The Emptied Amazon · claim AMZ-C033 · Observation rung · Engineered landscapes and dark earths
The occurrence and/or abundance of 53 of the 79 domesticated tree species identified across 1,676 forest plots showed significant association with the predictive model of earthwork distribution.
Not featured in the current editionAI-extractedorigin: split of AMZ-C031 (report 2026-09-10-report-pre-columbian-amazon-183738)
source anchor
[p. 9] via open-access accepted manuscript (White Rose eprints)
“53 of the 79 domesticated species showed significant association”
Evidence
▲Supports· moderateAMZ-E040
53 of 79 domesticated tree species significantly associated with modelled earthwork probability — part 2
- what the source states
- The occurrence and/or abundance of "53 of the 79 domesticated species showed significant association" with the predictive model of earthwork distribution.
- what we infer
- Corroborates AMZ-C008's tree-domestication leg with a different response variable (modelled earthwork probability rather than distance to known sites), but the species list is Levis et al. 2017's own and the authors overlap, so this is not independent of SRC-LEVIS-2017; the McMichael 2017 post-Columbian-management objection (AMZ-E013) applies equally here.
- limitations
- Association with a modelled probability surface, not with dated archaeological sites.
- Same species list and overlapping authorship as SRC-LEVIS-2017; not an independent group.
- Cannot separate pre- from post-Columbian management (see AMZ-E013).
▲Supports· moderateAMZ-E041
53 of 79 domesticated tree species significantly associated with modelled earthwork probability — part 5
- what the source states
- The 53 domesticated tree species significantly associated with earthwork occurrence probability are "likely suggesting past management practices" by pre-Columbian societies.
- what we infer
- Corroborates AMZ-C008's tree-domestication leg with a different response variable (modelled earthwork probability rather than distance to known sites), but the species list is Levis et al. 2017's own and the authors overlap, so this is not independent of SRC-LEVIS-2017; the McMichael 2017 post-Columbian-management objection (AMZ-E013) applies equally here.
- limitations
- Association with a modelled probability surface, not with dated archaeological sites.
- Same species list and overlapping authorship as SRC-LEVIS-2017; not an independent group.
- Cannot separate pre- from post-Columbian management (see AMZ-E013).
an honest empty state
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