Flora and Fungi: Composition and Function

The position of the upper timberline varies considerably along the neotropical cordilleras. Reviewing a north-south profile, differences between western, central, and eastern chains and/or escarpments become obvious. This is best demonstrated by an example from northern Chile and north-western Argentina at the southern limit of the Neotropics around 23 ∘S: While tree stands are missing completely on the western escarpment of the high Atacama, apart from small groups in creek and salar habitats (Richter and Schmidt 2002), the eastern part around Jujuy shows a Polylepis timberline at around 4000 m a.s.l. (Kessler 1995). At 550 km further north, open Polylepis woodland climbs up to 4800 m a.s.l. with smaller treelets reaching even 5100m on Sajama and Parinacota near the border of Bolivia and Chile (Jordan 1983; Hoch and Körner 2005).