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Changes in the vegetation of Brazilian Cerrado may occur over time. However, long-term dynamics are not fully understood yet, especially woody plant encroachment (WPE). The objective of this study was to examine changes in vegetation structure in a preserved area in Triângulo Mineiro region, within the southern Brazilian Cerrado domain, over 32 years (1987, 2005, and 2019). We based the study on field and literature surveys, as well as satellite imagery, and hypothesized that, due to the absence of periodic fires or grazing, Cerrado open formations (i.e., grassland or savanna) tend to become denser due to WPE. Shrubby grassland cover assessed in 1987 disappeared in the following periods (from 30.0 % to 0.0 % in 2019) while forest formations increased (from 7.0 % in 1987 to 11.0 % in 2019). Changes between 2005 and 2019 occurred within the stricto sensu cerrado subdivisions, with reduction of sparse cerrado (from 34.2 % to 7.7 %) and an increase in dense cerrado (from 6.9 % to 39.8 %). Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) applied for similar periods indicates a progressive increase of values over time (from 1986 (0.61±0.10) to 2004 (0.65±0.06) and 2018 (0.78±0.05)) and corroborates the WPE process. These patterns imply the loss of biodiversity in open plant formation. Another major consequence was the reduction of wetlands and possible impact on water supply. Such patterns are important to support plant management plans for the threatened Cerrado open plant formations.

The Neolithic site of Casas Novas (Coruche, Portugal) has provided the earliest evidence of Neolithic occupation currently known on the left bank of the Tagus River. The material culture and the radiocarbon date show an occupation that fits in the earliest moments of the regional Neolithic. The typological and decorative characteristics of the ceramic assemblage show contacts and influences both from Mediterranean and the Iberian Meseta. In order to determine the origins of the raw materials and to reconstruct the manufacture sequence, 26 ceramic samples were selected for petrographic analysis. The archaeometric analysis shows local and regional procurement strategies, which can be related to seasonal settlement patterns and exploitation of estuarine resources. The data provided by the research offers the possibility to analyze ceramic technology within a community which is still in the process of consolidating a new way of life, and how these circumstances may have influenced technological choices and potter’s practice., Le site néolithique de Casas Novas (Coruche, Portugal) a fourni les premières traces d'occupation néolithiques actuellement connues sur la rive gauche du Tage. La culture matérielle et la datation au radiocarbone montrent une occupation qui correspond aux premiers moments du néolithique régional. Les caractéristiques typologiques et décoratives de l'assemblage céramique montrent des contacts et des influences de la Méditerranée et de la Meseta ibérique. Pour déterminer l'origine des matières premières et la reconstruction de la séquence de fabrication, 26 échantillons céramiques ont été sélectionnés pour l'analyse pétrographique. L'analyse archéométrique montre des stratégies d'approvisionnement locales et régionales, qui peuvent être liées aux modes de peuplement saisonniers et à l'exploitation des ressources estuariennes. Les données fournies par la recherche offrent la possibilité d'analyser la technologie céramique dans une communauté qui est encore en train de consolider un nouveau mode de vie, et comment ces circonstances peuvent avoir influencé les choix technologiques et la pratique du potier.

Translucent minerals were valued in prehistoric societies for their rarity and socially used as highly symbolic elements. This work addresses the use and nature of Iberian translucent beads. We present the results of chemical (Raman spectroscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and visible (Vis)/near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy) and contextual analyses and provide a review of the archaeological literature on the manufacture and use of translucent items during Iberian Late Prehistory. A total of 54 translucent beads from 47 sites, primarily burials, were analyzed; 33 were made from fluorite, while the remaining 21 were made of diverse translucent minerals (calcite, quartz and different silicates). The scarcity of translucent items in the archaeological record, the regional and supraregional scale of its exchange, and its recursive association to other valuables in singular contexts reinforces the idea that their owners/wearers enjoyed a high status., Los minerales translúcidos fueron apreciados por las sociedades prehistóricas por su rareza, y fueron utilizados como elementos altamente simbólicos. Este trabajo aborda el uso y la caracterización de las cuentas translúcidas de la península ibérica, mediante análisis químico (espectroscopía Raman, espectrómetro de fluorescencia de rayos X portátil, difracción de rayos X y espectroscopia en región visible y en infrarrojo cercano) y contextual, junto a una revisión de la bibliografía arqueológica sobre la producción y uso de adornos y elementos translúcidos durante la Prehistoria Reciente ibérica. Un total de 54 cuentas de 47 yacimientos, mayoritariamente funerarios, han sido analizadas; 33 fueron trabajadas en fluorita, mientras que las restantes 21 fueron realizadas en distintos minerales translúcidos (calcita, cuarzo y varios silicatos). La escasez de adornos translúcidos en el registro arqueológico, su escala regional y suprarregional de intercambio, y su asociación recurrente a otros elementos de prestigio en contextos singulares refuerzan la hipótesis del alto estatus de sus poseedores/portadores.

