The puna is a high-altitude grassland of the central Andes across Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, occupying the zone above the treeline near 3,200 to 3,500 meters and below the permanent snowline above 4,500 to 5,000 meters. It is generally drier than the paramo grasslands of the northern Andes and experiences extreme daily temperature swings, with vegetation dominated by cushion and mat-forming plants along with grasses and shrubs of the daisy family. The puna is divided into wet, central and dry sub-regions, each with its own precipitation pattern and plant community adapted to that moisture and elevation.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)Precipitation varies sharply between wet puna (400 to 2000mm annually) and dry puna (under 400mm, with an 8-month dry season); 400mm sits at the boundary between the two and is used as a representative figure across the whole puna ecoregion, not a single measured site. Typical Low Temperature (C)Wet puna average annual temperature is cited as 5 to 7C with night frosts March to October; dry puna as 8 to 11C. 5C is the low end of the wet-puna figure, used as the representative low across the whole puna ecoregion. Typical High Temperature (C)Dry puna average temperatures are cited as 8 to 11C, the warmer of the two puna sub-regions; 11C is used as the representative high across the whole puna ecoregion. Connections
Demonstrates
Home To
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Leopardus jacobitus (Andean cat)
Source Taruca (Wikipedia)
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Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Puna Grassland (Wikipedia)Lead sectiontier 2Quote, Lead section
is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America
Sources
1. Puna Grassland (Wikipedia)
WikipediaArticle body, Wet Puna section, precipitation sentence
The average precipitation in this region ranges from 400 to 2000 mm.
Article body, Wet Puna section, temperature sentence
The average annual temperature is low, ranging from 5 to 7 °C; with night frost periods from March to October.
Article body, Dry Puna section, temperature sentence
The average temperatures in this ecoregion range from 8 to 11 degrees Celsius and are lowest in the south.
View the Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Leopardus jacobitus (Andean cat)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: Andean Mountain Cat, HabitatQuote, Home To: Andean Mountain Cat, Habitat
Andean cats are only known from the arid to semi-arid regions of the high Andes mountains
Taruca (Wikipedia)
Home To: Taruca, Habitat sectionQuote, Home To: Taruca, Habitat section
and at puna grasslands by the side of glaciar lakes
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