| Towards an Understanding of Amazonian Dark Earths | p. 1 |
| Anthrosols and Amazonia | p. 1 |
| Volume Overview | p. 4 |
| Importance of the Dark Earth Investigations | p. 8 |
| History, Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives of Geoecological Research Concerning the Origin of Amazonian Anthropogenic Dark Earths (Terra Preta) | p. 9 |
| Introduction | p. 9 |
| The Paradox of the Existence of Terra Preta | p. 9 |
| Geogenic Versus Anthropogenic Formation of Terra Preta | p. 10 |
| History of Geoecological Terra Preta Research | p. 11 |
| Current Geoecological Knowledge About Terra Preta | p. 12 |
| Nutrient and Organic Matter Levels in Terra Preta Soils | p. 12 |
| Stability of the Organic Matter In Terra Preta Soils | p. 12 |
| Origin of Terra Preta Soils and Future Research Perspectives | p. 13 |
| Origin of Enhanced Organic Matter Levels | p. 13 |
| Origin of Enhanced Nutrient Levels | p. 14 |
| Conclusions | p. 15 |
| References | p. 15 |
| Evolution of the Scientific Knowledge Regarding Archaeological Black Earths of Amazonia | p. 19 |
| Introduction | p. 19 |
| Hypotheses and Proposals for the Genesis of Archaeological Black Earth Soils | p. 20 |
| General Morphological and Chemical Characteristics of ABE Sites in Amazonia | p. 22 |
| Morphological Characteristics | p. 22 |
| Chemical Characteristics | p. 22 |
| Conclusions | p. 26 |
| References | p. 27 |
| A Geographical Method for Anthrosol Characterization in Amazonia: Contributions to Method and Human Ecological Theory | p. 29 |
| Introduction | p. 29 |
| Environmental Background | p. 30 |
| Amazonian Ecosystems | p. 30 |
| Human Ecology of Amazonia | p. 30 |
| Amazonian Dark Earths | p. 32 |
| The Rio Negro | p. 33 |
| The History of Human Occupation on the Rio Negro | p. 33 |
| Material and Methods | p. 35 |
| Geographic area | p. 35 |
| Identification, Characterization, and Classification of Black Earth Sites | p. 37 |
| Site Size | p. 38 |
| Total Phosphorus | p. 38 |
| Pedological Analysis | p. 38 |
| Correlating Site Class with Access to Critical Resources | p. 39 |
| Results | p. 40 |
| Characterizationand Classification of Black Earth Sites | p. 40 |
| Assessing Relative Access to Critical Resources | p. 45 |
| Conclusions | p. 48 |
| References | p. 50 |
| Paleoriverine Features of the Amazon Lowlands: Human Use of the 'Arena Negra' Soils of Lake Charo, Northeastern Peru | p. 53 |
| Introduction | p. 53 |
| Site Location andCharacteristics | p. 54 |
| Early Use of the Yarinales | p. 57 |
| Contemporary Agriculture | p. 59 |
| Non-Agricultural Resource Use | p. 62 |
| The Challenges of Future Use | p. 62 |
| Conclusions | p. 64 |
| References | p. 65 |
| Dark Earth in the Upper Amazon | p. 67 |
| Introduction | p. 67 |
| The Formation of Dark Earth Sites | p. 68 |
| Dark Earth Sites and Settlement Density on the Central Amazon | p. 73 |
| Barrancoid Migrations Out of the Central Amazon | p. 74 |
| Barrancoid Sites on the Japurá and Caquetá Rivers | p. 77 |
| Barrancoid Sites on the Ucayali River | p. 78 |
| Polychrome Migrations Out of the Central Amazon | p. 79 |
| Polychrome Sites on the Japurá and Caquetá Rivers | p. 80 |
| Polychrome Sites on the Napo River | p. 82 |
| Polychrome Sites on the Ucayali River | p. 83 |
| Dark Earth and the Indigenous Peoples of the Japurá | p. 84 |
| Indigenous Peoples of the Japurá/Caquetá | p. 85 |
| Indigenous Peoples of the Ucayali | p. 86 |
| Tutishcainyo Tradition | p. 86 |
| Yarinacocha Tradition | p. 86 |
| Pacacocha Tradition | p. 87 |
| Cumancaya Tradition | p. 88 |
| Local Traditions on the Upper Pachitea | p. 89 |
| Indigenous Peoples of the Napo River | p. 90 |
| Conclusions | p. 90 |
| References | p. 92 |
| Organic Matter in Archaeological Black Earths and Yellow Latosol in the Caxiuanã, Amazonia, Brazil | p. 95 |
| Introduction | p. 95 |
| Materials and Methods | p. 96 |
| Results | p. 96 |
| Discussion | p. 109 |
| References | p. 111 |
| Sequential P Fractionation of Relict Anthropogenic Dark Earths of Amazonia | p. 113 |