We assembled genome-wide data from 271 ancient Iberians, of whom 176 are from the largely unsampled period after 2000 BCE, thereby providing a high-resolution time transect of the Iberian Peninsula. We document high genetic substructure between northwestern and southeastern hunter-gatherers before the spread of farming. We reveal sporadic contacts between Iberia and North Africa by ~2500 BCE and, by ~2000 BCE, the replacement of 40% of Iberia's ancestry and nearly 100% of its Y-chromosomes by people with Steppe ancestry. We show that, in the Iron Age, Steppe ancestry had spread not only into Indo-European-speaking regions but also into non-Indo-European-speaking ones, and we reveal that present-day Basques are best described as a typical Iron Age population without the admixture events that later affected the rest of Iberia. Additionally, we document how, beginning at least in the Roman period, the ancestry of the peninsula was transformed by gene flow from North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean., J.M.F., F.J.L.-C., J.I.M., F.X.O., J.D., and M.S.B. were supported by HAR2017-86509-P, HAR2017-87695-P, and SGR2017-11 from the Generalitat de Catalunya, AGAUR agency. C.L.-F. was supported by Obra Social La Caixa and by FEDER-MINECO (BFU2015- 64699-P). L.B.d.L.E. was supported by REDISCO-HAR2017-88035-P (Plan Nacional I+D+I, MINECO). C.L., P.R., and C.Bl. were supported by MINECO (HAR2016-77600-P). A.Esp., J.V.-V., G.D., and D.C.S.-G. were supported by MINECO (HAR2009-10105 and HAR2013-43851-P). D.J.K. and B.J.C. were supported by NSF BCS-1460367. K.T.L., A.W., and J.M. were supported by NSF BCS-1153568. J.F.-E. and J.A.M.-A. were supported by IT622-13 Gobierno Vasco, Diputación Foral de Álava, and Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa. We acknowledge support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/EPH-ARQ/4164/2014) and the FEDER-COMPETE 2020 project 016899. P.S. was supported by the FCT Investigator Program (IF/01641/2013), FCT IP, and ERDF (COMPETE2020 – POCI). M.Si. and K.D. were supported by a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship awarded to M.B.R. and M.P. D.R. was supported by an Allen Discovery Center grant from the Paul Allen Foundation, NIH grant GM100233, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. V.V.-M. and W.H. were supported by the Max Planck Society.

Agriculture first reached the Iberian Peninsula around 5700 BCE. However, little is known about the genetic structure and changes of prehistoric populations in different geographic areas of Iberia. In our study, we focus on the maternal genetic makeup of the Neolithic (~ 5500–3000 BCE), Chalcolithic (~ 3000–2200 BCE) and Early Bronze Age (~ 2200–1500 BCE). We report ancient mitochondrial DNA results of 213 individuals (151 HVS-I sequences) from the northeast, central, southeast and southwest regions and thus on the largest archaeogenetic dataset from the Peninsula to date. Similar to other parts of Europe, we observe a discontinuity between hunter-gatherers and the first farmers of the Neolithic. During the subsequent periods, we detect regional continuity of Early Neolithic lineages across Iberia, however the genetic contribution of hunter-gatherers is generally higher than in other parts of Europe and varies regionally. In contrast to ancient DNA findings from Central Europe, we do not observe a major turnover in the mtDNA record of the Iberian Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, suggesting that the population history of the Iberian Peninsula is distinct in character. Concerning research in the Alto Ribatejo, authors wish to thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia the support of research on the dawn of farming in the Tagus valley (project “Moving Tasks Accross Shapes” – PTDC/EPH-ARQ/4356/2014), as well as the Geosciences Centre of Coimbra University (strategic project UID/Multi/00073/2013). This study was funded by the German Research Foundation (Grant no. Al 287/14–1).