I recently had the amazing opportunity to take a field trip to Argentina searching for several species of Solanaceae. This trip was part of an NSF-funded project in the Smith lab that aims to characterize the evolution of floral coloration in the Pentuieae sub-family of Solanaceae.
I traveled with my colleague Rocío Deanna (webpage) and a graduate student from the National University of Córdoba who was searching for the fruits of the salt-loving Lycium humile. Together we went from Córdoba North to the remote province of Catamarca. For a week, we ventured around Catamarca searching for members of the genus Fabiana, in order to collect samples for RNA sequencing and analysis of pigment composition. We were able to find three (F. bryoides, F. densa, and F. denudata) of the four species of Fabiana that we were searching for in Catamarca and neighboring Tucumán. However, Rocío and I then had to travel 900km South of Córdoba, to the La Pampa province, to find individuals of the final species (F. peckii).
Our journey (running from February 5th through February 16th) took us from the sub-tropical area near Córdoba, to the high desert of the Puna, and into the dry grasslands of the Northern stretch of the Patagonia region. Along the way we encountered highly variable ecosystems, beautiful landscapes, incredible biodiversity, friendly people, and great food. It was an incredible trip and Argentina is a truly beautiful country!
See below for some photos of the trip:
An apacheta (shrine to Pachamama) on a mountain pass in Catamarca
A juvenile beaked toad at the Laguna Blanca preserve
A member of the genus Liolaemus at Laguna Blanca preserve
A burrowing owl perched on a Fabiana patagonica
The rented Renault duster in a desert canyon, Catamarca
The duster near the site where we found flowering Fabiana bryoides
The flowers of Fabiana bryoides
Fabiana densa in Tucumán province
Fabiana denudata at Laguna Blanca preserve
Fabiana patagonica flowers, Catamarca
Fabiana punensis flowers, Belén department, Catamarca
A giant grasshopper in Belén department, Catamarca
Laguna Blanca, Belén Department, Catamarca
The fruits of Lycium chilense, near Puelches, La Pampa
The fruits of Larrea divaricata, near Puelches, La Pampa
Fruiting Lycium humile on the Salar at Pasto Ventura, Catamarca
The fruits of Larrea nitida, near Puelches, La Pampa
Nierembergia rigida in Córdoba province
Ornate tree iguana, Belén department, Catamarca
Pampas grass on the shore of Laguna Blanca
Burrowing parakeets, La Rioja province
Parodia mammulosa, Lihuel Calel National Park, La Pampa
The duster on the slope leading down to Pasto Ventura, Catamarca
The salar at Pasto Ventura, Catamarca
A flowering rain lilly, Belén department, Catamarca
Red-tailed comet visiting L. divaricata, Belén department, Catamarca
Sclerophylax cynocrambe, Belén department, Catamarca
Fabiana bryoides (dark green) near an old stone circle, Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca
A tarantula hawk wasp, near Puelches, La Pampa
A desert canyon in Western Tucumán province
Vicuñas on the Salar del Hombre Muerto, Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca
