Andes Of Bolivia Research Articles

Community Technical Identity among Potters in the Talina Valley, South Andean Bolivia

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between individual and community craft practices and technical identity. We examine the initial phases of the pottery production process, specifically the acquisition and processing of raw materials by women potters in the Indigenous and rural community of Chipihuayco in the Talina Valley, southern Bolivia. To unravel these dynamics, we employ a comprehensive approach that combines ethnographic and petrographic data. Ethnographic data provide insight into the collective and personal decision-making processes involved in ceramic production. Additionally, petrographic data allow us to investigate less visible aspects that shape technological practices, such as the mineralogical properties of raw materials and recipes. This study documents a strong association between the selection and processing of raw materials and a shared technical identity, which is embedded in broader cultural values and ritual practices.

Genotyping-by-sequencing informs conservation of Andean palms sources of non-timber forest products.

Conservation and sustainable management of lineages providing non-timber forest products are imperative under the current global biodiversity loss. Most non-timber forest species, however, lack genomic studies that characterize their intraspecific variation and evolutionary history, which inform species' conservation practices. Contrary to many lineages in the Andean biodiversity hotspot that exhibit high diversification, the genus Parajubaea (Arecaceae) has only three species despite the genus' origin 22 million years ago. Two of the three palm species, P. torallyi and P. sunkha, are non-timber forest species endemic to the Andes of Bolivia and are listed as IUCN endangered. The third species, P. cocoides, is a vulnerable species with unknown wild populations. We investigated the evolutionary relationships of Parajubaea species and the genetic diversity and structure of wild Bolivian populations. Sequencing of five low-copy nuclear genes (3753 bp) challenged the hypothesis that P. cocoides is a cultigen that originated from the wild Bolivian species. We further obtained up to 15,134 de novo single-nucleotide polymorphism markers by genotyping-by-sequencing of 194 wild Parajubaea individuals. Our total DNA sequencing effort rejected the taxonomic separation of the two Bolivian species. As expected for narrow endemic species, we observed low genetic diversity, but no inbreeding signal. We found three genetic clusters shaped by geographic distance, which we use to propose three management units. Different percentages of missing genotypic data did not impact the genetic structure of populations. We use the management units to recommend insitu conservation by creating new protected areas, and ex situ conservation through seed collection.

Chenopodium quinoa, a New Host for Alternaria Section Alternata and Alternaria Section Infectoriae Causing Yellow Leaf Blotch Disease.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a native American crop mainly grown in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru. During the last decades, the cultivation of quinoa has expanded to more than 125 countries. Since then, several diseases of quinoa have been characterized. A leaf disease was observed on quinoa plants growing in an experimental plot in Eastern Denmark in 2018. The symptoms produced by the associated fungi consisted of small yellow blotches on the upper surface of leaves with a pale chlorotic halo surrounding the lesion. These studies used a combination of morphology, molecular diagnostics, and pathogenicity tests to identify two different Alternaria species belonging to Alternaria sections Infectoriae and Alternata as the causal agent of observed disease symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Alternaria spp. as foliar pathogens of quinoa. Our findings indicate the need for additional studies to determine potential risks to quinoa production.

Radiocarbon and wood anatomy as complementary tools for generating tree-ring records in Bolivia.

The science of tropical dendrochronology is now emerging in regions where tree-ring dating had previously not been considered possible. Here, we combine wood anatomical microsectioning techniques and radiocarbon analysis to produce the first tree-ring chronology with verified annual periodicity for a new dendrochronological species, Neltuma alba (commonly known as "algarrobo blanco") in the tropical Andes of Bolivia. First, we generated a preliminary chronology composed of six trees using traditional dendrochronological methods (i.e., cross-dating). We then measured the 14C content on nine selected tree rings from two samples and compared them with the Southern Hemisphere (SH) atmospheric 14C curves, covering the period of the bomb 14C peak. We find consistent offsets of 5 and 12 years, respectively, in the calendar dates initially assigned, indicating that several tree rings were missing in the sequence. In order to identify the tree-ring boundaries of the unidentified rings we investigated further by analyzing stem wood microsections to examine anatomical characteristics. These anatomical microsections revealed the presence of very narrow terminal parenchyma defining several tree-ring boundaries within the sapwood, which was not visible in sanded samples under a stereomicroscope. Such newly identified tree rings were consistent with the offsets shown by the radiocarbon analysis and allowed us to correct the calendar dates of the initial chronology. Additional radiocarbon measurements over a new batch of rings of the corrected dated samples resulted in a perfect match between the dendrochronological calendar years and the 14C dating, which is based on good agreement between the tree-ring 14C content and the SH 14C curves. Correlations with prior season precipitation and temperature reveal a strong legacy effect of climate conditions prior to the current Neltuma alba growing season. Overall, our study highlights much potential to complement traditional dendrochronology in tree species with challenging tree-ring boundaries with wood anatomical methods and 14C analyses. Taken together, these approaches confirm that Neltuma alba can be accurately dated and thereby used in climatic and ecological studies in tropical and subtropical South America.

