Charcoal morphotypes as indicators of fire fuel types and fire events along eight centuries in east-central Mexico

Abstract

The study of fire and charcoal production in tropical mesophytic ecosystems provides valuable insights into the ecological and climatic history of these systems. The diverse vegetation produces charcoal in various forms and sizes, which influences its dispersion and provides key information about fire dynamics. In this study, we used an approximately 850-year sedimentary charcoal record extracted from Lake Atezca in east-central Mexico to reconstruct the history of fire activity, including frequency and intensity. We present innovative information on charcoal morphotypes to interpret fire regimes, identify the types of vegetation burned and analyze human impact. The results reveal a shift in fire regimes during the Spanish Conquest, transitioning from local-scale burning associated with intensive wood burning for indigenous agriculture to regional-scale burning characterized by the burning of herbs and grasses linked to the expansion of extensive livestock grazing. This transition is reflected in the decrease of wood charcoal and the increase of smaller particles, as well as in the rise in titanium in the sediments, indicating greater landscape alteration. The evolution of fire regimes in Lake Atezca was driven primarily by human activities since pre-Hispanic times, although climatic factors, such as severe droughts, may have also influenced fire activity.