Amazon’s 2000 + years old Hidden Dark Earth Holds Key to sustainable Future Preservation
The Amazon rainforest is in peril. Deforestation, climate change, and overexploitation of natural resources are pushing the world’s largest tropical rainforest to the brink of collapse. However, new research suggests that traditional knowledge of the Amazonian people, particularly their use of Amazonian dark earth (ADE), could help restore the health of the rainforest.
Enriching Nutrient-Impoverished Land
Around 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, the Amerindians enriched nutrient-impoverished land with compost, charcoal, bone, clay, and manure, creating a black, fertile soil known as Amazonian dark earth (ADE). Today, ADE nourishes riverbanks and other regions of the Amazon with minerals like magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, and calcium, providing the perfect habitat for microorganisms.
Beneficial to Plant Health and Growth
ADE is beneficial to plant health and growth, and it is why native people in the Amazon have planted food in dark soils for centuries. ADE contains microorganisms that are better at transforming soil particles into nutrients that can be taken up by plants, providing more resources for plant development.
Experiment on ADE
Scientists from the University of São Paulo, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, and the National Institute for Amazonian Research in Brazil conducted an experiment on ADE to determine if it could help an ecosystem’s transition from pasture to rainforest. They grew grasses in pots containing control soil, 20 percent ADE and 80 percent control soil, or 100 percent ADE, before planting the seeds of three types of trees and watching them grow for 90 days.
Dark Soil Less Acidic and Richer in Nutrients
At the start of the experiment, the dark soil was less acidic and included more sand and silt than the control soil. It also contained 30 times more phosphorous, six times more calcium, five times more zinc, and four times more iron, carbon, and copper.
ADE for Ecological Restoration Projects
ADE can greatly improve an ecosystem’s transition from pasture to rainforest and can be used to speed up ecological restoration projects in the Amazon today. The microbial community hosted in dark soil is also more diverse compared to that in pots containing more degraded soil.
Pastureland Created at the Expense of Irreplaceable Ecosystem
Much of the deforestation that currently occurs in the Amazon is to make room for grazing cattle. But this pastureland is created at the expense of an irreplaceable ecosystem that stores huge amounts of carbon and supports a massive diversity of life forms.
Recovery of Lost Habitat
Dark earth soil could go a long way towards recovering that lost habitat, even in a warming world. The soil mix containing only 20 percent dark soil was still hugely beneficial for tree growth in a temperature-controlled greenhouse.
Small Dose of Genuine ADE
A small dose of genuine ADE mixed into degraded soil provided nearly as much plant growth as 100 percent ADE on its own under a mean temperature of 34ºC.
Trees Grew Taller in Soil Containing ADE
Some trees grew three to six times taller when planted in soils containing ADE. The primary, or colonizing, species Ambay pumpwood (Cecropia pachystachya) wouldn’t even grow if it didn’t have access to ADE and its crucial minerals.
Dark Soil is Key to Recovery
Without ADE, some trees in the Amazon may not take root at all. Dark soil may be key to their recovery, and its characteristics, particularly
Conclusion
In conclusion, the discovery of the power of Amazon’s 2,000-year-old dark earth for a sustainable future is a significant development in ecological restoration projects in the Amazon. The research suggests that dark earth soil can greatly improve an ecosystem’s transition from pasture to rainforest, and its characteristics, particularly its microorganisms, can be copied for use in future restoration projects.
The microbial community hosted in dark soil was also more diverse compared to that in pots containing more degraded soil, which can provide more resources for plant development. The use of dark earth soil may be key to recovering lost habitats in the Amazon, and its traditional knowledge could now help it recover from the catastrophic collapse it faces.
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FAQ
Q: What is Amazonian dark earth?
A: Amazonian dark earth is a black, fertile soil created by the Amerindians 2,000 to 2,500 years ago using compost, charcoal, bone, clay, and manure to enrich a nutrient-impoverished land.
Q: What are the benefits of Amazonian dark earth?
A: Dark earth soils nourish riverbanks and other regions of the Amazon with minerals like magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, and calcium, providing the perfect habitat for microorganisms. Beneficial to plant health and growth, it is why native people in the Amazon have planted food in dark soils for centuries.
Q: Can Amazonian dark earth improve the ecosystem transition from pasture to rainforest?
A: Yes, a set of experiments on Amazonian dark earth suggests these ancient soils can greatly improve an ecosystem’s transition from pasture to the rainforest.
Q: Can dark earth soil help in ecological restoration projects in the Amazon today?
A: Yes, the scientists behind the new research hope their findings can be used to speed up ecological restoration projects in the Amazon today by copying the characteristics of dark earth soil, particularly its microorganisms.
Q: What is the percentage of dark soil needed to benefit tree growth in a temperature-controlled greenhouse?
A: The soil mix containing only 20 percent dark soil was still hugely beneficial for tree growth in a temperature-controlled greenhouse.
Q: What are the nutrients present in dark earth soil?
A: Dark soil contains 30 times more phosphorous, 6 times more calcium, 5 times more zinc, and 4 times more iron, carbon, and copper than control soil.
Q: What is the primary, or colonizing, species that grow with the help of ADE?
A: The primary, or colonizing, species of Ambay pump wood (Cecropia pachystachya) grows with the help of ADE and its crucial minerals.
Q: Can trees grow without ADE?
A: The findings suggest some trees in the Amazon may not take root at all without ADE.
Q: What is the temperature range where ADE mixed into degraded soil provided nearly as much plant growth as 100 percent ADE on its own?
A: A small dose of genuine ADE mixed into degraded soil provided nearly as much plant growth as 100 percent ADE on its own under a mean temperature of 34ºC.
Q: Why is the discovery of the power of Amazon’s 2,000-year-old dark earth significant?
A: The discovery of the power of Amazon’s 2,000-year-old dark earth for a sustainable future is significant as it could help recover lost habitats in the Amazon and its traditional knowledge could now help it recover from the catastrophic collapse it faces.