Vegetation of the Natural Monument and Protected Landscape Loma de Las Tapias. Ullum and Albardón departaments, San Juan, Argentine.

Abstract

Vegetation of the Natural Monument and Protected Landscape Loma de Las Tapias. Ullum and Albardón departaments, San Juan, Argentine. In this study, the vegetation of the Natural Monument and Protected Landscape Loma de Las Tapias (San Juan Province), is described. This protected area was created with the aim to protect the landscape of huayquerías and the fossiliferous deposits comprising vertebrate fossils from the Middle Pliocene. To analyze the vegetation, 43 inventories were carried out following the Braun-Blanquet (1979) field methodology, recording environmental variables such as slope, associated geological formation, altitude and vegetal cover. The inventories were grouped through multivariate dendrogrammetric analysis. A total of 72 species of vascular plants was registered. The general physiognomy of the vegetation corresponds to an open xerophilous shrubland dominated by species of Zygophyllaceae and Fabaceae accompanied by other shrubs, cacti and an open herbaceous layer, typical of the Phytogeographic Monte Province. Four vegetation units were detected through the multivariate analysis; these units were related to geology, altitude, slope and plant cover. Since this document could be used by the provincial authorities in charge of the protected area, some topics related to the conservation and use of the area are finally discussed.