Human and climate impacts on tropical Andean ecosystems

Tropical Andean ecosystems exhibit significant sensitivity to climate variations and human activities, with long-term responses providing critical insights for future conservation. The study reveals that changes in temperature, moisture, fire regimes, and lake levels, particularly during the deglaciation and Holocene periods, have profoundly impacted biodiversity, especially high-elevation Polylepis woodlands. Charcoal analysis indicates transformative burning events at c. 14,500, 10,100, and 6,400 cal yr BP, while pollen and geochemical data highlight arid periods correlated with El Niño/Southern Oscillation variations. Increased Sporormiella abundance after c. 1,340 cal yr BP suggests shifts in trade-route use and agricultural practices, linking human adaptation to Tiwanaku and Inca civilizations. The research employs multi-proxy palaeolimnological investigations, including fossil pollen, spores, charcoal, Chironomidae (midges), elemental abundance, color spectra, and magnetic susceptibility, from two Bolivian Andean sites over the last 18,000 years.

Williams, J. J. (2011). Human and climate impacts on tropical Andean ecosystems. The Open University. https://doi.org/10.21954/OU.RO.0000EEA0