Fire: How humanity has influenced ecosystems for thousands of years!

Fire: How humanity has influenced ecosystems for thousands of years!

Fire, a natural phenomenon that has shaped the earth for more than 400 million years, is crucial for the development of habitats, the carbon cycle, the climate and vegetation. A new, groundbreaking study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) breathes new life into the discussion about the role of fire in human history. For the first time, the assumption that humans only used fire as a tool relatively late in history is being questioned.

This study shows that fire was used in Eurasia over 50,000 years ago, which is 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. An international research team, including paleontologists from the Free University of Berlin analyzed a 300,000-year-old sediment core from the East China Sea. Inside they found charred plant remains that were caused by incomplete combustion. This discovery demonstrates not only early fire activity, but also an increase in fire activity in East Asia that parallels similar developments in Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Impact on people and nature

The study emphasizes that this global increase in fire correlates with the expansion of modern humans (Homo sapiens), increasing population density and increased use of fire during cold ice ages. Fire allowed early humans to cook food, improving nutrient absorption and making survival in extreme climates easier. Dr. Debo Zhao, corresponding author of the study, emphasizes that the results challenge the idea that humans only became a geological influence in the recent past.

The anthropogenic use of fire is also evident in the change in vegetation over geological time periods. Historical changes in fire regimes from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural and pastoralist societies demonstrate the profound influence of human activities on the landscape. Loud bildungsserver.hamburg.de The interactions between fire and vegetation need to be considered in a broader context: human fire practices influenced biodiversity and may have contributed to the disappearance of megafauna at the end of the last ice age.

Ecosystems on fire

Fire also plays a central role in most ecosystems. Not only is it a destroyer, but it also acts as a source of nutrients in many ways. Wildfires are typically caused by lightning strikes and can burn enormous areas, promoting both waste disposal and soil regeneration. According to information from nature.wiki, numerous plant species such as eucalyptus and pine are adapted to fire. These plants even need fire to reproduce.

In summary, current research suggests that fire is not only a natural element, but also an essential tool for human survival and development. The new study draws important connections between fire, humans and ecosystems and opens new perspectives on the influence of fire on the evolution of vegetation and environmental conditions for millions of years. The DFG-funded project on the fire history of East Africa will make another significant contribution by examining the last 600,000 years of fire history in the region.