Puna Region Research Articles

A new species of Hyalella (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Hyalellidae) from the Puna biogeographic province in Argentina.

A new species of freshwater amphipod belonging to genus Hyalella is described from a peatbog at high altitudes (3,650 to 4,400 m above sea level) in the Puna region (Salta province, northwestern Argentina). The new species can be distinguished from other hyalellid species by the following combination of characters: dorso-posterior flanges on pleonites I–III; palp on maxilla 1 reaching almost half of distance between base of palp and base of setae on outer plate, and two papposerrate setae on the inner margin of inner plate of maxilla 2; propodus of gnathopod 1 hammer-shaped, inner face with seven serrate setae; propodus of gnathopod 2 ovate; male uropod 1 without curved seta on inner side of inner ramus; ramus of uropod 3 shorter than peduncle; six pair of sternal gills on pereionites II–VII.A detailed morphological description and illustrations of the new species are provided. In Argentina, the new species represents the third record for the genus at altitudes greater than 2,000 m a.s.l., after H.kochi and H.fossamancinii (Dos Santos et al. 2008, González 2003), and the first record above 4,000 m a.s.l. Some comments about distributional and ecological aspects of the new species are included. With this new species, the number of Hyalella species known from Argentina and Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) rises to 12.

Distancias maritales: Salta (Argentina)

Se estimó la movilidad en once poblaciones de Puna, Valle Calchaquí y Valle de Lerma (Provincia de Salta) a partir de matrices de migración cónyuge-cónyuge, considerando las distancias entre los lugares de nacimiento de ambos. A partir de las distancias entre lugar de nacimiento y de residencia se estimó la migración diferencial por sexo en general, por zona geoestructural y por localidad. En general, los varones migran a mayores distancias que las mujeres. Para estimar patrilocalidad o matrilocalidad se consideraron las parejas con, al menos, un individuo local, tanto por zona como por localidad. En los Valles se observa un patrón de residencia matrilocal. Las tres zonas geoestructurales presentan una distribución asimétrica positiva, característica de poblaciones rurales endógamas. Del análisis de los resultados se desprende que, en las poblaciones estudiadas, el modelo de aislamiento por distancia no refleja la estructura marital de las mismas.

Más allá de la Puna: Artefactos “Saladillo” del Valle Calchaquí (Cachi, Salta, Argentina) como evidencia de ocupaciones humanas del Holoceno Medio

Se presenta el análisis de atributos cualitativos y cuantitativos de un conjunto de artefactos Saladillo recuperado en el sector Norte del valle Calchaquí, el cual se encuentra disponible en el Museo Arqueológico de Cachi, provincia de Salta (Argentina) (2500 msnm). El análisis indica similitudes notorias entre el conjunto analizado y aquellos procedentes de la puna de Jujuy y Salta (>3000 msnm). Esto conduce a pensar en la presencia de ocupaciones humanas correspondientes al segmento de finales del Holoceno medio en el sector norte del valle Calchaquí, sobre la base de los fechados absolutos obtenidos en la puna para esta clase de artefacto. A su vez, partiendo de esta idea, pueden sugerirse procesos culturales que habrían posibilitado la distribución de estos artefactos tanto en puna como en valles, considerando desplazamientos de grupos humanos así como transmisión de información. Estas ideas constituyen un punto de partida para guiar la investigación sobre poblaciones humanas anteriores a los ca. 3000 AP en sectores altitudinales más allá de la puna. Se destaca la relevancia de pensar temáticas de investigación en materia de “cazadores recolectores” que integren el amplio espacio del Noroeste Argentino.

