March 12, 2025
Open access:
Chevalier, M., Gosling, W.D., Hooghiemstra, H., Cartapanis, O., Chase, B.M. & Kaboth-Bahr, S. (2025) Eccentricity-driven glacial climate variability and its influence on speciation in the tropical Andes. Quaternary Science Advances 100278. DOI: 10.1016/j.qsa.2025.100278
July 10, 2024
The University of Amsterdam MSc Earth Sciences “Geoecological Systems” field course took place this year in Miraflores (Peruvian Andes) during June and July. Eighteen students, including three from Peruvian institutions, spent four weeks exploring the high Andes. During this time the students developed scientific projects to address interests of the local population related to soil quality, environmental pollution, water resources and cultural heritage. Access to the area and embedding within the community was enabled by The Mountain Institute Peru. During the course the students gained extensive ‘hands on’ field experience, developed teamworking skills and discovered the benefits of a participatory approach to research.
This course runs once every two years (to find out about the 2022 expedition click here). Want to join us on a future expedition? Check out our degree program here to enroll.
Images from the University of Amsterdam Peru field course 2024
April 11, 2024
Teunissen van Manen, M.L. (2020) Plant wax n-alkane biomarkers in the tropical Andes (Ecuador). PhD Thesis, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam. ISBN: 9789491407857
Abstract
Developing new applications for plant wax n-alkane biomarkers can deepen our understanding of ecosystem history. In this thesis I study modern and sedimentary n-alkane signals, sourced along the tropical Andes, to better understand how they can be used as a proxy for past environmental change. The overarching question addressed in this thesis is: what do n-alkane patterns extracted from sedimentary records reflect? Specifically, I address:• Do environmental or taxonomic factors dominate the n-alkane signal?• Does the n-alkane signal alter as the plant material degrades?• How much of the n-alkane variability can be explained by our analytical protocols?I find that the taxonomic and environmental signals of n-alkane patterns are entangled, especially in leaf n-alkanes. Soil n-alkane patterns reflect environmental conditions at the site, but the results cannot rule out a taxonomic signal in soil n-alkane patterns. I also find that, as the source material degrades (leaves), the n-alkane patterns are altered. Although the n-alkane signal is recognizable as having plant origin, there is a reduction in n-alkane pattern variability and the metric for degradation becomes an increasingly important descriptor of the n-alkane pattern shifts observed in soils and sediments. I find evidence that the metric for degradation can be used as proxy for past environmental change, but the application of this n-alkane signal proxy is not straightforward. Finally, I find there is little understanding of how much extraction and measurement protocols contribute to the n-alkane pattern variability and what implications this has on interpretations of the n-alkane signal.
Handel: http://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/716e0c42-7bc7-4270-9d76-e4c556c51e1a
April 9, 2024
Cuesta C., F.X. (2019) Global environmental changes in the high tropical Andes. PhD Thesis, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam. ISBN: 9789491407758
Abstract
The high tropical Andes harbours vital ecosystems that sustain biodiversity, carbon storage, and environmental service provision for millions of people. They are identified as one of the most vulnerable terrestrial ecosystems to global environmental changes, particularly to climate change and land use conversion. Despite their vulnerability and the importance of global biodiversity conservation and Andean societies, they are among the least studied ecosystems in the world. In this thesis, I studied the patterns of summit plant community’s across the tropical section of the Andes. Further, I studied what environmental factors influence plant community composition, species diversity, and thermal niche traits in high tropical alpine ecosystems. Based on the thermal niche traits, I assessed the potential vulnerability of species and communities to climate warming, considering the effect of the climate variability hypothesis on the species niche breadths. Further, I synthesised the current state of knowledge and assessed the current and projected landscape changes in the high Andes due to the combined effect of glacier retreat and climate warming. I reviewed documented glacier changes and landscape evolution over past decades to millennia and assessed projected future glacier shrinkage until 2100 for two case studies in the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. I also evaluated the capacity of high Andean ecosystems to recover from land use changes using the aptitude to store and take up carbon together with plant diversity. Lastly, I carried out an applied research analysis aimed at informing conservation policy formulation in continental Ecuador through defining critical areas for biodiversity conservation.
