Factors that shape water and energy balance in small mammals of the desert : strategies that sustain biodiversity

La diversidad biológica se refleja en la multiplicidad de mecanismos y procesos con que las especies se adecuan al entorno. Esto es clave para la persistencia de las comunidades a largo plazo, frente a impactos de origen antrópico o natural. En ambientes desérticos el conjunto de condiciones climáticas supone desafíos significativos para los organismos, fundamentalmente en lo referido a mantener su homeostasis hídrica y energética. Por ejemplo, investigaciones previas en roedores sudamericanos dan cuenta de una marcada diversidad de mecanismos fisiológicos frente a la escasez de agua, como resultado de estrategias adaptativas evolutivamente diversas. En este sentido, los animales despliegan estrategias tendientes a reducir (i) las tasas de producción endógena de calor y de pérdida de agua, y (ii) los requerimientos y el gasto energético en ambientes en donde la productividad primaria es reducida. La diversidad de respuestas morfológicas, fisiológicas y conductuales se observa a distintos niveles de organización: entre especies y entre poblaciones a escala temporal y espacial. Esta variabilidad genética y fenotípica serían claves para la resiliencia de un ensamble, cuando las condiciones ambientales cambian en el curso de vida de los organismos. Este proyecto busca analizar los factores que moldean la variación en rasgos fenotípicos dentro y entre especies, y las consecuencias ecológicas de esta variación. Para esto se propone un estudio comparativo de dos especies que podrían considerarse en cierta medida, equivalentes ecológicos: Thylamys pallidior (marsupial) y Akodon dolores (euterio). Ambos presentan similar tamaño corporal, dieta insectívora y hábitos nocturnos, pero sustentan una gran distancia evolutiva y por tanto un sustrato genético sustancialmente diferente, así como también rasgos distintivos de historia de vida. Hipotetizamos que ambas especies se presentarán como paisajes fenotípicos peculiares con diferencias y similitudes a tono con los forzantes intrínsecos y extrínsecos que gobiernan sus estrategias de adecuación. Con el fin de poner a prueba la hipótesis, en ambas especies se evaluarán rasgos asociados con la economía hídrica y energética en el desierto del Monte, a una escala espacial.Biological diversity is reflected by the multiple mechanisms and processes by which species cope with their environment. This is keystone for the persistence of communities in the long term, facing anthropic as well as natural impacts. In deserts, the combination of climate conditions poses significant challenges to organisms, fundamentally regarding their hydric and energetic homeostasis. For instance, previous research in Southamerican rodents report a remarkable diversity of physiological mechanisms to face the lack of water, as a result of evolutionarily diverse adaptive strategies. In this sense, animals display strategies tending to reduce: (i) the rates of endogenous production of heat, and water loss, and (ii) the energy requirements and expenses in environments where primary productivity is reduced. The diversity of morphological, physiological and behavioral responses is observed at different levels of organization: among species and among populations at spatial and time scales. This genetic and phenotypic variability would be keystone to the resilience of an assembly of organisms, when environmental conditions change in the course of their life. This project attempts to analyze the factors that shape variation in phenotypic traits within and between species, and the ecological consequences of this variation. We propose a comparative study of two species that could be considered at certain points as ecological equivalents: Thylamys pallidior (marsupial) and Akodon dolores (eutheria). Both present similar body mass, insectivorous diet and nocturnal habits, but also show a great evolutionary distance and hence a genetic substrate substantially different, as well as distinctive life history traits. We hypothesize that both species will display peculiar phenotypic landscapes with similarities and differences in accordance to the intrinsic and extrinsic forces that drive their adequation strategies. With the goal of testing the hypothesis, in both species we will assess traits associated to water and energy economy in the Monte Desert, at a seasonal scale

Morphologic-ecological records of Microcavia australis (Caviidae, Rodentia) in the Puna of San Juan Province, Argentina