Land degradation assessment in the Argentinean Puna: Comparing expert knowledge with satellite-derived information

The Puna region, located in NW Argentina, is a dry highland with many endemic species and significant traditional cultural heritage. The Puna was a pilot region for the Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands project (LADA-FAO) which aimed at assessing desertification status in different land use systems (LUS). The results of these assessments are used for reporting to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) monitoring. The assessment was performed using an expert knowledge questionnaire following the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies initiative methodology (LADA-WOCAT), on LUS map units obtained by a participatory mapping methodology. In this article we compare the inferences on land degradation status and its temporal trends derived from LADA-WOCAT method with those obtained from remotely sensed data. Our aim is to understand similarities and differences in the assessments in order to provide recommendations and suggestions on improved LDN assessment methods, reporting and monitoring. Our results suggest that the LADA-WOCAT participatory mapping successfully delineated LUSs with different phenological characteristics over an extended area. However, the trend and the degradation processes described by experts at the LUS scale did not agree with the ones derived from satellite data. Results obtained at pixel scale help in identifying areas undergoing potential human induced degradation processes and specific areas of agreement between methods. The spatial scale of land degradation assessments obtained by either satellite or expert knowledge may impact the accuracy of the final results. A methodology integrating satellite and expert opinion data at an appropriate scale needs to coalesce to make the most of both data sources and gain accuracy in land degradation and LDN assessments.

Effect of temperature on the locomotor performance of species in a lizard assemblage in the Puna region of Argentina.

Locomotion is relevant to the ecology of reptiles because of its presumed influence on an organism's Darwinian fitness. Moreover, in ectothermic species, physiological performance capacity is affected by body temperature. We analyzed two components of locomotor performance in three species of lizards, Phymaturus extrilidus, Liolaemus parvus, and Liolaemus ruibali, in the Puna environment of Argentina. First, we estimated the thermal sensitivity of locomotion by measuring sprint speed at four different body temperatures. We included two measures of sprint speed: initial velocity and long sprint for sustained runs. Based on these data, we calculated the optimal temperature for performance and the optimal performance breadth. We also estimated endurance capacity at a single temperature. Maximum sprint speed for L. parvus was greater than L. ruibali and P. extrilidus in both initial velocity and long sprint. In contrast, L. parvus exhibited lower levels of endurance than L. ruibali and P. extrilidus. However, endurance in L. ruibali exceeded that of P. extrilidus. The species differed in the optimal temperature for the initial velocity with the lowest for L. ruibali (31.8°C) followed by P. extrilidus (33.25°C) and then L. parvus (36.25°C). The optimal temperature for long sprint varied between 32 and 36°C for all species. We found that all species attained maximum performance at body temperatures commonly experienced during daily activity, which was higher than the thermal quality of the environment. We found evidence for thermal sensitivity in locomotor performance in these species. However, we also show that the broad thermal breadth of performance suggests that the lizards are capable of sustaining near optimal levels of locomotor performance at ambient temperatures that would appear to be suboptimal. Thus, this lizard assemblage is capable of coping with the highly variable climatic conditions in the Puna region of Argentina.

Calcium Carbonate Precipitation in Diatom-rich Microbial Mats: The Laguna Negra Hypersaline Lake, Catamarca, Argentina

Abstract Carbonate microbialites provide a window to understand microbe–mineral interactions in modern environments and in the geological record. Unraveling microbial versus physicochemical controls and biogeochemical signatures is not always straightforward. Environmental and laboratory studies have shown that microbial activity can play a central role in calcium carbonate precipitation. Most studies have focused on the effects of Bacteria and Archaea activity on carbonate precipitation processes (e.g., cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria and iron-reducing bacteria). The influence of eukaryotic activity, such as diatoms and other microalgae, on carbonate precipitation and microbialite formation has been the focus of less attention. This study explores carbonate mineralization in active diatom-rich microbial mats developed in a high-altitude groundwater-fed hypersaline lake in the Puna region of Catamarca, Argentina. Previous work has focused on the texture, mineralogy, and stable-isotope chemistry of the subfossil oncoidal and laminar microbialites. Here, using 16S rDNA Bacteria diversity analysis, confocal scanning laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmitted-light microscopy, we explore the Bacteria and diatom diversity in the microbial mats and the related carbonates textures and make comparisons with similar textures in the associated oncoidal microbialites. Diatom-rich subspherical aggregates, which have not been previously described in the literature, show a diverse microbial community with abundant exopolymeric substances (EPSs) where carbonate precipitation takes place. These aggregates are a main component of the Laguna Negra microbial mats and show anhedral micritic calcite in the EPS matrix as the main mineral component. Similar calcite micrite textures are also preserved as one lamina type in the associated oncoids. On the other hand, where EPS are absent, carbonate precipitation, related to pennate diatom blooms, is represented by euhedral aragonite needles suggesting different mechanisms and controls. Changes in the microbial communities are recorded in the oncoids as different lamina types, providing a link between the currently active mats and the subfossil oncoidal structures. This is a first survey of these previously unexplored diatom-rich microbial mats developed under extreme environmental conditions in the Laguna Negra. Understanding the effect that the interaction between diatoms and prokaryotic communities has on carbonate precipitation may provide some insight on the evolution of microbialite textures and fabrics, and on the change from prokaryote-dominated systems to mixed eukaryotic–prokaryotic systems.

