The influence of human activity on endemic freshwater fishes in the High Andean Plateau of Argentina

Abstract

The High Andean Plateau (HAP) of the Central Andes extends from south-western Peru through western Bolivia and into northern Chile and north-western Argentina (between 10 and 27 S); it is an extensive plateau at an altitude of 3,200 to 5,000 m, with a long dry season (Figure 1). In the HAP, geological changes have resulted in the presence of large numbers of aquatic ecosystems, such as endorheic salt pans, lakes, peatlands at high elevation, and geothermal springs, where contemporary interconnections between freshwater ecosystems are mainly subterranean.