The authors provide an initial report on possibly the southernmost expansion of humans in pre-industrial times. The archaeological site, in the Cape Horn archipelago, consists of a campfire site, fragments of a weapon, and butchered bones. Radiocarbon dating places the site c. 260–460 years BP.

In this study, we documented the Holocene history of a peat plateau at the arctic tree line in northern Québec using stratigraphic and macrofossil analyses to highlight the effects of geomorphic setting in peatland development. Paludification of the site began about 6800 cal yr BP. From 6390 to 4120 cal yr BP, the peatland experienced a series of flooding events. The location of the peatland in a depression bounded by two small lakes likely explains its sensitivity to runoff. The proximity of a large hill bordering the peatland to the south possibly favored the inflow of mineral-laden water. The onset of permafrost aggradation in several parts of the peatland occurred after 3670 cal yr BP. Uplifting of the peatland surface caused by permafrost stopped the flooding. According to radiocarbon dating of the uppermost peat layers, permafrost distribution progressed from the east to the west of the peatland, indicating differential timing for the initiation of permafrost throughout the peatland. Most of the peatland was affected by permafrost growth during the Little Ice Age. Picea mariana macroremains at 6450 cal yr BP indicate that the species was present during the early stages of peatland development, which occurred soon after the sea regression.

Failure of reproduction is hypothesized as being a main reason for the formation of upper tree lines but there is, as yet, little supportive evidence of such. This study investigates the effects of experimental sowing, canopy cover and litter depth on seedling emergence and survival of Polylepis incana and Polylepis pauta at the upper distribution limit of the species in the Páramo de Papallacta, central Ecuador. We established 18 study plots located in the interior, at the edge and at the exterior of closed forests at the upper tree line and analysed seedling dynamics for 1 y following experimental sowing with four different litter treatments. For both species, seedling numbers were significantly higher in the forest interior than outside, and higher in the treatments with the litter layer removed. In P. pauta, sowing significantly increased seedling number, which was more pronounced within and at the edge of the forest than outside. In contrast, there was no impact of sowing on seedling emergence in P. incana. First-year seedling survival and mean growth rate per month were low in both species. Log-linear models did not reveal significant interactions between survival and canopy cover or litter removal. Our data show that seedling recruitment is limited at the upper tree line – presumably due to extreme climatic conditions – which indicates the importance of constraints in sexual regeneration for tree-line formation in central Ecuador.