Last millennial environmental dynamics in the western Peruvian Andes inferred from the development of a cushion-plant peat hillock

Our data provide evidence that such a spatially defined peat-accumulating ecosystem, as represented by the studied peat hillock, is capable to survive pronounced climatic oscillations as long as it does not lose its protective cushion-plant surface. As peat hillocks are heavily affected by grazing, multitemporal studies should be carried out to document changes and to provide new insights into adaption strategies of vegetation to changing environmental conditions.