Handel: http://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/c97e30b0-90d7-4363-9d33-50d288089712
March 5, 2024
Sales, R.A., McMichael, C.N.H., Peterson, L.C., Stanley, A., Bennett, I., Jones, T.E., Walker, A.S., Mulhearn, M., Nelson, A., Moore, C., O’Connor, M., Sinkler, W., Banner, C., Church, W., VanValkenburgh, P. & Bush, M.B. (2024) Wet and dry events influenced colonization of a mid-elevation Andean forest. Quaternary Science Reviews 327, 108518. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108518
November 6, 2023
Pinto, E., Cuesta, F., Bernardi, A., Llerena-Zambrano, M., Pérez, ÁJ., van der Sande, M.T., Gosling, W.D. & Burgess, K.S. (2023) Determinants of above-ground carbon stocks and productivity in secondary forests along a 3000-m elevation gradient in the Ecuadorian Andes. Plant Ecology & Diversity DOI: 10.1080/17550874.2023.2274844
August 29, 2023
Open access:
Nascimento, M.d.N., McMichael, C.N.H., Kleijwegt, Z., Åkesson, C., Gredal, C., Maezumi, S.Y., Bush, M.B. & Gosling, W.D. (2023) Fire in the clouds: How changing land use shaped an Andean biodiversity hotspot. Quaternary Science Reviews 317, 108278. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108278
August 16, 2023
By: Lina Cabrera Sáenz and Bianca Gomes
We invite you to join us on an incredible journey through the heart of Ecuador, where a group of adventurous students from Florida Institute of Technology embarked on a life-changing experience as part of the Neotropical Archaeoecology summer field course. Buckle up as we delve into the marvels of nature, indigenous cultures, and unforgettable experiences. Let’s dive right in!
Our adventure began with a breath-taking visit to the Paramo at Cayambe-Coca National Park. Paramos are high altitude (3000-4000 metres) wet grasslands above the tree line and below the snow line within the equatorial Andes. Our tour guides Patricio and Byron gave us information about the local vegetation, focusing on the Polylepis tree (locally known as “paper tree”), which is unique to this sort of habitat. They also told us about some of the fascinating wildlife that can be seen here, such as the Andean Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and the Andean Puma (Puma concolor).
We then descended through the cloud forest (3,600–3,400 meters) and lower montane rainforest (3,400–2,500 meters). Across these various habitats, we documented changes in hummingbird abundance and recorded their behaviour at four different feeder points: Guango Lodge, La Brisa, San Isidro Lodge, and Cascada el Hollin. The sheer diversity of hummingbird species left us in awe, and we marvelled at their iridescent feathers and incredible agility.
We explored a waterfall near San Isidro Lodge (https://cabanasanisidro.com), and we were able to observe pre-Inca pottery. At the lodge we also saw a diverse array of bird species, which was delightful! The forest’s nightlife brought us close encounters with a group of nocturnal monkeys, and to our surprise, we stumbled upon a very rare mountain tapir. The following morning we saw a small agouti (a small rodent) prowling around the lodge, and ended our adventures in the cloud forest on a high note.
San Isidro waterfall and some of the animal diversity we observed
Continue Reading
June 20, 2023
Open access:
van der Sande, M.T., Bush, M.B., Åkesson, C.M., Berrio, J.C., Correia Metrio, A., Flantua, S.G.A., Hooghiemstra, H., Maezumi, S.Y., McMichael, C.N.H., Montoya, E., Mosblech, N.A.S., de Novaes Nascimento, M., Peña-Claros, M., Poorter, L., Raczka, M.F. & Gosling, W.D. (2023) Warming, drought, and disturbances lead to shifts in functional composition: A millennial-scale analysis for Amazonian and Andean sites. Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16818
September 29, 2022
Open access:
Hagemans, K., Urrego, D.H., Gosling, W.D., Rodbell, D.T., Wagner-Cremer, F. & Donders, T.H. (2022) Intensification of ENSO frequency drives forest disturbance in the Andes during the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews 294, 107762. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107762
Ecology of the past 