ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Models in Ecology and Evolution
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1625887
This article is part of the Research TopicMulti- And Super-Disciplinary Approaches to Plant Si and Phytolith ResearchView all 3 articles
Down with the roots. Phytoliths as biocultural traces in historical olive agroecosystems of Sicily
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Faculty of Arts, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- 2Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- 3Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council, Palermo, Italy
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Within the multidisciplinary framework of historical ecology, in this study plant morphology, oral history, and soil analyses are combined with phytoliths to reconstruct shifts in management and environment of historical and living olive agroecosystems on the island of Sicily (Italy). The use of phytoliths in the study of historical agroecosystems is still a developing field. We present the collaborative work done on three historical olive agroecosystems (Bosco Pisano, a wild olive wood; Cozzo del Lampo, a Mediterranean olive orchard; Malìa, remnant of past agroforestry), where we have collected and analyzed phytolith assemblages to trace correlations between environmental dynamics and (agri)culture, as unfolding over the latest six millennia. We demonstrate that the cumulative ecological legacies in historical agroecosystems are traceable through phytolith analyses. Bosco Pisano allows for a calibration of the tree cover density, based on phytolith evidence. Meanwhile, Cozzo del Lampo and Malìa have evolved from a shrubland-type of environment to fruit gardens and open grasslands, with establishment of olive trees in between as key vegetation elements. Both these examples show the longevity of combined land uses, especially the grazing adapted olive cultivation in Malìa. In gaining clues on clear variations in land use, as abandonment and intensification, our results demonstrate that phytoliths can shed light also in local past intercultural exchange of knowledge. The integrated methodology presented here allows to appreciate how the biological and cultural diversity in historical agroecosystems has shaped their current state and inspires present-future management.
Keywords: plant morphology1, Olea2, past analogues3, biocultural heritage4, soil analysis5, historical ecology6, land use change7
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ferrara, Sala, Garfì, Mantia and Ekblom. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Vincenza Ferrara, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Faculty of Arts, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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