2,100 years of

human adaptation
to climate
change in the
High Andes
Integrative Ecology of Central Andes
1. Introduction
Contents
2. Objectives
3. Important concepts
4. Location
5. Possible reasons for the non-habitability of humans on the eastern slopes of
the central Andes
6. Growth limitations of maize
7. The fossil pollen record helps describe areas according to the predominant
pollen type
8. Relationship of time and percentage of pollen
9. Pollen representation across an elevational gradient through Chachapoya
10. Elevational gradient showing hypothesized changes in ground-level cloud
inmersion
11. Conclusions
12. Question
13. Sources
 Introduction

According to article 2100 years of

South
human adaptation, they used high
America
resolution fossil pollen, charcoal,
diatom and sediment chemistry.
These studies are carried out in order
to analyze the relationship of the
climatic changes that a forest valley
has, the felling of forests and pollen
taxa.
 Objectives
Analyze the relationship between maize
agriculture and the growth trajectory of the
population in general.

Understand the relationship of climate change

and land using in the valley for agriculture

Analyze the relationship of maize

pollen and altitude
 Important concepts
Montane forests are ecosystem found in middle-high altitudes. Dense forest are common,
there are rainfalls and temperature climate influence in changes of vegetation.
Fossil pollen is an important kind of data for reconstructing past vegetation.
Diatoms is a kind of unicellular algae which constitutes one of the most common types of
phytoplankton.
Periods of drought is a period of time when an area experiences below-normal
precipitation.
Periods of forest recovery is a period of time when forest have the opportunity to regrowth.
Land clearance is a process when you clean a crop-producing land base to increase its area.
You remove trees, sumps, bush stones,...
Elevational transect is an imaginary line which cut each elevation to influence
microclimates.
Divergent landscape histories are histories that show the evolution of landscape that is not
unique and constantly due to there are many microclimates.
 Location

The location of the study is in Chachapoyas,

Amazonas. At Lago de Los Condores,
temperatures range between 15 and 17 ° C.
Also, Condores’ lake is located 2,860
meters above sea level, approximately 700
m below the upper limit of the modern
forest and 500 m below where it is
cultivated corn, even in colder periods, could
still have been productive for maize
cultivation.

Source: Article about 2,100 years of human adaptation to climate

change in the High Andes
 Possible reasons for the non-habitability of humans
on the eastern slopes of the central Andes:
1. Lack of oxygen
2. Low night temperatures
3. Steep slopes covered by unstable soils
4. Widespread humidity and frequent clouds

Also, these factors are particularly challenging

for growing crops.
 The most
important

Growth limitations of maize

● High precipitation
● Relative humidity
● Low level clouds
Maize grows best in well drained soils and bright
sunlight.

Below a photosynthetic radiation of 1000

micromoles per square meter per second, maize
productivity start to decline.
 The fossil pollen record helps describe areas according
to the predominant pollen type:
1. Basal zone (150 B.C to 800 A.C):
This zone was rich in disturbance taxa - example: thalictrum, geranium
and plantago.
1. Intermediate zone (800 A.C to 1200
A.C):
This zone showed an overall increase in forest pollen abundance

Thalictrum
1. Upper zone (1200 A.C to moderns Geranium
times):
In this zone, the forest taxa were more than eighty percent of the
pollen sum and Zea was represented sporadically.
These zones can be better appreciated in the following picture
 Relationship of time and
percentage of pollen

The current environment of

condors produces 8% of
poaceae pollen and forest
pollen represents 88% of
total pollen. In contrast,
2,130 years ago, there was
20-30 percent of poaceae
pollen and forest pollen was
only 55-60 percent and the
remainder was bad grass.

Source: Article about 2,100 years of human adaptation to climate change in the High Andes
 Pollen representation across an elevational
gradient through Chachapoya

There is a connection between forest

pollen, maize pollen, wetter and human
activities.

Leyend:
Green line -> forest pollen
Grey line -> wetter
Brown line -> poaceae pollen
Vertical bars -> maize pollen
Mummy -> tombs
 The elevational gradient changes in
ground-level cloud immersion at Sauce,
Pomacochas and Condores

Low-hanging cloud limits

evaporation and light availability
and increases humidity, which
are unfavourable conditions for
growing maize. But, this is
favourable to regrowth.
 CONCLUSIONS
● It was confirmed that human disturbance causes the loss
of forest taxa and generates an increasing in the
percentages of poaceae pollen.
● Drought promoted penetration and use of the wetter
cloud forest, but during wet intervals people would have
moved elsewhere or relocated their cultivation cultivation
activities away from these settings.
 Question

South
America
Why data of maize
pollen appears in forest
regrowth stage?
 Sources
Illinois State Museum. (2011). How Do We Know? Fossil Pollen. April 28, 2021, from Illinois
State Museum, Website:
http://exhibits.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/palynology.html#:~:text=Fossil%20pollen%
20is%20an%20important,insect%20pollinated%20or%20wind%20pollinated

Diatoms of North America. (2021). What are Diatoms?. April 28, 2021, from Diatoms of
North America, Website: https://diatoms.org/what-are-diatoms

National Geographic Society. (2020). Drought. April 28, 2021 , from National Geographic,
Website:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/drought/#:~:text=A%20drought%20is
%20a%20period,and%20a%20general%20water%20shortage.&text=A%20drought%2
0may%20last%20for%20weeks%2C%20months%2C%20or%20even%20years
 Sources
The New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture. (2021). Land
Clearing. April 28, 2021, from New Brunswick Nouveau Canada, Website:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/10/agriculture/content/crops/organic_p
roduction/land_development/land_clearing.html#:~:text=Land%20clearing%20is%20the
%20process,for%20a%20new%20farm%20operation
Thanks
Every small action counts.
Let’s protect the environment
together!

CREDITS: This presentation template was

created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon
and infographics & images by Freepik.