initial Evidence for Use of Periphyton As an Agricultural Fertilizer by the Ancient Maya Associated with the El Eden Wetland, Northern Quintana Roo, Mexico * Introduction * The Yalahau Wetlands * Makabil * Topography of El Eden * Searching for Periphyton at Makabil * Results * Discussion *
Chapter 23. Domestication and Distribution of the Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L.) in Mesoamerica * Introduction * Taxonomic Background * Diversity of Cacao in Ancient Mesoamerica * The Distribution of T. cacao * Do Wild Populations of T. cacao Exist in Mexico? * The Cultivation of T. cacao in South America * Conclusion *
Chapter 24. The Domestication of Henequen (Agave fourcroydes Lem.) * Introduction * Materials and Methods * Results and Discussion *
Chapter 25. Bioprospection Studies at El Eden: From Plants to Fungi * Introduction * El Eden Ecological Reserve * Studies on Plants * Studies on Fungi * Conclusion *
Chapter 26. Ancient and Contemporary Maya Conceptions About Field and Forest * The Ordered World * The Forest Wilds * The Wilderness and the Classic Maya Political Landscape * The Forest and Supernatural Power * Conclusion *
Part V: Plants and People *
Chapter 27. Geographical and Historical Variation in Hurricanes Across the Yucatan Peninsula * Introduction * Methods * Results and Discussion *
Chapter 28. Anthropogenic Vegetation: A Garden Experiment in the Maya Lowlands * Introduction and Overview: The Garden Experiment * The Commons Setting * Agroforestry Behaviors * Mental Models of Folk Ecology * Communication Networks * Different Values * Conclusion: Spiritual Games *
Chapter 29. Traditional Knowledge of Plant Resources * Introduction * History of Research * Chunhuhub: Uses for Plants * Plant Classification * Managing Plants * Conclusion *
Chapter 30. The Tropical Forest Action Program: A Different Way to Handle the Management and Conservation of Natural Resources * Introduction * The Role of PROAFT A.C. * Conclusion *
Chapter 31. The (Almost) Forgotten Plants of Yucatan * Introduction * Indigenous Plants * Nonindigenous Plants * Conclusion *
Chapter 32. From Milpero and Lunero to Henequenero: A Transition to Capitalism in Yucatan, Mexico * Introduction * Henequen Production: Social and Natural Conditions * Demography and Social Organization of the Henequen Hacienda * From Lunero to Henequenero * Conclusion *
Part VI: The Future *
Chapter 33. Restoration of Tropical Seasonal Forest in Quintana Roo * Introduction * Restoration Goals * Disturbance and Succession in Seasonal Tropical Forest * Restoration Experiments at El Eden *
Chapter 34. The School of Ecological Agriculture: A Viable Liaison Between Campesinos and Researchers in the Yucatan Peninsula * Introduction * Background * Organization of the SEA * Highlights and Lessons Learned *
Chapter 35. HabitatNet: Conducting Biodiversity Research with Secondary-School Science Classes * Introduction * Methods * Study Areas * Results * Discussion *
Part VII: Summary of Recommendations *
Chapter 36. The Maya Lowlands: A Case Study for the Future? Conclusions * Introduction * Mosaics * Biodiversity * Climate * Collapse * Population Density * Food * Persistence, Recovery, and Sustainability * Synthesis * Index * Reference Notes Included