@article{fdi:010095870,
  title = {6000 years of monsoon-driven east-west antiphasing of northeastern {B}razil vegetation},
  author = {{X}avier, {S}. {A}. {S}. and {L}edru, {M}arie-{P}ierre and {W}ainer, {I}. and {K}hodri, {M}yriam and de {A}raújo, {F}. {S}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{N}ortheastern {B}razil ({NEB}) is characterized by irregular rainfall distribution and various vegetation types, such as the xerophilous {C}aatinga in the east, {C}errado and {A}mazon rainforests in the west. {S}ediment cores and speleothems show that the region was subjected to strong climatic changes during the {H}olocene. {T}o reconstruct related vegetation responses and biomass burning, we present a synthetic review based on nine pollen published records covering the last 6000 years. {O}ur regional environmental reconstructions reveal four intervals of changes, influenced by the position and intensity of an east-west moisture band across {NEB}, in phase with {S}outh {A}merica {S}ummer {M}onsoon variability. {B}etween 6.0 and 5.2 ka {BP} and 5.2-4.2 ka {BP}, changes in the distribution of the dry forest {C}aatinga, {C}errado and {A}mazon {F}orest were driven by oscillating precipitation in a general pattern dry western/moist eastern {NEB}. {S}imilar changes amongst sites were correlated to their location either within or outside the moisture band. {B}etween 4.2 and 2.6 ka {BP}, {C}aatinga expanded in the eastern {NEB}, while {C}errado and {A}mazon forests became established in western {NEB}. {T}his vegetation shift matches the moist western/dry eastern {NEB} climate around 4.2 ka {BP}, consistent with {T}ra{CE}-21k simulations and speleothem records. {F}rom 2.6 ka {BP} onwards, biomass burning observed under dry or wet conditions was related to a marked increase in anthropogenic activities. {F}or the last 6000 years {NEB}'s vegetation boundaries have been in phase with the summer insolation, the oscillations of the {S}outh {A}merica {S}ummer {M}onsoon, and the positions of the convergence zones which delimited a band of moisture throughout specific location of {NEB}. {H}uman activities were not found to be directly affected by the humidity gradient; instead, humans have relied on each biome's resources. {I}nvestigating the extent of climatic and human influences on {NEB} vegetation in the past is crucial to discussing the effectiveness of current conservation policies in the region.},
  keywords = {{L}ate {H}olocene ; {P}ollen ; {C}harcoal ; {C}errado ; {C}aatinga ; {S}outh {A}merica ; monsoon ; {BRESIL}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{Q}uaternary {S}cience {R}eviews},
  volume = {372},
  numero = {},
  pages = {109723 [17 p.]},
  ISSN = {0277-3791},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109723},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010095870},
}