Toda la información disponible sobre la historia de vida de Microcavia australis corresponde a zonas de transición Espinal-Monte y al Monte templado de Mendoza, y no existen referencias para otras zonas del Monte ni de la Puna. En este trabajo se presentan evidencias de la presencia de M. australis a alturas superiores a los 2500 m, altura límite citada para esta especie; se describe su morfología, hábitat y dieta. El estudio se realizó en el Parque Nacional El Leoncito, San Juan (2953 m, 31º 47’ S, 69º 11’ O). Nuestros resultados muestran una disminución en el tamaño corporal con el aumento de altitud y rigurosidad climática. Esto podría estar relacionado con estrategias fisiológicas y comportamentales en respuesta a una menor disponibilidad de energía en el ambiente y con restricciones ambientales. Sin embargo, nuevas capturas deberán realizarse para analizar más detalladamente este peculiar registro de M. australis en la Puna.All available information about history of life of Microcavia australis corresponds to zones of Espinal-Monte transition and the temperate Monte in Mendoza; there are no references for other places in the Monte or for the Puna. In this work, evidences of the presence of M. australis appear at altitudes higher than 2500 m, the highest altitude previously cited for this species. Its morphology, habitat and diet are also described. The study was carried out at El Leoncito National Park, San Juan (2953 m, 31º 47’ S, 69º 11’ W). Our results show a decrease in body size as altitude and climatic rigor increase. This could be related to physiological and behavioral strategies in response to lower availability of energy and to environmental restrictions. Nevertheless, new captures should be carried out in order to analyze in more detail this peculiar record of M. australis in the Puna.Fil: Taraborelli, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Giannoni, Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

Acclimating to thermal changes: Intraspecific variation in a small mammal from the Andes Mountains

Ambient temperature strongly affects an ecosystem's characteristics as well as the attributes of individuals, eventually determining the distribution of populations and species. Phenotypic plasticity plays a central role in the administration of energy under thermal variation through traits underlying energy acquisition and expenditure. A powerful approach to assess acclimation ability to environmental variation is studying relevant traits along natural geographic gradients. Our goal was to assess and quantify in the small rodent Phyllotis xanthopygus, changes in traits relevant to energy balance in response to its thermal landscape. We compared energy intake and digestibility by animals from sites at different elevations under different temperatures in the laboratory. Results showed an increase in energy acquisition rates by the lower-elevation individuals to cope with low temperatures, while high-elevation animals appeared unaffected by this treatment. After acclimating to warmer conditions, all individuals showed a similar decrease in energy intake, irrespective of their origin site. We also assessed thermal conductance in individuals from different elevations and found that animals from higher sites exhibited lower heat loss rates. Our evidence suggests that heat conservation differences could in part account for differences among high and low elevation animals in the ability to cope with low temperatures. The lack of plasticity under the warm thermal treatment conforms to recent reports of high conservatism on the upper limit of the thermoneutral zone. P. xanthopygus displays intraspecific variation in the response to temperature, and we propose that this is highly relevant to model its chances in a warming environment.Fil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Novillo, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

Desiccation resistance along an aridity gradient in the cactophilic fly Drosophila buzzatii: Sex-specific responses to stress

Stress resistance characters are valuable tools for the study of acclimation potential, adaptive strategies and biogeographic patterns in species exposed to environmental variability. Water stress is a challenge to terrestrial arthropods because of their small size and relatively high area: volume ratio. Fruit flies have been investigated to record adaptive morphological and physiological traits, as well as to test their responses to stressful factors. In this study, we investigate the ability to cope with water stress, by examining variation in desiccation resistance in a species that lives mainly in desert lands. Specifically, we explored the genetic and ecological basis of desiccation resistance in populations of Drosophila buzzatii from Northern Argentina. We used a common garden experiment with desiccation treatments on a number of isofemale lines from four populations along an aridity gradient. Our results revealed significant among-population differentiation and substantial amounts of genetic variation for desiccation resistance. We also detected significant genotype-by-environment and genotype-by-sex interactions indicative that desiccation resistance responses of the lines assayed were environment- and sex-specific. In addition, we observed clinal variation in female desiccation resistance along gradients of altitude, temperature and humidity; that desiccation resistance is a sexually dimorphic trait, and that sexual dimorphism increased along the aridity and altitudinal gradients. Based on current evidence, we propose that the observed sex-specific responses may reflect different life history traits, and survival and reproductive strategies in different ecological scenarios.Fil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Hasson, Esteban Ruben. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Effect of Temperature on Activity Patterns in a Small Andean Rodent: Behavioral Plasticity and Intraspecific Variation

