PUYA RAIMONDII FROM HUASCARÁN NATIONAL

PARK, PERU

Elizabeth Parillo Quispe

isa_tqm_18@outlook.com

Universidad Nacional del Altiplano Puno

Abstract

In the high Andean region of Ancash the greatest diversity of flowers ornithophilous is in
shrublands, in contrast to rocky areas and grasslands, in those that we find stands of
bromelias of the genera Puya whose nectar could constitute an important resource for
high Andean hummingbirds in these.The high Andean species of Puya provide an
important nutritious resource for hummingbirds, especially for those of high altitudes
where the diversity of plants diminishes and also Puya raimondii, the giant Peruvian and
Bolivian terrestrial bromeliad, is an emblematic endemic Andean species well
represented in Huascarán National Park in Peru. This park is the largest reserve of puna
(high altitude plateau) vegetation. The objective of this study is to report on genetic
variation in populations of P. raimondii from Huascarán and neighboring areas. AFLP
profiles with four selective primer combinations were retrieved for 60 individuals from
different zones. Genetic variability was estimated and a total of 172 bands were detected,
of which 79.1% were polymorphic loci. The results showed genetic differentiation among
populations, and gene flow. A cluster analysis showed that individuals of P. raimondii
populations located in different mountain systems could be grouped together, suggesting
long distance dispersal. Thus, conservation strategies for P. raimondii have to take into
account exchange between populations located far apart in distance in order to preserve
the genetic diversity of this showy species.
Keywords: Puya, Andes, Perú, gene flow, bromeliads.
1. Introduction
In most tropical biomes, birds
play an important role in the
reproduction of plant species,
acting as seed dispersers or
pollinators (Snow, 1981). Studies
on interactions between
ornithophilic flowers and their
pollinators have helped to
elucidate both ecological and
evolutionary patterns (Wolf,
1994). Ornithophilous flowers
have a syndrome that includes
several characteristics that make
them attractive for nectarivorous
birds: Red, orange or yellow
colors; large amounts of nectar;
absence of marks for insects;
absence of smell; tubular corolla
and reinforcements that protect
the corolla from strong peaks
(Faegri & Pijl, 1980).
Romeliads represent an
important group with high
diversity in Neotropics,
particularly in America (only one
species growth in Africa)
(Benzing, 2000) Puya is a genus
with special importance in the
Andes, and Puya raimondii
Harms, dubbed "Queen of the
Puna" by Antonio Raimondi, is
the most prominent constituent
of this habitat and an emblematic
plant of the Andean flora. Plants
of this giant terrestrial bromeliad
grow solely in puna, a high
altitude Andean ecosystem, in a
few regions of Peru and Bolivia,
at elevations of 4000–4500 m asl.
It is the largest Bromeliaceae in
the world, reaching heights up to
12 m (Hornung & Sosa, 2005).
This species is monocarpic,
producing a single gigantic
inflorescence at the end of its life.
Plants take from 40 to 100 years
to flower (Benzing, 2000), Only
a few individuals within a given
population will bloom in any
year (Benzing, 2000), but when
they do, hundreds of thousands of
seeds are produced (Raimondi,
1874) The species is listed as
endangered by the IUCN since its
low number of individuals in
scattered populations it is
considered as an endangered
species with only a few
populations. Although Puya
raimondii is considered
endangered in Peru (Law No.
043-2006-AG), only the
country's best-known Puya
communities in Huascarán are
protected. One of the main
threats to these communities are
fires, which are set to create
pastureland, or the thorny leaves
are burnt to facilitate access to
the starch in the trunks for cattle
fodder (Lambe 2008). Huascarán
is the main national park in Peru,
and Chanchayllo is not in a
protected area. The first area is
designated a Natural Heritage of
Humanity and forms part of the
UNESCO Biosphere reserves.
Ecotourism in Huascarán, where
a significant number of
populations of this species are
located, is mainly based on Puya
raimondii. This plant is notorius
by the giant size compared with
local flora (personal obs.). The
species is considered one of the
most important in Peru: an
emblematic plant of the Andean
flora.
2. Literature review
a. Many of the investigations
on pollination by birds have
been carried out in
Neotropical forests
(Feinsinger & snow, 1987),
leaving many questions about
what happens in other plant
formations of these latitudes.
In the high Andean region in
general and particularly in
the department of Ancash we
recorded that the greatest
diversity of ornithophilic
flowers are found in scrub
environments which are
located at medium altitudes,