Breeding and global population sizes of the Critically Endangered Red-fronted MacawAra rubrogenysrevisited

SummaryThe ‘Critically Endangered’ Red-fronted Macaw is endemic to seasonally dry, rain-shadowed valleys in the south-central Andes of Bolivia. The remoteness and inaccessibility of most of this region have hampered the rigorous collection of reliable range-wide data on the species’ global, local and breeding population sizes. Such data are imperative, however, for effective conservation and management. Estimated to number up to 5,000 birds in the early 1980s, the most recent and thorough survey to date reported a total of only 807 macaws and a breeding population fraction of about 20% in 2011, disjunctly distributed across eight breeding and six foraging areas and divided into four genetic clusters. Ten years later, we reassessed the species’ population sizes and breeding distribution with increased survey effort and geographic coverage. Six teams simultaneously surveyed different sections of the species’ entire known breeding range in four watersheds focusing on nesting sites. We estimated a global population size of 1,160 macaws, a breeding population fraction of 23.8–27.4% (138–159 nesting pairs) and discovered four new breeding areas. Watersheds and breeding areas differed widely in nesting pair and total macaw numbers. The Mizque watershed held 53% of the species’ breeding and 41.5% of its global population and had the highest breeding population fraction of 30.7–34.9%; the Pilcomayo watershed obtained the lowest values (6%, 8.5% and 14.1–18.2%, respectively). Two of the four documented genetic clusters (subpopulations) each held well over 50 breeding individuals. Two of the eight breeding areas documented in 2011 were found unoccupied in 2021. Numbers of nesting pairs per breeding area in 2011 were poorly correlated with those in 2021, and timing of breeding activities also differed between years. Our new data indicate that the Red-fronted Macaw no longer meets IUCN Red List criteria for ‘Critically Endangered’ species and that it should be downlisted to ‘Endangered.’

House and home: Reconsidering the anatomy of houses in Western societies

The article develops a critical and transversal reading of the special issue. Each contribution inspired the author to seek for a mirror image or an analogy in Western societies and test the mentioned Carsten and Hugh-Jones observation of the seemingly self-evident relation between house and the self. Rosalie Stolz’ contribution on the changing communities of sounds in northern Laos changed the author’s perspective on the background of the popularity of camping in the West. Jonathan Alderman’s contribution on the bloody libation rituals performed in the patio of rural houses in Andean Bolivia made her realize that there is a heightened sensitivity in the West towards blood, and more in particular visible blood spatters, be it animal or human blood. From this consideration, the article presents some reflections on the relation between house and blood. The cultural dead-lock between home-ownership and manhood in southern Tunisia, as described by Pontiggia, points to a general relation between the material home and the male self.

House personhood in rural Andean Bolivia

In the rural Bolivian Andes, personhood is defined by intersubjective reciprocal relationships between human and nonhuman beings. This paper examines the role of the house as a living being in itself and a conduit between its inhabitants and local place deities. In the rural Andes, houses (traditionally made from adobe but increasingly from brick) materially connect their inhabitants with a sacred landscape, and rituals performed at their construction create the house as a living being in its own right. This article, based on fieldwork with the Kallawayas, an indigenous nation in Northwest Bolivia, examines the Kallawaya relationship to the house in the context of Andean ethnography on housebuilding, observing the role of the house in communal ritual life. The house, for the Kallawayas, is argued to be an assemblage of energy with its inhabitants and the landscape, a fractal representative of the homologous structure of the rural Andean community, the ayllu.

