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Puna Grassland
The puna grassland ecoregion, part of the Andean montane grasslands and shrublands biome, is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America. It is considered one of the eight Natural Regions in Peru,Pulgar Vidal, Javier: Geografía del Perú; Las Ocho Regiones Naturales del Perú. Edit. Universo S.A., Lima 1979. First Edition (his dissertation of 1940): Las ocho regiones naturales del Perú, Boletín del Museo de historia natural „Javier Prado“, n° especial, Lima, 1941, 17, pp. 145-161. but extends south, across Chile, Bolivia, and western northwest Argentina. The term puna encompasses diverse ecosystems of the high Central Andes above 3200–3400 m. Location The puna is found above the treeline at 3200–3500 m elevation, and below the permanent snow line above 4500–5000 m elevation. It extends from central Peru in the north, across the Altiplano plateau of Peru, Chile and Bolivia, and south along the spine of the Andes into northwest Argentina. Ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the latitude of the widest part of the north–south-trending Andes. The bulk of the Altiplano lies in Bolivia, but its northern parts lie in Peru, and its southwestern fringes lie in Chile. There are on the plateau many towns and several cities, including El Alto and Oruro, Bolivia, Oruro in Bolivia, Juliaca and Puno in Peru. The northeastern part of the Altiplano is more humid than the southwestern part, which has several Salt pan (geology), salares (salt flats), due to its aridity. At the Bolivia–Peru border lies Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. Farther south, in Bolivia, there was until recently a lake, Lake Poopó, but by December 2015 it had complet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Permafrost
Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below a meter (3 ft), the deepest is greater than . Similarly, the area of individual permafrost zones may be limited to narrow mountain summits or extend across vast Arctic regions. The ground beneath glaciers and ice sheets is not usually defined as permafrost, so on land, permafrost is generally located beneath a so-called active layer of soil which freezes and thaws depending on the season. Around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface is underlain by permafrost, covering a total area of around . This includes large areas of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. It is also located in high mountain regions, with the Tibetan Plateau being a prominent example. Only a minority of permafrost exists in the Southern Hemi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azorella Compacta
__NOTOC__ Yareta or llareta (in Spanish), known scientifically as ''Azorella compacta'', (historically ''Azorella yareta'') is a velvety, chartreuse cushion plant in the family Apiaceae which is native to South America. It grows in the Puna grasslands of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and western Argentina at altitudes between . The name comes from ''yarita'' in the Quechua language. Description Yareta is an evergreen perennial with a low, mat-like shape and hemispherical growth form that grows to around in diameter. The self-fertile, pink or lavender flowers are hermaphroditic and are primarily pollinated by small flies, bees, wasps, and moths. The plant prefers sandy, well-drained soils. It can grow in nutritionally poor soils that are acidic, neutral or basic (alkaline) at altitudes of up to . Yareta is well-adapted to high insolation rates typical of the Andes highlands and cannot grow in shade. The plant's leaves grow into an extremely compact, dense mat th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peru - Altiplano1
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country, with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west, to the peaks of the Andes mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country, to the tropical Amazon basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon River. Peru has a population of over 32 million, and its capital and largest city is Lima. At , Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America. Peruvian territory was home to several cultures during the ancient and medieval periods, and has one of the longest histories of civilization of any country, tracing its heritage back to the 10th millennium BCE Caral–Supe civilization, the earliest civilization in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tola (plant)
''Parastrephia lepidophylla'', commonly known as tola or tola tola, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to South America and has been recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru where it is characteristic of the puna grassland ecoregion. It is a resinous shrub, growing up to 2 m in height, that is typically found in semi-arid central Andean dry, or tola heath, puna habitats, at altitudes of 3500–5000 m above sea level, and in the undergrowth of central Andean ''Polylepis ''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes, up to above sea level. It is distributed from Venezuela to Patagonia. In Peru, plants in the ...'' forest. Uses In north-western Argentina the smoke from burning the leaves of the plant has been used externally as an aid in hastening childbirth. References Astereae Taxa named by Ángel Lulio Cabrera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Andean Puna
The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile and Argentina. Setting The landscape in this ecoregion consists of high mountains with permanent snow and ice, meadows, lakes, plateaus, and valleys. It transitions to the Central Andean wet puna to the north and the Central Andean dry puna to the south. Elevations range from . Climate The climate is Köppen climate classification cold semi-arid. Precipitation ranges from per year. Flora Flora consists typically of open meadows with rocks, bunchgrass, herbs, moss, and lichen. Grasses are represented by the genera ''Calamagrostis'', ''Agrostis'', and ''Festuca''. '' Parastrephia lepidophylla'' and ''Margyricarpus'' are small bush species found here. ''Azorella compacta'' and '' Puya raimondi'' are shared with the wet puna. ''Polylepis'', ''Buddleja'', and ''Escallonia'' are trees found at lower elevations. Fauna Darwin's rhea ('' Pterocnemia penn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Páramo
Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement in the northern Andes of South America and adjacent southern Central America. The páramo is the ecosystem of the regions above the continuous forest line, yet below the permanent snowline. It is a "Neotropical high mountain biome with a vegetation composed mainly of giant rosette plants, shrubs and grasses". According to scientists, páramos may be "evolution, evolutionary hot spots", meaning that they are among the fastest evolving regions on Earth. Location The Northern Andean Páramo global ecoregion includes the Cordillera Central páramo (Ecuador, Peru), Santa Marta páramo (Colombia), Cordillera de Merida páramo (Venezuela) and Northern Andean páramo (Colombia, Ec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Andean Wet Puna
The Central Andean wet puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Setting This ecoregion occurs above and consists of high-elevation, wet, montane grasslands amid lakes, plateaus, valleys, and high mountains. It is bordered on the west by the Sechura Desert and on the east by the Peruvian Yungas. To the north it transitions to the Cordillera Central páramo, to the south, the Central Andean puna. The ecoregion can be subdivided into three subregions: the high andean puna, wet puna, and wet montane grassland. The high Andean puna lies between . Nightly freezes occur throughout the year and annual precipitation is less than , falling mainly as snow and hail. The wet puna is located in the altiplano at elevations between . It is wetter in the north, where the wet season lasts eight months, and drier in the south, where the wet season lasts two months. Precipitation ranges from per year. Night freezes occur from March to October. The w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andean Flamingo
The Andean flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus andinus'') is a species of flamingo native to the Andes mountains of South America. Until 2014, it was classified in genus ''Phoenicopterus''. It is closely related to James's flamingo, and the two make up the genus ''Phoenicoparrus''. The Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, and James' flamingo are all sympatric, and all live in colonies (including shared nesting areas).Mascitti, V. and Kravetz, F.O., "Bill Morphology of South American Flamingos". ''The Condor''. 104(1), 73. Description It is distinguished from other flamingos by its deeper lower mandible and the very long filtering filaments on the maxilla. It is the largest flamingo in the Andes and is one of the two heaviest living flamingos alongside the taller greater flamingo. Reportedly body mass of the Andean flamingo has ranged from , height from and wingspan from . The flamingo has a pale pink body with brighter upperparts, deep vinaceous-pink lower neck, breast, and wing coverts. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Andean Dry Puna
The Central Andean dry puna (NT1001) is an ecoregion in the montane grasslands and shrublands biome, located in the Andean Altiplano (high plateau) in South America. It is a part of the Puna grassland. Setting This ecoregion occupies the southwestern portion of the Altiplano and is located east of the Atacama Desert. Salt pan (geology), Salt flats, locally known as ''Salares'', are a characteristic feature of this ecoregion. Among the largest salares are Salar de Coipasa, Coipasa, Salar de Uyuni, Uyuni, Salar de Atacama, Atacama, and Salar de Arizaro, Arizaro. Other major geographical features are the lakes Poopó Lake, Poopó and Coipasa Lake, Coipasa, and the many volcanoes that tower over the altiplano, including Parinacota (volcano), Parinacota, Nevado Sajama, Tata Sabaya, Ollagüe, Licancabur, Lascar (volcano), Lascar, Aracar, Socompa and Llullaillaco. In addition, numerous and colorful small lakes and ponds dot this region. There are seasonal as well as permanent, and have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca (; ; ) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of water and surface area.Grove, M. J., P. A. Baker, S. L. Cross, C. A. Rigsby and G. O. Seltzer 2003 Application of Strontium Isotopes to Understanding the Hydrology and Paleohydrology of the Altiplano, Bolivia-Peru. ''Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology'' 194:281-297. It has a surface elevation of . Overview The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department (Bolivia), La Paz Department. The lake consists of two nearly separate subbasins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is across at the narrowest point. The lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polylepis
''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes, up to above sea level. It is distributed from Venezuela to Patagonia. In Peru, plants in the genus are known as ''queñual'', ''queuña'', or ''queñoa''; in Bolivia, as ''kewiña''; in Ecuador, as ''yagual''; and in Argentina, ''tabaquillo''. This group is unique in the rose family in that it is predominantly wind-pollinated. They are usually gnarled in shape, but in certain areas some trees are 15–20 m tall and have 2 m-thick trunks. The foliage is evergreen, with dense small leaves, and often having large amounts of dead twigs hanging down from the underside of the canopy. The name ''Polylepis'' is, in fact, derived from the Greek words poly (many) plus letis (layers), referring to the shredding, multi-layered bark that is common to all species of the genus. The bark is thick and rough and densely layered for protection ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
