Ancient DNA Reveals Pre-Columbian Amazonian Forest Management at Scale
Levis C, Costa F, Clement C
Soil Health
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because ancient farmers chose, planted, and tended them, reframing every wild food forest as a potential model for sustainable growing today.
Scientists drilled into ancient lake and river sediments at 12 locations in the Amazon and found preserved DNA from dozens of trees that humans had domesticated — meaning people selected and grew them on purpose. These trees clustered around old villages and match the forests still growing on 'dark earth' soils created by centuries of human habitation. Far from being untouched wilderness, the Amazon has been a managed, human-shaped landscape for thousands of years.
Key Findings
Ancient DNA from 12 sediment core sites identified 38 domesticated tree species concentrated near pre-Columbian settlement sites.
Forest management by indigenous peoples dates back at least 4,500 years, predating European contact by millennia.
Species composition in ancient cores directly matches today's 'dark earth' (terra preta) forests, confirming continuity between ancient cultivation and modern forest structure.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Ancient DNA extracted from Amazonian sediment cores shows that indigenous peoples deliberately cultivated and managed at least 38 tree species across the landscape for more than 4,500 years — meaning the Amazon 'wilderness' is, in large part, a vast inherited garden.
Abstract Preview
Sediment cores from 12 sites contain aDNA of 38 domesticated tree species concentrated near pre-Columbian settlements. Species composition matches modern 'dark earth' forests, confirming indigenous...
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