Geochronology of the Cordillera Real granitoids, the inner magmatic arc of Bolivia

The Cordillera Real granitoids are a suite of Triassic and Oligocene plutons in the core of the Eastern Cordillera of the Central Andes of Bolivia. Their tectonic setting, chemical and ore compositions make them part of the so-called “Inner Magmatic Arc”, which differs from the current “Magmatic Arc” located immediately to the west. U-Pb SHRIMP data were obtained in order to constrain crystallization ages. The Triassic group yielded the following results: 239±2 Ma for the Huato granite, 231±1 Ma for the Illampu granodiorite, 221±3 Ma for the Huayna Potosí granite and 223±2 Ma for the Taquesi granodiorite. For the Oligocene group we obtained ages of 27 Ma for two samples of the Quimsa Cruz granite. Secondary processes related to regional thermal anomalies and magmatic melt-enrichment, reset the K-Ar and U-Pb isotopic systems, producing: a) younger ages by Ar loss and b) anomalous data plot in the Concordia diagram by reorganization of U-Pb isotopic ratios. As noted in previous studies, most zircon analysed from the Zongo/Kuticucho Triassic granite exhibited extremely high U enrichment, producing reverse discordia curves that obscure the true crystallization age. Relatively abundant zircon inheritance was found in these “cold” granitoids, with ages suggesting provenance from early Paleozoic metapelites that also contained recycled older sources. This relatively abundant xenocrystic inheritance probably records the influence of the subduction process acting during the Gondwanide orogeny (336-205 Ma) as an overall subduction arc environment, punctuated at its final stage with the imprint of a continental rifting (245-220 Ma).

‘City Thinking’: Rural Urbanisation and Mobility in Andean Bolivia

Drawing on fieldwork in Andean Bolivia, this article examines rural urbanisation as a process of disconnection between people and place impacted by flows of rural to urban migration. Ritual relations with place are perceived as particularly significant for Kallawaya healers in the municipality of Charazani. They take a disruption of acts that maintain bonds between people and place as a result of urbanisation – examined particularly in relation to house‐building rituals – as having knock‐on effects for indigenous communal identity. These same healers are conscious of this urbanisation as the present manifestation of a historical process.

Jacquemontia (Convolvulaceae) in Bolivia and Peru

SummaryA taxonomic account of Jacquemontia Choisy in Bolivia and Peru is presented. All recognised species from the two countries are described and their distribution, ecology and conservation status are outlined. Separate keys to the species occurring in each country are also provided. All species are mapped and illustrated with line drawings and/or photographs. Five new species, Jacquemontia boliviana J.R.I.Wood, J. chuquisacensis J.R.I.Wood, J. cuspidata J.R.I.Wood, J. longipedunculata J.R.I.Wood and J. mairae J.R.I.Wood & R.Clegg are described from the Andes of Bolivia. Taxonomic notes are provided for many species, J. heterantha Nees & Mart. is treated as a synonym of J. cumanensis (Kunth) Kuntze and J. prominens Helwig of J. unilateralis (Roem. & Schult.) O’Donell. Lectotypes are chosen for Convolvulus agrestis Mart. ex Choisy, C. mucronatus Benth., Ipomoea selloi var. rufescens (Meisn.) Hallier f., Jacquemontia acuminata Rusby, J. azurea var. alba Seeman, J. corymbulosa Benth., J. densiflora Rusby, J. guayaquilensis Meisn., J. pedunculata Rusby, J. sphaerocephala Meisn. and J. violacea var. densiflora Meisn.

The Power of Phenotype: Toward an Ethnography of Pigmentocracy in Andean Bolivia

AbstractAnti‐Indigenous racism has predominantly been understood in Latin America through the lens of culture, epistemology, and embodied nonphenotypical traits. Phenotype‐based discrimination is an underemphasized aspect of race in the region, especially in spaces with a high Indigenous population. This article ethnographically captures the distinct forms in which Indigenous people are racialized for phenotypical traits in Andean Bolivia, with a special focus on three interrelated spheres: the labor market, everyday social interactions, and intimate relations/kinship. It reveals how phenotype‐based racialization generates representations, structures access to resources, and influences processes of socioeconomic mobility. Moreover, the fluidity of systems of racial classification in Latin America leads to phenotype‐based discrimination receding in some contexts but resurfacing in others, thereby making it more formidable. The article also highlights the intersection of race and gender in the pigmentocratic structuring of the social order.

Observations on the breeding biology of the Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii) in Ecuador

The Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii) occurs in the high Andes of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. In Ecuador, it occurs primarily in the Antisana Volcano highlands and is currently considered “Critically Endangered” at the national level. Little information is known about its ecology and reproductive biology. The goal of this study was to understand its reproduction patterns. Research was carried out in Antisana Ecological Reserve during November 2017–May 2018. Four active nests were discovered and studied: two from hatching and two after hatching. We used direct observations and camera traps to study parental care and nestling growth. Nests were located near waterfalls in the Antisana River drainage. Andean Ibis hatching was asynchronous within approximately 48 h in the same nest. Preliminary total survival rate was estimated as 50%. The incubation period lasted c. 27 days, and nestlings fledged after 2 months.

