Lucie Chabal

Bio: Lucie Chabal is an academic researcher from University of Montpellier. The author has contributed to research in topics: Anthracology & Paleoethnobotany. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 17 publications receiving 407 citations.

A foundation offering at the Roman port of Lattara (Lattes, France): the plant remains

Abstract: Excavations and sampling conducted at the ancient city of Lattara (Lattes, France) have revealed a foundation offering in a small pit situated in a storehouse in the Roman port of the city. This offering, dated to around a.d. 25–60, consisted of pottery vessels, oil lamps, a coin, a pin (made out of bone), an egg and several plant products. The archaeobotanical remains presented in this work are charred seeds, fruits and charcoal. The primary aim of this study is to analyse whether the plant taxa are unusual or the same ones that appear in the contemporary domestic contexts in the city, in order to assess the possibility of a special use of the plants related to, for instance, their symbolic or magical value. The discovery of domestic or public burnt offerings containing plant remains is unknown in the Mediterranean region of France during the Roman period, except for those found in funerary contexts.

Physical Disintegration of Biochar: An Overlooked Process

Abstract: Data collected from both artificially and field (naturally) weathered biochar suggest that a potentially significant pathway of biochar disappearance is through physical breakdown of the biochar structure. Via scanning electron microscopy, we characterized this physical weathering that increased the number of structural fractures and yielded higher numbers of liberated biochar fragments. This was hypothesized to be due to the graphitic sheet expansion accompanying water sorption coupled with comminution. These fragments can be on the microscale and the nanoscale but are still carbon-rich particles with no detectable alteration in the oxygen:carbon ratio from that of the original biochar. However, these particles are now easily dissolved and could be moved by infiltration. There is a need to understand how to produce biochars that are resistant to physical degradation to maximize long-term biochar C sequestration potential within soil systems.

A meta-analysis on pyrogenic organic matter induced priming effect

Abstract: Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) is considered an important soil carbon (C) sink. However, there are evidences that its addition to soil may induce a priming effect (PE) thus influencing its C abatement potential. The direction, the size and the mechanisms responsible for PyOM induced PE are far from being understood. We collected approximately 650 data points from 18 studies to analyse the characteristics of the PE induced by PyOM. The database was divided between the PE induced on the native soil organic matter and on fresh organic matter. Most of the studies were short-term incubation therefore the projections of findings on the long term may be critical. Our findings indicate that over 1 year PyOM induces an average positive PE of 0.3 mg C g−1 soil on native soil organic matter and a PE of approximately the same size but opposite direction on fresh organic matter. We studied the correlation of PE with several properties of soil, of the added PyOM, and time after PyOM addition. We found that PyOM primes positively the native soil organic matter in the first 20 days while negative PE appears in a later stage. Negative PE was correlated with the soil C content. PyOM characterized by a low C content induced a higher positive PE on native soil organic carbon. No correlation was found between the factors record in our database and the PE induced on the fresh organic matter. We reviewed the mechanisms proposed in literature to explain PE and discussed them based on findings from our meta-analysis. We believe that the presence of a labile fraction in PyOM may trigger the activity of soil microorganisms on the short term and therefore induce a positive PE, while on the long term PyOM may induce a negative PE by promoting physical protection mechanisms.

Microarchaeological Approaches to the Identification and Interpretation of Combustion Features in Prehistoric Archaeological Sites

Abstract: Combustion features inform archaeologists about the prehistoric use of space, subsistence behaviors, and tempo of site visitation. Their study in the field is difficult because burned sediments are susceptible to reworking and diagenesis. Microarchaeological analyses, including micromorphology, are essential for documenting the composition, preservation, and function of hearths and other burned residues. These investigations focus on the description of fuels, depositional fabrics and structures, and mineralogy. As evidenced by a literature review, microarchaeological analyses have much to offer Paleolithic archaeologists, while applications of the techniques to Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites and in ethnographic or experimental contexts are presently rare.