The páramos biome of the northern Andes is a collection of high-mountain tropical grassland wetland ecosystems that provides important ecosystem services including hydrological buffering and water supply. Human activities in these ecosystems transform vegetation cover and soil hydro-physical properties, affecting their hydrological performance and water quality and quantity. Here, we conducted a systematic review on the influence of land use (agriculture, livestock grazing, and afforestation) on the hydro-physical properties of páramo soils and analyzed its implications for streamflow buffering. Our review protocol identified 32 relevant papers, from which key hydro-physical properties linked to streamflow variability were available: soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), porosity, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and water retention capacity (WRC). The analysis shows that soils with native cover are characterized by a porous structure that allows a high WRC and SOM content. Agriculture increases macroporosity but it leads to bare fallow plots that promote loss of nutrients and SOM. Burning generates hydrophobic aggregates that affect WRC. Livestock grazing produces soil compaction and increases bulk density, reducing infiltration and WRC. Lastly, afforestation with exotic species (e.g. pines, eucalyptus) decreases SOM and WRC by changing soil structure. In general, the analyzed land-use activities generate hydrophobic aggregates, increase bulk density, promote erosion and runoff, and impair hydrological buffering capacity. This integrated evidence from multiple empirical studies can be used to effectively communicate the effects of different land use practices on páramo soils, provide information for modelling in data-scarce situations, and contribute to decision making processes for land use planning and conservation.

在高寒安第斯山脉北部的生物群系是一组高山热带草原湿地生态系统的集合，可提供重要的生态系统服务，包括水文缓冲和供水。这些生态系统中的人类活动改变了植被覆盖度和土壤水物理特性，影响了它们的水文性能以及水质和水量。在这里，我们对土地利用（农业，牲畜放牧和造林）对帕拉莫土壤的水物理特性的影响进行了系统的综述，并分析了其对水流缓冲的影响。我们的审查方案确定了32篇相关论文，其中提供了与水流变异性相关的关键水物理性质：土壤有机质（SOM），土壤有机碳（SOC），孔隙率，堆积密度，饱和水力传导率，和保水能力（WRC）。分析表明，具有天然覆盖的土壤具有多孔结构，可实现较高的WRC和SOM含量。农业增加了大孔隙度，但导致了裸露的休耕地，从而加剧了养分和土壤有机质的流失。燃烧会产生疏水性聚集体，从而影响WRC。放牧牲畜会导致土壤压实并增加堆密度，从而减少渗透和WRC。最后，外来物种（如松树，桉树）的造林通过改变土壤结构而降低了SOM和WRC。通常，所分析的土地利用活动会产生疏水性聚集体，增加堆积密度，促进侵蚀和径流，并削弱水文缓冲能力。