The identities of Liolaemus signifer (Duméril & Bibron 1837), L. pantherinus Pellegrin 1909, L. schmidti (Marx 1960), and L. erroneus (Núñez & Yáñez 1984 “1983-1984”) (Squamata: Liolaemidae)

Based on detailed examination of the literature, visits to collections and the field, correspondencewith specialists and curators, study of detailed photography of living and preserved specimens,and statistical analysis of meristic data, I propose a number of taxonomic and nomenclaturalchanges for species of the Liolaemus montanus group from the Andes of Bolivia, southern Peru,northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. Liolaemus signifer (Dumeril & Bibron 1837) is designateda nomen dubium and Liolaemus multiformis (Cope 1875) and Liolaemus lenzi Boettger1891 are revalidated. Liolaemus variabilis Pellegrin 1909 and Liolaemus bolivianus Pellegrin1909 are placed in the synonymy of L. lenzi. Liolaemus pleopholis Laurent 1998 is considereda species inquirenda allied with L. lenzi. Liolaemus annectens Boulenger 1901 is considered avalid species and Liolaemus tropidonotus Boulenger 1902 is considered a junior synonym of L.multiformis. Liolaemus pantherinus Pellegrin 1909 is recognized as a valid species that includesL. annectens orientalis Muller 1924 and L. multiformis simonsii—Burt & Burt 1931 are includedin its synonymy. Liolaemus islugensis Ortiz & Marquet 1987 is removed from the synonymy ofL. pantherinus and is placed in the synonymy of L. schmidti (Marx 1960). Liolaemus erguetaeLaurent 1995 and L. molinai Valladares et al. 2002 are placed in the synonymy of L. erroneus(Nunez & Yanez 1984 “1983–1994”).

Response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea abundance and activity to land use changes in agricultural systems of the Central Andes

Ammonia-oxidation is the first rate-limiting step of the nitrification process performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). The response of ammonia oxidizers to agricultural management determines the forms of nitrogen available for plant nutrition and the potential for nitrate leaching, nitrous oxide emissions, and soil acidification. We investigated the potential nitrification rates (PNR) of AOA and AOB through the use of a specific inhibitor of bacterial nitrification, and the amoA gene abundance of AOB and AOA under potato, fallow and eucalyptus land uses in an agricultural system in the Central Andes of Bolivia. AOA dominated PNR and amoA gene abundance under all land uses. The ratio of AOA to AOB abundance decreased with soil pH, due to higher AOB abundances under the less acid soils of potato crops. Eucalyptus led to reduced AOB amoA abundances and PNR of both AOA and AOB, while PNR were highest under potato soils, and the contribution of AOB to total PNR increased. Specific PNR, as expressed per amoA gene copy numbers, was 12, 14 and 62 times higher for AOB than for AOA in potato, fallow and eucalyptus soils, respectively. AOB and AOA PNR were positively related to their respective amoA gene copy numbers, but for AOA the relationship depended on land use. This study demonstrates the interest for measuring separately nitrification rates of AOA and AOB for a mechanistic understanding of nitrification in different environments, as well as the importance of measuring process rates for assessing the environmental consequences of land use management.

Bird species richness in High-Andean forest fragments: habitat quality and topography matter

Montane forests worldwide are known centers of endemism and biodiversity but are highly threatened by fragmentation processes. Using data collected in 15 Polylepis forest remnants covering 2000 hectares, we investigated how bird species richness and bird community composition, particularly for species of conservation concern, are influenced by habitat quality and topography in the Tunari National Park in the High Andes of Bolivia. Bird species richness was highest in topographically complex, low-elevation Polylepis patches located in areas with a high potential to retain rainwater. Bird communities differed strongly between Polylepis lanata and P. subtusalbida remnants, each supporting different threatened and endemic species. Within the P. subtusalbida forest, high-elevation fragments characterized by high amounts of sunlight and low anthropogenic disturbance were more likely to contain threatened species. Surprisingly, we found no effect of fragment size on the diversity or composition of bird communities or the presence of bird species of conservation concern. The presence of exotic plantations (Pinus and/or Eucalyptus spp.) in or outside forest remnants was negatively associated with the number of bird species as well as with occurrence of the endangered Cochabamba-mountain finch (Compsospiza garleppi). To support the different communities found in Polylepis forests, these results suggest that conservation efforts should be directed towards both forest types (P. subtusalbida and P. lanata) present in the area. For an efficient management of avian diversity, exotic plantations should be established away from native remnants while existing patches should be managed to maintain or increase habitat quality. Finally, the importance of local topography in determining avian species richness and community composition in forest fragments, mainly through topographic controls on moisture distribution and the amount of sunlight received by the fragments, should be considered when planning conservation and reforestation schemes.

