Andean shrublands of Moquegua, South Peru: Prepuna plant communities - Montesinos et al. 2012

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Phytocoenologia, 42 ( 1 – 2), 29 – 55 Stuttgart, November 21, 2012

Andean shrublands of Moquegua, South Peru: Prepuna plant communities by Daniel B. MONTESINOS, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Antoine M. CLEEF, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Karlè V. SÝKORA, Wageningen, The Netherlands with 5 figures, 6 photographs and 6 tables Abstract: A syntaxonomic overview of shrubland vegetation in the southern Andean regions of Peru is presented. For each plant community, information is given on physiognomy, floristic diversity, ecology and geographical distribution. The shrub vegetation on the slopes of the upper Tambo river valley includes annual herbs, grasses, cacti and ferns. In total, 151 vascular species have been documented from forty-six relevés made at altitudes between 3470 and 3700 m. After classification with TWINSPAN, one class, one order, one alliance, three associations, two subassociations typicum and three subassociations, one variant, and two communities are distinguished. Hierarchically the class E c h i n o p s i o s c h o e n i i – P r o u s t i e t e a c u n e i f o l i a e comprises the order E c h i n o p s i o s c h o e n i i – P r o u s t e t a l i a c u n e i f o l i a e , and the alliance S a l v i o n o p p o s i t i f l o r a e , occurring in the Prepuna dwarf scrubs. Within the alliance the following 3 new associations (with subassociations) have been distinguished: S e n e c i o n i a r n a l d i i –E x h a l i m o l o b e t u m w e d d e l l i i (thorny rosette-like dwarf shrubs), M o s t a c i l l a s t r o g r a c i l e –C h u q u i r a g e t u m s p i n o s a e (high cover of shrubs) and A n r e d e r o d i f f u s a e –D i p l o s t e p h i e t u m m e y e n i i (high cover of clustered columnar cacti and patches of thorny shrubs). Two communities have been distinguished: Opuntia rosea and Helogyne ferreyrae, and the community of Ophryosporus heptanthus and Escallonia myrtilloides, which includes several introduced species growing on heavily grazed wet slopes. The basal communities of Stipa ichu and Nassella asplundii have been also identified. The most diverse families are Asteraceae, Poaceae and Cactaceae, followed by Solanaceae and Fabaceae. The vegetation includes endemic, native and a few introduced species. DCA was used to interpret the correlation between environmental variables and species composition. Species composition is best explained by altitude, inclination and vegetation cover. Keywords: Prepuna, floristic diversity, phytosociology, syntaxonomic classification, E c h i n o p s i o s c h o e n i i – P r o u s t i e t e a c u n e i f o l i a e , Andes, Peru.

upper Tambo river slopes was given by Montesinos (2007a, 2011), who also presented studies on cacti and succulents (Montesinos, 2007b, 2010b). More recently, Schwarzer et al. (2010) presented a study on the dispersal and divergence of plant species of the Huaynaputina pumice slopes of Moquegua. Most of the studies carried out in the Peruvian Central and South Andes, the Bolivian Andes, northern Chile and southwest Argentina provide information on Andean vegetation (Weberbauer 1945; Ferreyra 1960, 1987; Ruthsatz 1977; Rivas-Martinez & Tovar 1982; Gutte 1988; Seibert & Menhofer 1992; Navarro 1993; Luebert & Guajardo 2000; Arakaki & Cano 2003; Galán de Mera et al. 2003, 2009). In the traditional vegetation classification for Bolivia, the term ‘puna’ is used for the highlands of the Central Andes at an altitude of between 3600 and 4100 m (Beck 1985, 1998; Beck & Garcia 1991). Kuentz et al. (2007) characterise the southern Andes of Peru as mountainous steppe and puna, and consider the puna to be dry vegetation located on the Altiplano and on the mountain slopes, above 3000 m.

Introduction A large diversity of plant communities can be found in the southern Peruvian Andes, in dry valleys, highland mountain valleys, grassland plateaus, highland cushion bogs, lakes and on subnival summits. The altitude, topography and geology in the Andes are very diverse, which results in a complex biogeography. There are numerous descriptions of Andean biogeography and vegetation of the ‘puna’. In the first general extended treatment about the vegetation of the Andes, Weberbauer (1945) refers to the ‘puna’ as the highest point of the Andes without agriculture and differentiates it from the altiplano plateaus which are more likely to bedominated with dwarf grasses and rosette and cushion plants’. For the evergreen resin shrub formations occurring above 4200 m, Weberbauer (1945) uses the term tolares when referring to the communities conformed by species of Baccharis and Parastrephia. Previous studies have not revealed the ecology and vegetation structure of the high Andes of Moquegua. A general overview of the floristics of the © 2012 Gebrüder Borntraeger, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany DOI: 10.1127/ 0340 - 269X/2012/0042 - 0516

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