Variations in the long-term uplift rate due to the Altiplano–Puna magma body observed with Sentinel-1 interferometry

We present new Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations of surface deformation in the Altiplano–Puna region (South America) where previous studies documented a broad uplift at an average rate of ∼10 mm/yr. We use data from the Sentinel-1 satellite mission to produce high-resolution velocity maps and time series of surface displacements between years 2014–2017. The data reveal that the uplift has slowed down substantially compared to the 1992–2010 epoch and is characterized by short-term fluctuations on time scales of months to years. The observed variations in uplift rate may indicate a non-steady supply of melt and/or volatiles from the partially molten Altiplano–Puna Magma Body (APMB) into an incipient diapir forming in the roof of the APMB.

Zooarchaeology of flight: Avifauna resource from the Southern Argentine Puna

Birds remains recovered from archaeological contexts may or may not to be the product of human activities. No matter how they reached the site, such record provides valuable information. If bird remains are product of human activities, provide information such as diet and economic, symbolic and/or ideological activities. If this record is result of a non-human process, provides also useful data such environmental conditions or seasonal abandonment of sites. On the basis of the analysis of bird remains -feathers and bones- we explore here the use of the avifaunal resource in hunter-gatherer (ca. 8480BP), agro-pastoral (ca. 1270–220BP) and Historical Period contexts, from a high altitude desert in the southern Puna region of Argentina. Bird remains were recovered from open-air and overhang archaeological sites. An important aspect of the zooarchaeological record is the poor representation of bird bones in relation to feathers for both types of sites. The different human groups that inhabited this area of the Puna over time used feathers (Anatidae, Phoenicopteridae, Strigidae, Passeriformes and Rheidae), for paraphernalia and manufacturing weapons. Some passerines feathers, pellets and dung of carnivores containing feathers are linked with moments of site abandonment. Birds were a reliable resource in this high desert from Archaic through Colonial times.

Bird Diversity and Its Relationship with Habitat Characteristics in High Andean Peatbogs

High Andean peatbogs are key functional wetlands in the dry Puna region and essential in conserving local biodiversity, including bird communities. We surveyed the bird communities of 18 peatbogs in the Argentinean Puna (Salta and Catamarca Provinces) to describe their species composition, their patterns of species richness and diversity; and their relationship to landscape features and local environmental variables. In total, we registered 60 species belonging to 21 families during summer 2014–2015. Species richness ranged from six to 20 species per peatbog. The Bright-rumped Yellow-finch Sicalis uropygialis, Ash-breasted Sierra Finch Phrygilus plebejus, Golden-spotted Ground Dove Metriopelia aymara and Puna Miner Geositta punensis were the most abundant representative species. The change in bird species composition among peatbogs showed a nested structure. The present study is the first one made for the avifauna of peatbogs of the Argentinean Puna and shows that the peatbogs with more irregular forms and more interconnected with other wetlands support more abundance and diversity of birds.

Glacial/interglacial changes of Southern Hemisphere wind circulation from the geochemistry of South American dust