in contrast to what occurs in
rocky and grassy areas
located at higher altitudes,
where this type of flower
does not abound. The
dominant Poaceae and
Asteraceae (in abundance
and diversity) in the high
altitudes of the Andes (Smith,
Cano, & Young, 1988;
1994;) present flowers with
self-pollination or with other
pollination agents such as
insects or wind. However, in
these environments of high
altitudes, we find by way of
"patches", populations
("stands") of Puya, whose
flowers have ornithological
characteristics. As a
consequence, the nectar of its
flowers probably constitutes
an important resource for the
high Andean species of the
family Trochilidae
("hummingbirds"), the main
family of nectarivorous birds
of the Neotropics
(Schuchmann, 1999).
In order to document the
hypothesis that flowers of
Puya species are important
for high altitude nectarivores
in the Andes, observations of
hummingbirds were made in
two stands of Puya located
above 3000 m altitude, in the
Department of Ancash, Peru.
b. There are previous genetic
studies made in different
genera of the family
Bromeliaceae with
allozymes, microsatellites,
RFLP and AFLP markers .
For Puya, the present study
was only preceded by two
interesting works with
different biological units and
hypotheses to investigate
(Sgorbati, 2004). Previous
studies in P.
raimondii determined the
genetic structure of
eight Puya
raimondii populations in
Huascarán-Peru and detected
only 14 genotypes. Only a
few of the 217 AFLP marker
loci screened were
polymorphic and four
populations were completely
monomorphic, suggesting
inbreeding.
 The objective of this study is April 2005 (with a total of 154
to determine genetic hours of observation) (Fig. 1).
variation in populations
of Puya raimondii in
Huascarán National Park and
neighboring areas
(Canchayllo) in Peru using
AFLP profiles. Individuals
from two different mountains
system were analized, in
order to compare the genetic
structure of populations in
both areas, exploring AFLP
markers with new primers.
Both areas included in this
study represent separated
mountain systems
("Cordillera Blanca and
Cordillera Negra"). In
general, for plant
populations, lack of genetic
variation influences
adaptation to habitats, Figure 1. Map with the location of the two
stands of Puya
rendering them even more
vulnerable to anthropic Theevaluated in the present
Puya raimondii standstudy.
of Altitude
the
pressure and climate change. line of Park
Huascarán National 3000 m.
is one of
It was hipotetized that, due to the most extensive in the country and
previous studies in is located around 4200 m altitude in
Huascarán (Sgorbati et al. the Carpa del Parque sector. Puya
2004), the genetic variation raimondii (Fig. 2a) is a paquicaule
inside the national park will species, reaching 2.5 m in height
from its vegetative part and with an
be low, and the values could
inflorescence of 5.5 to 7.5 m in
be higher in neighboring
height, which contains several
areas. thousand flowers of color pale
yellow, reaching 6.1 cm maximum
3. Methodology length and containing a nectar whose
color varies from lilac-carmine, in
The first stand was of Puya the anthesis, to dark brown.
raimondii Harms in a pajonal of Flowering does not occur
the National Park Huascarán simultaneously throughout the
(9º39 'S-77º13' W), evaluated in inflorescence, but begins at the
October of 2004 (in total 110 bottom of the inflorescence, ending
hours of observation); while the at the apex in a period that can last
second was from Puya rauhii L. several weeks. This species of Puya
B. Smith in Roquedales of the presents semelparismo so that the
Callejón de Conchucos (8º10 'S- individual dies when fructifying. The
77º52'W) in August 2004 and lapse of time between establishment
 as a seedling until flowering and Trochilidae were sighted. The total of
subsequent death may last more than these species were observed feeding on
forty years (Rivera, 1985). the nectar of P. raimondii, being:
Oreotrochilus stolzmanni, Patagona
gigas, Aglaeactis cupripennis and
Metallura phoebe
The Puya rauhii stand is located near the
town of Pampas (Callejón de Of these four species of Trochilidae,
Conchucos) around the 3600 m altitude Oreotrochilus stolzmanni "cabeciverde
on the rocky slope of a hill, near which is star" (was the most frequently sighted
a dense thicket. P. rauhii (Fig. 2b) is a feeding on the nectar of Puya (60% of
plant that reaches a height between 1.5 2420 sightings.
and 2 m, with an inflorescence of more
than 1 m in length, which includes about
120 flowers in total. The flowers are
greenish yellow and reach 4 cm in
length, with transparent nectar. Like P.
raimondii, this species does not have a
simultaneous flowering; However,
unlike the previous one, it presents
iteroparia, producing flowers in long
floral axes seasonally.

