Ecoregions Puna grassland

cono de arita in salar de arizaro, salta province (argentina)


wet/moist puna (central andean wet puna)

this ecoregion high elevation, wet, montane grassland in southern high andes, occurring northern peru northern bolivia. wet puna shares border on west sechura desert , east wet peruvian yungas. characteristically mountainous landscape contains high lakes, mountain valleys, snow-covered mountains, , plateaux. high elevation of wet puna (4200 5000 m) causes area have large temperature differences between night , day. average annual temperature low, ranging 5 7 °c; night frost periods march october. temperatures shift characteristic summer highs in day , drop winter lows @ night. extreme temperature shift has caused selective adaptation occur , many endemic plants such culcitium, perezia, , polylepis center diversity in wet puna. ecoregion contains snow-capped peaks, glacial lakes, , several rivers originate in cordilleras. biggest lake in ecoregion lake titicaca, highest navigable lake in world, @ elevation of 3800 m (above sea level). suches , tiwanacu rivers in bolivia lakes tributaries. areas in north surrounding lake titicaca have 8 wet months, , areas in south have 1 2 wet months. average precipitation in region ranges 400 2000 mm.

dry puna (central andean dry puna)

this ecoregion dry, high elevation montane grassland of southern high andes. extends northern chile , argentina , east western bolivia occurring above 3500 m between tree , permanent snow lines. vegetation of dry puna consists of tropical alpine herbs dwarf shrubs. within dry puna salt flats, high plateaus, snow-covered peaks , volcanoes. dry puna distinguished other types of puna diminished annual rainfall. dry puna has 8-month long dry season , receives less 400 mm of rainfall each year. region lies @ elevation of 3500–5000 m above sea level. dry puna oligothermic well. average temperatures in ecoregion range 8 11 degrees celsius , lowest in south. result of elevation, varied temperatures , lack of rainfall, central andean dry puna unique ecoregion highly adapted flora , fauna. southern region of dry puna encompasses drier puna known desert puna. in desert puna average rainfall ranges 51–406 mm. desert puna dominated huge salt lakes , known scattered halophytes around , in depressions. these salt lakes home endemic andean flamingo.

the world wildlife fund defines 3 distinct puna sub-ecoregions:

nt1003 central andean wet puna (bolivia, peru) – 1000 mm of precipitation each year, tends covered grasses mixed herbs, lichens, mosses, , ferns. wet areas have sedges , rushes. polylepis forests of 10,000 years ago cleared fire agriculture , grazing. many areas farmed. extends north-central peru, adjacent páramos, , reaches southeast along eastern altiplano of bolivia.
nt1002 central andean puna (bolivia, peru) – covering of southern peru, region dominated shrublands , thickets of tola shrubs.
nt1001 central andean dry puna (argentina, bolivia, chile) – in southern part of central andes along western cordillera of bolivia. there little agriculture.




^ juan salcedo. central andean wet puna. archived original on 2006-10-07. cs1 maint: bot: original-url status unknown (link)
^ andrea michelson. temperate grasslands of south america (pdf). 
^ claudia locklin. central andean dry puna. archived original on 2006-10-07. cs1 maint: bot: original-url status unknown (link)
^ david l. lentz, ed. (2000). imperfect balance: landscape transformations in precolumbian americas. new york: columbia university press. pp. 292–294. isbn 0-231-11157-6.