The latitudinal displacement of the southern westerlies and associated climate systems is a key parameter for understanding the variations of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation during the Late Quaternary Period. To increase understanding of past atmospheric circulation and of the paleo-environmental conditions associated with continental dust sources, we dig deeper into dust provenance in paleo-archives of the Southern Hemisphere. We present here a Sr–Nd isotopic and rare earth element study of surface sediments collected along a ∼4000 km latitudinal band from arid and semi-arid terrains in southern South America. Findings from terrains that served as paleo-dust suppliers are compared with modern dust collected from monitoring stations along the same latitudinal band, which affords a test on how actual present-day aeolian compositions compare to those of the past potential source areas. Moreover, the comparison between past and present-day datasets is useful for understanding present-day atmospheric circulation.Armed with a new comprehensive dataset, we revise previous interpretations of the provenance of dust trapped in the Antarctic ice and sediments deposited in the South Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. These comparisons support multiple source regions in southern South America that changed with climates. The findings reveal that, although Patagonia plays an important role in contributing dust to the higher latitudes, central Western Argentina and (to a lesser extent) the southern Puna region also emerge as potentially important dust sources during glacial times. The southern Altiplano appears to be a major contributor during interglacial periods as well. We rely in part on an understanding of modern wind–dust activities to conclude that the possible presence of southern South America source regions – other than Patagonia – in East Antarctic ice is consistent with an overall equatorward displacement during glacial times of both the mid-latitude westerlies and the subtropical jet stream.

Peopling of the high Andes of northwestern Argentina

The goal of this presentation is to review the current evidence in order to model the early peopling of the highlands of Northwestern Argentina. Paleoenvironmental evidence of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene is thoroughly reviewed in order to set the stage of the process of human settlement of the Puna region of Argentina. I will analyze chronological evidence and the archaeological record –especially the archaeofaunas- of early hunter-gatherer occupations dated between 10,500 and 9000 BP (12,500 to 10,000 cal. BP). Finally, I discuss specific cultural and environmental aspects related to the dispersion and human colonization of the highland plateau.

Thermal biology in two syntopic lizards, Phymaturus extrilidus and Liolaemus parvus, in the Puna region of Argentina

Body temperature is the most important ecophysiological variable affecting reptiles’ life history. Moreover, thermoregulation in ectotherms implies a struggle to reach preferred temperatures in natural conditions due to the influence of biotic and abiotic factors. Our objective was to evaluate and compare the thermal biology of two syntopic species, Phymaturus extrilidus and Liolaemus parvus, in the Puna region of San Juan, Argentina. We determined body temperature (Tb), micro-environmental temperatures (Ta and Ts) and operative temperatures (Te) in the field. In the laboratory, we measured preferred temperatures (Tpref) and calculated the index of thermoregulatory efficiency (E). Neither body temperatures in the field nor preferred temperatures varied between seasons and sexes. Body temperatures were lower than preferred temperatures for both species. Nevertheless, regardless of the low thermal offer available in habitat, both species did achieve body temperatures higher than operative temperatures during activity. Thermoregulatory effectiveness was moderate in P. extrilidus (E=0.65), while L. parvus presented greater thermoregulatory efficiency (E=0.78). We conclude that under the rigorous climate conditions of the Puna, Phymaturus extrilidus and Liolaemus parvus are able to actively and efficiently thermoregulate, maintaining body temperatures close to the preferred and higher than those of its habitat. Differences in thermal characteristics between Phymaturus extrilidus and Liolaemus parvus are a consequence of differential limitations imposed on each species by the environment and of forces inherent to their life histories.

Occurrence of Ctenomys mendocinus in a High-Altitude Cold Desert: Effect on Density, Biomass, and Fitness of Sagebrush Plants

ABSTRACTIn arid and semiarid ecosystems, subterranean herbivorous rodents play an important role in determining the composition, function, and structure of plant communities. We hypothesized that in a high-altitude cold desert in the southern Puna region of Argentina, Ctenomys mendocinus (mendocino tuco-tuco), a subterranean herbivorous rodent, may increase dominance of the shrub Artemisia mendozana (sagebrush). We performed an observational study to assess factors affecting the abundance and fitness of A. mendozana in southern Puna, on sites co-inhabited and undisturbed by C. mendocinus. Density, biomass, plant height, number of fruits per plant, number of seeds, and seed size of A. mendozana were higher in mendocino tuco-tuco—disturbed areas.Because the abundance and reproductive ability of sagebrush increase in areas inhabited by mendocino tuco-tucos, C. mendocinus may function as an ecosystem engineer in southern Puna. We suggest further manipulative experimental studies be conducted to clarify the role of this subterranean rodent in this ecosystem.

