A Holocene environmental record reflecting vegetation, climate, and fire variability at the Paramo of Quimsacocha, southwestern Ecuadorian Andes

We reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the last ca. 8,000 years in the Tres Lagunas region of the Quimsacocha volcanic basin (ca. 3,800 m a.s.l.) in the southwestern Ecuadorian Andes. By means of a pollen and charcoal record, we analysed vegetation, fire, and climate history of this area, which is sensitive to climatic changes of both the Pacific as well as of the eastern Andes and Amazon region. Sediment deposits, pronounced increases of pollen and charcoal concentrations, and pollen taxa reflect warmer and drier conditions in the early to mid-Holocene (similar to 8000 to 3900 cal. b.p.). During the late Holocene (2250 to -57 cal. b.p.), five warm and cold phases occurred at Quimsacocha. The most prominent cold phase possibly corresponds to the globally recognized Little Ice Age (LIA; similar to 600 to 100 cal. b.p.). The cold phase signal at Quimsacocha was characterized by a higher abundance of Poaceae, IsoA << tes and Gentianella, which are favoured by cold and moist conditions. Frequent charcoal particles can be recorded since the early to mid-Holocene (similar to 7600 b.p.). The high Andean tree species Polylepis underwent several phases of degradation and re-establishment in the basin, which could indicate the use of fire by pre-Columbian settlers to enhance the growth of preferred herb species. The Tres Lagunas record suggests that human populations have been influencing the environment around Quimsacocha since the last ca. 8,000 years.