Late-Holocene fossil rodent middens from the Arica region of northernmost Chile

Journal of Arid Environments
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Abstract

Identification of >40 taxa of plant macrofossils in 14 rodent (Abrocoma) middens collected from 2800 to 3590 m elevation at the latitude of Arica, Chile (18°S) provide snapshots of vegetation in the northernmost Atacama Desert over the past 3000 years. Midden floras show considerable stability throughout the late Holocene, which may be due in part to the broad elevational ranges of many perennial species and midden insensitivity to changes in plant community structure. The greatest variability is found in annuals in the Prepuna, a climatically sensitive zone. This variability, however might also arise from the brevity of midden depositional episodes. As the first midden record from the Arica-Parinacota Region (Chile's northernmost administrative region), this study demonstrates the potential for future midden research in this area.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Late-Holocene fossil rodent middens from the Arica region of northernmost Chile
Series title Journal of Arid Environments
Volume 75
Issue 5
Year Published 2008
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Publisher location Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contributing office(s) Desert Laboratory
Description 10 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Journal of Arid Environments
First page 677
Last page 686
Country Chile
State Arica-Parinacota Region
Other Geospatial Atacama Desert
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