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OverviewWe often envision the New World before the arrival of the Europeans as a land of pristine natural beauty and undisturbed environments. However, David Lentz offers an alternative view by detailing the impact of native cultures on these ecosystems prior to their contact with Europeans. Drawing on a wide range of experts from the fields of paleoclimatology, historical ecology, paleontology, botany, geology, conservation science, and resource management, this book unlocks the secret of how the Western Hemisphere's indigenous inhabitants influenced and transformed their natural environment. A rare combination of collaborators uncovers the changes that took place in North America, Mexico, Central America, the Andes, and Amazonia. Each section of the book has been comprehensively arranged so that a botanical description of the natural vegetation of the region is coupled with a set of case studies outlining local human influences. From modifications of vegetation, to changes in soil, wildlife, microclimate, hydrology, and the land surface itself, this collection addresses one of the great issues of our time: the human modification of the earth. Full Product DetailsAuthor: David L. LentzPublisher: Columbia University Press Imprint: Columbia University Press Dimensions: Width: 18.20cm , Height: 3.40cm , Length: 26.00cm Weight: 1.150kg ISBN: 9780231111560ISBN 10: 0231111568 Pages: 788 Publication Date: 05 September 2000 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Out of Print Availability: Out of stock  Table of Contents4. Anthropocentric Food Webs in the Precolumbian Americas, by David L. Lentz 3. Vegetation in the Floristic Regions of North and Central America, by Andrew M. Greller 2. Climate Changes in the Northern American Tropics and Subtropics since the Last Ice Age: Implications for Environment and Culture, by David A. Hodell, Mark Brenner, and Jason H. Curtis 1. Introduction: Definitions and Conceptual Underpinnings, by David L. Lentz Foreword, by William Denevan Summary and Conclusions 15. The Lower Amazon: A Dynamic Human Habitat, by Anna C. Roosevelt 14. Lowland Vegetation of Tropical South America--An Overview, by Douglas Daly and John Mitchell 13. Andean Land Use at the Cusp of History, by Terence N. D'Altroy 12. The Lake Titicaca Basin: A Precolumbian Built Landscape, by Clark L. Erickson 11. Vegetation of the Tropical Andes, by James Luteyn and Steven Churchill 10. Hohokam Impacts on Sonoran Desert Environment, by Suzanne Fish 9. Native Farming Systems and Ecosystems in the Mississippi River Valley, by Gayle J. Fritz 8. Precolumbian Silviculture and Indigenous Management of Neotropical Forests, by Charles Peters 7. Stability and Instability in Prehispanic May a Landscapes, by Nicholas Dunning and Timothy Beach 6. Prehispanic Water Management and Agricultural Intensification in Mexico and Venezuela: Implications for Contemporary Ecological Planning, by Charles S. Spencer 5. Prehispanic Agricultural Systems in the Basin of Mexico, by Emily McClung de TapiaReviewsThe combination of articles and examples in [this] book is able to draw a picture of pre-Columbians as integral and influential parts and components of the landscape. The volume brings together natural scientists, archaeologists, and cultural ecologists to investigate the interaction between natural systems and human intervention. Such a combination is rarely seen in this comprehensive manner. Author InformationDavid Lentz is director of the graduate studies program at The New York Botanical Garden. He is the author or coauthor of and contributor to more than fifty scholarly articles and books. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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