Ten fixed points of observation of the

plants of Puya in flower in each stand
settled down, to determine the frequency
of visits of the hummingbirds. Figure 3. Oreotrochilus stolzmanni, the hummingbird
sighted with more frequently feeding on the nectar
Additionally, catches of birds with fog
of Puya raimondii.
nets were taken and pollen was extracted
from them before releasing them. To
obtain the pollen samples from the birds,
a clean piece of transparent adhesive tape
was placed in the beak, forehead and / or
throat of these and then this tape was
placed on a slide. The pollen samples
contained in the sheets were contrasted
with pollen samples taken from the
flowering plants in the study area,
including species of the families
Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Loasaceae,
Gentianaceae, Alstroemeriaceae and
Passifloraceae among the main ones. For
the analysis of frequencies pollen grains
present in three visual fields were Figure 4. Percentage of sightings of
counted per sheet mounted in the field. hummingbirds feeding on the flower of Puya
raimondii in the National Park Huascaran.
4. Results and Discussion

In the Puya raimondii stand of the discovered that populations of P.

Huascarán National Park, four species of raimondii from Huascarán (Peru) had
almost no genetic variation, and reported
monomorphic populations showing
98.3% genetic similarity; they even
suggested inbreeding depression. These
results contrast with the 96.3%
polymorphism found in the present
analysis. Differences between their
results and those of this study could be
explained in a number of ways:
1) this study may have explored different
localities; 2) it compared two different
localities separated by barriers:
Cordillera Blanca (Huascarán) and
Cordillera Negra (Canchayllo); and 3) it
explored different combinations of
primers. P. raimondii is distributed in
Peru and Bolivia. Further investigation is
needed to compare genetic diversity in
the entire distribution area of this
species.
The results of this study indicate that
genetic variation is present in Peruvian
populations of P. raimondii, the queen of
the puna. Molecular markers used in this
work revealed a high level of genetic
variation; however, P. raimondii is
subjected to extensive fire and
exploitation in the. Conservation of rare
species must have maintenance of
genetic diversity as a high priority
(Pullin, 2002). Continuous management
and monitoring of populations is
required to preserve them in
situconservation of P. raimondii in
Huascarán National Park could be an
interesting program as a part of global
conservation and management of natural
biodiversity.
5. Conclusions
The finding that the flowers of the Puya
species are important for the high
Andean hummingbird community as a
source of food, reinforces what has been
found by numerous studies in the
Neotropics that show the importance of
Bromeliaceae species as a resource for
hummingbirds. This nectar-pollinator
source relationship seems to be due to
the historical origin in common between
Bromeliacea and Trochilidae, both
families having contact from the early.
The existence of relations of
interdependence between flowers and
pollinators in the evaluated region,
shows the importance of considering in
the conservation efforts of high Andean
biodiversity these relationships that have
already been considered as a key factor
in the success of the conservation of
biodiversity in other regions of the world
. In our case, the burning of stands of
Puya (to protect livestock from damage
by leaf spines) would be eliminating a
key resource for the High Andean
hummingbird community, which in turn
would generate a chain reaction affecting
other plant species with ornithophilous
flowers.
The interdependence between these taxa,
is of special interest in the case of
Metallura phoebe "black hummingbird",
a species of hummingbird endemic to the
Andes of Peru, from Cajamarca to
Tacna; as well as for Puya
rauhiiendémica of the northern Andes of
Peru (Ancash), and Puya raimondii an
endemic species of the high Andean
region of Peru and Bolivia, which is
considered "endangered" according to
the Peruvian national legislation in force
(Agricultura., 2006).
This study provides important
information; namely, that in order to
promote conservation areas for P.
raimondii,genetic exchange of distant
individuals must be taken into
account. P. raimondi, together with the
Andean Bear and the Andean Condor,
are emblematic species that need to be
conserved.
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