The peatlands of the Argentinean Puna, its relation with the anthropic use?

NAVARRO, CARLOS; GRAU, HECTOR RICARDO; IZQUIERDO, ANDREA; ARÁOZ, EZEQUIEL; CARILLA, JULIETA; FOGUET, JAVIER; CASAGRANDA, ELVIRA

Nova Friburgo

Jornada; III Workshop on Sustainable Development in Mountain Environments; 2018

Universidad Federal Do Ceará

In the Argentine Puna (a very arid high elevation subtropical plateau), biodiversity and productivityis concentrated on peatbogs. We analysed the phenology of peatbogs plant productivity based onNDVI dynamics derived from Modis satellite images during the 21st century, particularly focussingon inter-annual stability/variability in relation to different geographic features and potential landuse. We found a strong positive correlation between peatbog size and phenological stability.When we controlled for peatbog size, we found that peatbogs nearby populated areas had moreinterannual ndvi variability than isolated and remote peatbogs, suggesting that intensive grazingdecreases the functional stability of these ecosystems. Field-based records indicated that watertable depth fluctuates seasonally in the order of 10-20 cm, with lower level during the summerrainy season, likely due to higher evapotranspiration during this time of the year, as well as time-lags related to the size of the peatbogs watershed. Heavily grazed peatbogs showed higher spatialvariability of the water table and this can have an effect over vegetation. We discuss theimplications of these results in relation to current trends in climate (aridization), livestock density(decreasing), and other increasing human impacts (mining, tourism)