Williams, Joseph J.; Gosling, William D.; Coe, Angela L.; Brooks, Stephen J. and Gulliver, Pauline
(2011).
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2011.03.004 |
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| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
The Cochabamba Basin (Bolivia) is on the ancient road network connecting Andean and lowland areas. Little is known about the longevity of this trade route or how people responded to past environmental changes. The eastern end of the Cochabamba valley system constricts at the Vacas Lake District, constraining the road network and providing an ideal location in which to examine past human–environmental interactions. Multi-proxy analysis of sediment from Lake Challacaba has allowed a c. 4000 year environmental history to be reconstructed. Fluctuations in drought tolerant pollen taxa and calcium carbonate indicate two periods of reduced moisture availability (c. 4000–3370 and c. 2190–1020 cal yr BP) compared to adjacent wetter episodes (c. 3370–2190 and c. 1020 cal yr BP–present). The moisture fluctuations broadly correlate to El Niño/Southern Oscillation variations reported elsewhere. High charcoal abundance from c. 4000 to 2000 yr ago indicates continuous use of the ancient road network. A decline in charcoal and an increase in dung fungus (Sporormiella) c. 1340–1210 cal yr BP, suggests that cultural changes were a major factor in shaping the modern landscape. Despite undisputable impacts of human populations on the Polylepis woodlands today, we see no evidence of woodland clearance in the Challacaba record.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
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| Copyright Holders: | 2011 University of Washington. Published by Elsevier Inc. |
| ISSN: | 0033-5894 |
| Funders: | NERC Open CASE studentship with the Natural History Museum, London (NE/F008082/1), NERC radiocarbon facility support (1287.0408 and 1463.0410) , National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration grant (8105–06) |
| Keywords: | charcoal; El Niño/Southern Oscillation; fire; fossil pollen; holocene; human impact; Inca; Polylepis; Sporormiella; Tiwanaku |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Science > Environment, Earth and Ecosystems |
| Interdisciplinary Research Centre: | Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research (CEPSAR) OpenSpace Research Centre (OSRC) |
| Related URLs: |
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| Item ID: | 28684 |
| Depositing User: | Joseph Williams |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Apr 2011 13:55 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2012 14:23 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/28684 |
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