page_title: Parinacota (volcano)
section_title: Flora and fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Parinacota (volcano) / Flora and fauna
caption_attribution_description: This is a photo of a national monument in Chile: 265
context_page_description: Parinacota, Parina Quta or Parinaquta is a dormant stratovolcano on the border of Chile and Bolivia. Together with Pomerape it forms the Nevados de Payachata volcanic chain. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its summit reaches an elevation of 6,380 metres above sea level. The symmetrical cone is capped by a summit crater with widths of 1 kilometre or 500 metres. Farther down on the southern slopes lie three parasitic centres known as the Ajata cones. These cones have generated lava flows. The volcano overlies a platform formed by lava domes and andesitic lava flows.
  The volcano started growing during the Pleistocene and formed a large cone. At some point between the Pleistocene and the Holocene, the western flank of the volcano collapsed, generating a giant landslide that spread west and formed a large, hummocky landslide deposit. The avalanche crossed and dammed a previously existing drainage, impounding or enlarging Lake Chungará; numerous other lakes now forming the headwaters of the Rio Lauca sprang up within the deposit. Volcanic activity rebuilt the cone after the collapse, cancelling out the collapse scar.
context_section_description: The Andes are a long mountain chain with different climates at various latitudes and elevations. Thus, vegetation differs from one location to the other. In the region of Parinacota, between 3,400–4,600 metres (11,200–15,100 ft) altitude the vegetation is formed by shrub steppe such as Baccharis incarum, Baccharis tola, Fabiana densa; the dominant species are Deyuexia breviaristata, Festuca orthophylla, Parastrephia lucida and Parastrphia quadrangularis. During the wet season, this vegetation is augmented by herbaceous plants. Above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) a grass vegetation dominates, which on rocky ground occasionally gives way to cushion vegetation such as Azorella compacta, whose yellow colour is characteristic and can be seen from large distances. This type of xeric vegetation is also known as "puna". Polylepis tarapacana is the only true tree found at these altitudes and forms small woods, up to elevations of 5,100 metres (16,700 ft). Close to water, the bofedal marsh-like vegetation prevails, with Oxychloe andina being the dominant species. Some genera and species are endemic to the puna; they include Chilotrichiops, Lampaya, Parastrephia and Oreocerus.
  Among the ecological factors that determine vegetation in the region are lack of water, saline soils, plentiful solar irradiation, herbivores, wind and cold nighttime temperatures. These plant species which release airborne pollen can often be identified in samples taken from Parinacota's icecap, where winds deposit the pollen grains.
  Animal species that live around Parinacota include flamingo, guanaco, huemul, rhea, vicuña and viscacha. Among predatory animals feature the Andean cat, the pampas cat and the puma. The most abundant animal species however are rodents, some of which can be found up to the highest treelines and which include the viscacha and the burrowing tuco-tuco. Also important are birds, such as the rhea, the tinamous, flamingos and various predatory and wetland birds, including the Andean condor.
  Many mammal species in the area were decimated in the past, although some have displayed a recent recovery in numbers. Parinacota and surroundings in 1965 were made part of the Lauca National Park, which was further modified in 1970 and 1983. This natural preserve features a unique flora and fauna for Chile. However, potential future water diversions from Lake Chungará, the hunting of indigenous animals, overharvesting of the vegetation, overgrazing and the existence of a major border-crossing highway close to Lake Chungará constitute ongoing threats to the environment around Parinacota.
  Lake Chungará adds to the local flora and fauna. These include charophytes, diatoms and aquatic macrophyte plants. Animal taxa found in the lake include bivalves, gastropods and ostracods. About 19 species of Orestias fish are found in the lake, some of which are endemic. The speciation of Orestias chungarensis, Orestias laucaensis and Orestias piacotensis was aided by the volcanic activity of Parinacota and its collapse, which separated the watersheds inhabited by their ancestor species and caused allopatric speciation.
caption: Plant communities in front of Lake Chungará
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