| Introduction | p. 113 |
| Materials and Methods | p. 114 |
| Study Sites | p. 114 |
| Soil P Fractionation and Analysis | p. 115 |
| Results and Discussion | p. 117 |
| Extraction Efficiency by Sequential Fractionation | p. 117 |
| Phosphorus Distribution in Soil Pools of Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Central Amazonia | p. 118 |
| Sources of P in Pre-Colombian Anthrosols | p. 120 |
| Conclusions | p. 122 |
| References | p. 122 |
| The Timing of Terra Preta Formation in the Central Amazon: Archaeological Data from Three Sites | p. 125 |
| Introduction | p. 125 |
| The Osvaldo Site | p. 126 |
| The Hatahara Site | p. 129 |
| The Lago Grande Site | p. 131 |
| Conclusions | p. 132 |
| References | p. 133 |
| Semi-Intensive Pre-European Cultivation and the Origins of Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Amazonia | p. 135 |
| Introduction | p. 135 |
| Potential Origin of Terra Mulata | p. 136 |
| Frequent Burning of Cleared Short Fallow | p. 136 |
| In-field Burning | p. 137 |
| Organic Amendments | p. 139 |
| Permanent Settlement and Dark Earths | p. 140 |
| Conclusions | p. 141 |
| References | p. 141 |
| Identifying the Pre-Columbian Anthropogenic Input on Present Soil Properties of Amazonian Dark Earths (Terra Preta) | p. 145 |
| Introduction | p. 145 |
| Materials and Methods | p. 146 |
| Site and Soil Description | p. 146 |
| Methods | p. 147 |
| Statistical Analysis | p. 148 |
| Results and Discussion | p. 148 |
| Soil Classification | p. 148 |
| Soil Physical Parameters | p. 149 |
| Nutrient Status | p. 149 |
| Stocks and Texture Dependence of TOC and N | p. 154 |
| Conclusions | p. 156 |
| References | p. 157 |
| Use of Space and Formation of Terra Preta: The Asurini do Xingu Case Study | p. 159 |
| Introduction | p. 159 |
| The Asurini do Xingu and the Use of Space in the Kuatinemu Village | p. 159 |
| Spatial Distribution and Fluxes of Material Used by the Asurini do Xingu in the Kuatinemu Village and Hypothesis on Terra Preta Formation | p. 161 |
| Future Study to Investigate Recent Terra Preta Formation by the Asurini do Xingu in the Kuatinemu Village | p. 166 |
| Final Considerations | p. 167 |
| References | p. 167 |
| Research on Anthropogenic Dark Earth Soils. Could It Be a Solution for Sustainable Agricultural Development in the Amazon? | p. 169 |
| Introduction | p. 169 |
| The Importance of Terra Preta Research | p. 170 |
| What We Know and Do Not Know About the Formation and Properties of ADE Soils | p. 172 |
| Networking Activities in Terra Preta Research | p. 173 |
| Activities of the Multi-Institutional and Multi-Disciplinary Cooperation of the TPN Group | p. 174 |
| Institutions Within the TPN Group | p. 174 |
| The Coordinating Committees and Homepages of the TPN Group | p. 175 |
| Approaches to Terra Preta Research for Agronomic Applications | p. 175 |
| Fundamental Questions for the TPN Project | p. 176 |
| Specific Objectives of the TPN Project and Their Justification | p. 177 |
| Expected Results of the Cooperation | p. 179 |
| References | p. 180 |
| Slash and Char: An Alternative to Slash and Burn Practiced in the Amazon Basin | p. 183 |
| Introduction | p. 183 |
| Carbon Emissions in Slash and Burn Agriculture | p. 184 |
| Black Carbon in Soil - Terra preta do Índio | p. 185 |
| Slash and Char as an Alternative to Slash and Burn | p. 185 |
| Alternative Slash and Char in Practice | p. 186 |
| Advantages of Slash and Char | p. 189 |
| Slash and Char Research Activities | p. 191 |
| Conclusions | p. 191 |
| References | p. 192 |
| Microbial Response to Charcoal Amendments of Highly Weathered Soils and Amazonian Dark Earths in Central Amazonia - Preliminary Results | p. 195 |
| Introduction | p. 195 |
| Material and Methods | p. 197 |
| Study Design | p. 197 |
| Soil Sampling and Analyses | p. 200 |
| Statistical Analyses | p. 202 |
| Results and Discussion | p. 202 |
| Characteristics of ADE and Forest Soils | p. 210 |
| References | p. 211 |
| Subject Index | p. 213 |
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