Identifying trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services delivery for land-use decisions

Sustainable land-use management must account for the potential trade-offs between biodiversity conservation, productive land uses and ecosystem services. In this study, we used Marxan with Zones to generate land use plans that optimize conservation, farming and forestry land uses to reach biodiversity targets while minimizing the opportunity cost for local communities in an inhabited but data-poor National Park in the Andes of Bolivia. Based on six alternative land-use plans, we identified the synergies and trade-offs between the biodiversity benefits achieved in the different plans and the delivery of four locally important water-related ecosystem services modeled with the web-based tool AguAAndes. Although we find synergies between the conservation of high altitude Polylepis woodlands and their associated avifauna and three of the ecosystem services investigated, soil erosion levels were actually higher in scenarios with higher achieved biodiversity benefits. Our study shows how systematic conservation planning and ecosystem service delivery modelling can be used to solve land-use conflicts and identify trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services in a data-poor tropical area.

Black hole indigeneity: the explosion and implosion of radical difference as resistance and power in Andean Bolivia

ABSTRACT With the coming to power of Evo Morales and el Movimiento al Socialismo, an indigenized language of resistance became the language of power. In this paper I explore how epistemological and ontological ‘radical difference’ was co-opted and used to legitimize Bolivian state power. I argue that when institutionalized and instrumentalized within the state apparatus, indigeneity – as an emancipatory device of radical difference – implodes on itself and its radical potential is lost in the black hole that is coloniality. This paper provides an analytical and historical horizon against which recent political events in Bolivia can be understood.

Interaction networks of avian mixed‐species flocks along elevation in the tropical Andes

Ecological communities are comprised of species that interact with each other and those interactions ultimately generate community structure. Network theory provides a useful framework to study communities, by simultaneously considering species composition and the interactions among species. In this study, I use mixed‐species flocks as model systems to gain insights on community and network structure. Specifically, I use co‐occurrence network analyses to explore if avian mixed‐species flocks change in richness and composition and/or in network structure and pair‐wise associations, across elevations in the tropical Andes of Bolivia. Networks of flocking species changed both in composition and in the frequency and realization of pair‐wise interactions across elevations, but changes in pair‐wise associations explained most of network turnover along elevation. Pair‐wise interactions changed rapidly, with shared species changing in position and importance within the network. Network dissimilarity was mostly explained by changes in the nature of associations rather than by differences in composition. Altogether, results show that montane mixed‐species flocks are composed of loosely connected species and that most species have the potential of switching associations, often increasing in association strength at high elevations (up to 3150 m). Networks increased in connectivity and cohesion with elevation; flocks in lower elevations had more connections and these were less even. Above 3150 m a.s.l., there was rapid decay suggesting that flocks above this critical point are less connected and cohesive. This study exemplifies how combining community, network and pair‐wise analyses can provide a more holistic view on the responses of species and assemblages to environmental gradients.

The Meanings of Water: Socio-Cultural Perceptions of Solar Disinfected (SODIS) Drinking Water in Bolivia and Implications for its Uptake

Solar disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water is a cost-effective household water treatment (HWT) method. Despite its simplicity of use, evidence suggest that SODIS water uptake remains lower than implementers planned. In this paper, we investigate socio-cultural factors associated with SODIS water uptake in rural Andean Bolivia. We conducted 28 semi-structured in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions within the framework of a community randomised trial to assess the uptake of SODIS water in the Bolivian Andes. Participants argued that SODIS does not produce an attractive type of drinking water despite acknowledging that SODIS represents a simple, safe, low-cost, and easy method of preparing safe drinking water. Attitudes towards SODIS water reflected local interpretations of water, health, and illness. The taste of SODIS water, the invisibility of water-borne pathogens, and habituation to untreated water represented the main barriers to SODIS water uptake. Alternative culturally adapted SODIS promotional campaigns (e.g., using herbs and additives to improve SODIS water taste) can increase its perceived desirability.

A new species of Oxyrhopus Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from the Bolivian Andes

We describe a new dipsadine snake species, of the genus Oxyrhopus Wagler, 1830, from the highlands of Bolivia. Oxyrhopus emberti sp. n. is diagnosed from its congeners based on external and hemipenial morphology. The new species inhabits the humid forests of Yungas and Tucumano-Bolivian Forest highlands, between 1.200 - 1.800 meters above sea level, and is likely to be a Bolivian endemic. We also discuss the relationships of the new species with Andean congeners and provide a key to the identification of the Oxyrhopus species from the Central Andes of Bolivia and Peru.