From Herders to Wage Laborers and Back Again: Engaging with Capitalism in the Atacama Puna Region of Northern Chile

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, indigenous Atacameno society transited from an agro-pastoralist to a more diversified capitalist-based economy due to a growing mining industry in northern Chile. The puna herders engaged in the new capitalist order as wage laborers in sulfur mines and llareta (Azorella compacta) exploitation companies. In this article we show how indigenous knowledge acted as cultural capital that enabled the herders to work as laborers. This operation led to horizontal treatment among the different agents in the taskscape that those “herder-laborers” inhabited, including those incorporated by industrial capitalism.

Neogene monogenetic volcanism from the Northern Puna region: products and eruptive styles

Abstract The Neogene mafic volcanism of the Northern Puna region in the Central Andes is represented by scoria cones and lava flows dispersed over a wide region ( c. 9150 km 2 ) as isolated or poorly clustered centres. Although all the products are basaltic andesites to andesites, the behaviour of these magmatic systems resembles that seen in basaltic monogenetic fields. These centres were studied with the aim of defining the main volcanic lithofacies and evaluating the eruptive styles. The results suggest that the eruptions developed under a dry strombolian dynamic, with brief periods of lava fountaining and hydrovolcanism, the latter usually restricted to the early stages of cone construction. Changes in eruptive style are thought to be caused by variations in both the internal (e.g. magma ascent) and external (e.g. surficial water availability) conditions. The transitions do not reflect compositional changes, as evidenced by the small chemical differences observed among the products of the studied eruptive centres. Stratigraphic analysis, in addition to a few pre-existing radiometric dates, suggests that this volcanic activity occurred during the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene. This information supports the inference that these eruptions occurred before the peak of Southern Puna mafic volcanism and that they were coeval with eruptions of some of the most important silicic calderas of the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex. The good preservation of volcanic edifices reveals that erosion rates were extremely low, in agreement with the high aridity conditions that have prevailed in the Puna region since the Mid- to Late Miocene.

Phylogeography and demographic history of the Andean degu,Octodontomys gliroides(Rodentia: Octodontidae)

The Andean degu, Octodontomys gliroidesGervais & d'Orbigny, 1844, has a broad distribution inhabiting pre-Andean pre-Puna and Puna environments of tropical South America. In order to understand the phylogeographic patterns of Octodontomys gliroides, we sequenced 579 bp of the mitochondrial DNA control region from 100 individuals collected from 20 populations across its entire distributional range. The phylogenetic and parsimony network, in conjunction with analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), revealed a structured pattern of geographic differentiation of O. gliroides, with the occurrence of two well-defined evolutionary lineages: lineage A, restricted to Bolivia and Chile, and lineage B, restricted mainly to Argentina. Analysis of population structure inferred three genetic clusters along the distribution of O. gliroides that mostly agree with the four major barriers inferred by BARRIER analysis (e.g. rivers, salt flats, deserts, and mountain systems). In addition to the significant differentiation found among all levels studied, a positive correlation was identified between genetic and geographic distance, similar to as expected under the isolation-by-distance model. The most recent common ancestor of O. gliroides was estimated as c. 5.99 Mya, and the divergence between lineages A and B is estimated to have occurred by the Middle Pleistocene, about 0.69 Mya. The mismatch distributions and neutrality tests suggested a signal of population range expansion for both lineages coincident with major climatic changes that occurred during the wet–dry events of the Pleistocene in the Andean Puna region. Bayesian skyline plots (BSPs) for lineage A suggest a long history of constant population size followed by a period of slight to moderate demographic expansion at c. 0.04 Mya, whereas lineage B remained unclear after BSP analysis, probably because of the limited sample size.

The First Stages in the Peopling of the Salta Province, Puna Region (Northwest Argentina): A Review Based on Projectile Points

We present an analysis of “fishtail” and triangular non-stemmed projectile points from the puna of the Salta province (northwest Argentina), which are thought to date to the late Pleistocene/early Holocene. These findings position the puna of Salta in current debates concerning the early period of human colonization.

