Science and Technology Production
Vegetación de la Puna Argentina
Book Chapter
Date:
2018Publishing House and Editing Place:
Fundacion Miguel LilloBook:
la puna argentina , naturaleza y cultura (pp. 143-156)Fundacion Miguel Lillo
ISBN:
978-950-668-032-9Summary
“Vegetation of the Argentine Puna”. The region geographically recognized as Puna in Argentina is subdivided in two phytogeographical provinces: Puneña and Altoandina. The Puneña province includes two subunits, the dry Puna (rainfall 100-400 mm/y) and the deser t Puna (<100 mm/y). The dry Puna is mostly in shrubland, with Baccharis, Fabiana and Adesmia as the dominant genera. Parastrephia lucida dominates edaphic communities in basins with water table close to the sur face. Other edaphic communities are dominated by Pennisetum chilense, in humid low salinity soils and Frankenia triandra, Lycium humile and Sporobolus rigens in high salinity soils. While very reduced in area, forest patches of Polylepis and Prosopis are impor tant landscape features. So are columnar cactuses, Thichocereus and Oreocereus. Cushion plants are another important element, sometimes reaching notable size, with Azorella compacta and several Adesmia species as the most common. The desert Puna shows the same genera and species. However, at much lower plant densities, and very often with just one, shrub species as the clearly dominant one. The Altoandina province is dominated by grassland, where Festuca ortophylla is the most common species. Small dicot herbs, while quite diverse, comprise only a small portion of the biomass. Peatbogs are also a characteristic feature of the region. Associated to springs and streams, they concentrate a high propor tion of the biodiversity and the human activity. Domestic livestock, as well as wild native camelids spend a significant part of their live on the peatbogs. Given the extreme conditions of the Puna, grazing, by both, domestic and wild animals is very likely to have played a critical role in the landscape and in the dominance of thorny/toxic shrubs over grasses.Key Words
COMUNIDADES EDAFICASPUNAESTEPA ARBUSTIVAECOSISTEMAS ALTOANDINOSPROVINCIA FITOGEOGRÁFICAPASTOREO