Puna grassland

Puna is a type of montane grassland found in the central Andes Mountains of South America.

etting

The puna is found above the treeline at 3200-3500 meters elevation, and below the permanent snow line above 4500-5000 meters elevation. It extends from central Peru in the north, across the Altiplano plateau of Peru and Bolivia, and south along the spine of the Andes into northern Argentina and Chile.

Flora

The flora of the puna is characterized by alpine bunchgrasses interspersed with herbs, grasses, lichens, mosses, ferns, cushion plants, and occasional low shrubs, with sedges and rushes in poorly-drained areas. The puna is generally drier than the páramo montane grasslands of the northern Andes.

Fauna

Native mammals include llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos. Native birds includes the Andean Condor "(Vultur gryphus)", Andean Goose or huallata "(Chloephaga melanoptera)", Andean Flamingo or parihuana "(Phoenicopterus andinus)", Puna Teal "(Anas puna)", and other wading birds.

People

People of this region cultivate barley, potatoes and maca. Alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos are raised for wool, and llamas for wool and transport.

Ecoregions

The World Wildlife fund defines three distinct puna ecoregions:

* Central Andean wet puna (Bolivia, Peru) - With about 1,000 mm of precipitation each year, it tends to be covered by grasses mixed with herbs, lichens, mosses, and ferns. Wet areas have sedges and rushes. The Polepsis forests of 10,000 years ago were likely cleared by fire for agriculture and grazing. Many areas are farmed. It extends from north-central Peru, adjacent to the páramos, and reaches southeast to along the eastern altiplano of Bolivia.cite book|title=Imperfect balance: landscape transformations in the Precolumbian Americas|editor=David L. Lentz|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|date=2000|pages=292-294|isbn=0-231-11157-6]
* Central Andean puna (Bolivia, Peru) - Covering most of southern Peru, the region is dominated by shrublands and thickets of tola shrubs.
* Central Andean dry puna (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile) - Mostly in the southern part of the Central Andes along the western cordillera of Bolivia. There is little agriculture.

External links

* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt1002_full.html Central Andean puna (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt1003_full.html Central Andean wet puna (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt1001_full.html Central Andean dry puna (World Wildlife Fund)]