X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy study of white decorations on tricolored ceramics from Northwestern Argentina

White virgules, commas, and dot designs on tricolored ceramics are sporadically found in different archaeological sites located in Northwestern Argentina area, as Puna and Quebrada de Humahuaca. This decorating style has been reported in several articles, but few previous archaeometric studies have been carried out on the pigment composition.Fragments from Puna and Quebrada archaeological sites, belonging to Regional Development Period (900–1430AD), were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy in order to characterize the pigments employed. Red and black pigments are based on iron and manganese oxides, as it has been extensively reported for the NW Argentina area. White pigments from white virgules, comma, and dot designs have shown different composition. Hydroxyapatite was found in samples from Doncellas site (North Puna region), and calcium and calcium–magnesium containing compounds, as vaterite and dolomite, along with titanium containing compounds were detected on samples from Abralaite (Central Puna region) and Gasoducto (Quebrada de Humahuaca region). It has been concluded that pigment composition is not characteristic of a unique region.

Aerodynamic roughness height for gravel-mantled megaripples, with implications for wind profiles near TARs on Mars

Aerodynamic roughness heights of 1–3cm were obtained from measured wind profiles collected among fields of gravel-mantled megaripples in the high desert of the Puna region of northwestern Argentina. Roughness height appears to be relatively insensitive to the angle at which the wind was incident upon the bedforms throughout the study sites. The results represent the first wind profiling measurements for large megaripples, but they also demonstrate the importance of a careful evaluation of many potential effects that can influence the utility of wind profiling data. The same effects that influence collection of fieldwork data must also be considered in any prediction of wind profiles anticipated to occur near Transverse Aeolian Ridges and other aeolian features on Mars that are intermediate in scale between wind ripples and small sand dunes.

An in situ shelly fauna from the lower Paleozoic Zapla diamictite of northwestern Argentina: Implications for the age of glacial events across Gondwana

A shelly fauna from the upper part of the Zapla glacial diamictite includes the lingulate brachiopod Orbiculoidea radiata Troedsson, the rhynchonelliforms Dalmanella cf. testudinaria (Dalman) and Paromalomena sp., the bivalve Modiolopsis? sp., and the trilobite Dalmanitina subandina Monaldi and Boso. Both taphonomic and paleoecologic data indicate a lack of transport reflecting the original community. The assemblage is closely comparable to the widespread latest Ordovician Hirnantia-Dalmanitina fauna. The Hirnantian age of the Zapla diamictite is further corroborated by the record of the northern Gondwana chitinozoans Spinachitina cf. oulebsiri Paris and Desmochitina minor typica Eisenack. The graptolites and chitinozoans from the overlying Lipeón Formation indicate that the postglacial transgression took place in the earliest Llandovery (Parakidograptus acuminatus Biozone). According to the tectonosedimentary evidence, the Early Silurian age of the Cancañiri and San Gabán diamictites of north–central Bolivia and south Peru based on their palynological record is more likely the age of posglacial gravity flows and not that of the glaciation. We support the hypothesis that the weakly lithified glacigenic deposits of Hirnantian age were reworked and redistributed by high-energy marine processes during the postglacial transgression and then transported to the adjacent deep-marine trough. Iron-rich horizons have been recognized in many basins of southern South America reflecting eustatic and paleoclimatic fluctuations. Most of them formed during the early stages of the postglacial transgression at the Ordovician/Silurian transition and are associated with low sedimentation rates and condensed intervals. The mild maritime postglacial climate, the increasing atmospheric CO2, and possibly the presence of incipient vegetated areas led to extensive weathering of glacigenic sediments supplying iron into the marine system to form ferruginous deposits. The sea level fall related to the peak of glaciation is recorded by both paleovalley incision and a sharp subaerial to subglacial unconformity. The transgressive systems tract starts with fluvio-estuarine deposits within incised valleys followed by widespread deposition of subtidal to open marine organic-rich shales onlapping regionally the basement rocks. The recognition of key stratigraphic markers (e.g. sequence boundary, flooding surface, ferruginous beds), alongside reliable micro and macropaleontological evidence allow a more accurate correlation between the Central Andean Basin of Peru, Bolivia and NW Argentina, the W Puna region, the Paraguayan and Brazilian sectors of the Paraná Basin, the Precordillera Basin of W Argentina, and the Cape Basin of South Africa.