TABLE 1.
Characterization of the soil sampling sites along the Punta Negra transect
| Sample (elevation [m]) | Latitude (°S) | Longitude (°W) | Sample date (mo/yr) | Biomea | Plant cover (%) | Perennial vegetation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | 23.74938 | 70.35822 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | —b | Nolana spp. along dry wash |
| 703 | 23.95695 | 70.28595 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | 0 | None |
| 987 | 24.07528 | 70.20925 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | 0 | None |
| 989 | 24.07065 | 70.20177 | 07/2004 | Absolute desert | 0 | None |
| 1,315 | 24.36310 | 69.94595 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | 0 | None |
| 1,931 | 24.46892 | 69.40787 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | 0 | None |
| 2,510 | 24.33925 | 69.23507 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | —b | Adesmia atacamensis |
| 2,792 | 24.26348 | 69.19138 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | —b | Adesmia atacamensis, Oxalis |
| 3,107 | 24.44883 | 68.83053 | 10/2002 | Absolute desert | —b | Isolated Acantholippia deserticola 50-100 m from site |
| 3,593 | 24.52562 | 68.73160 | 10/2002 | Pre-Puna | 1-3 | Cristaria andicola, Sysimbrium phillipiani |
| 3,900 | 24.55812 | 68.66685 | 10/2002 | Puna | 1-3 | Stipa frigida, Fabiana bryoides, Artemisia copa, Happlopappus rigidus, C. andicola, Adesmia hystrix, Opuntia conoidea |
| 4,270 | 24.60033 | 68.58547 | 10/2002 | High Andean Steppe | 4-10 | Stipa frigida, Deyeuxia curvula, |
| 4,500 | 24.69612 | 68.62468 | 10/2002 | High Andean Steppe | 2-4 | Mulinum crassifolium, |
| Monschopsis monocephala, | ||||||
| Chaethantera revoluta, Perezia | ||||||
| atacamanensis, Viola spp. |
a
Absolute desert refers to the near absence of plant cover. Other biome designations were described previously by Villagrán et al. (37).
b
Too few plants were present to quantify the percent plant cover. The isolated plants observed were separated by expanses of unvegetated terrain.