The activity rhythm of a species is ruled by internal signals as well as external factors. Among them, ambient temperature strongly influences the amount, duration and distribution of an organism´s activities throughout the day. The result is a pattern of activity that, between certain limits, can be flexible to deal with seasonal and spatial thermal heterogeneity. The range of behavioral plasticity increases with environmental variability and could be beneficial for a species? persistence under novel conditions. Thus, the goal of this study was to experimentally explore the behavioral plasticity in Phyllotis xanthopygus, a rodent species inhabiting an altitudinal gradient in the Central Andes Mountains of Argentina. In the laboratory, we assessed activity rate and pattern under different temperatures by comparing groups of individuals collected at different altitudes. All animals were acclimated to subsequent thermal treatments in a paired design. As expected, P. xanthophygus showed changes in activity under different temperatures, and animals from diverse altitudes were differently affected. In particular, animals from mid and high altitudes reduced their activity under high temperatures. Intraspecific differences across the altitudinal gradient suggest that animals from mid and high altitudes are less heat tolerant than those from lower sites, in spite of acclimation to equal conditions. We propose that climate ranges experienced in the field possibly promote this different response. Our results are discussed in the light of recent forecasts of temperature rises in the region, which could constrain P. xanthophygus activity in space and time.Fil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Taraborelli, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Albanese, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Gutierrez, Andrea. Universidad del Aconcagua; Argentin

Geographic and seasonal variability in feeding behaviour of a small herbivorous rodent

Foraging strategies have traditionally been modelled as a result of food selection in response to one factor, as for instance resource availability, deterrent compounds or nutrients. Thus, a trade-off is assumed between plasticity (generalist strategy) and efficiency (specialist strategy). Nevertheless, several studies have demonstrated that animals cope behaviourally with food supply variation. For instance, desertdwelling rodents partially compensate for nutritional bottlenecks through diet selection. The aim of our study was to test how foraging behaviour matches spatial and temporal variations in the trophic environment and how modelling hypotheses help us to understand the resultant foraging strategy. Our animal study model was the small cavy Microcavia australis, a widely distributed herbivorous rodent. Fieldwork was carried out in four places, in wet and dry seasons. We found significant differences in plant cover, plant diversity and niche breadth, and diet selection revealed a complex foraging strategy. M. australis shows a behavioural repertoire that exceeds single-criterion categories; therefore, we appeal to theoretical models that consider ecological and physiological perspectives. We classified the small cavy as a facultative specialist displaying a thoroughly opportunistic strategy based on the plasticity of the behavioural phenotype. We finally discuss the evolutionary relevance of our results and propose further investigation avenues.Fil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Borghi, Carlos Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Dacar, María Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Bozinovic, Francisco. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chil

Genetic basis and repeatability for desiccation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Dehydration is a stress factor for organisms inhabiting natural habitats where water is scarce. Thus, it may be expected that species facing arid environments will develop mechanisms that maximize resistance to desiccation. Insects are excellent models for studying the effects of dehydration as well as the mechanisms and processes that prevent water loss since the effect of desiccation is greater due to the higher area/volume ratio than larger animals. Even though physiological and behavioral mechanisms to cope with desiccation are being understood, the genetic basis underlying the mechanisms related to variation in desiccation resistance and the context-dependent effect remain unsolved. Here we analyze the genetic bases of desiccation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster and identify candidate genes that underlie trait variation. Our quantitative genetic analysis of desiccation resistance revealed sexual dimorphism and extensive genetic variation. The phenotype-genotype association analyses (GWAS) identified 71 candidate genes responsible for total phenotypic variation in desiccation resistance. Half of these candidate genes were sex-specific suggesting that the genetic architecture underlying this adaptive trait differs between males and females. Moreover, the public availability of desiccation data analyzed on the same lines but in a different lab allows us to investigate the reliability and repeatability of results obtained in independent screens. Our survey indicates a pervasive micro-environment lab-dependent effect since we did not detect overlap in the sets of genes affecting desiccation resistance identified between labs.Fil: Fanara, Juan Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentina. No especifíca;Fil: Goenaga, Julieta. No especifíca;Fil: Hasson, Esteban Ruben. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Developmental environment influences activity levels in a montane rodent, Phyllotis xanthopygus

Ambient temperature and thermal variability play a crucial role in diverse aspects of organisms’ biology. In the current context of climate change, it is critical to understand how temperature impacts traits that could affect fitness. In Phyllotis xanthopygus, a small altricial rodent inhabiting an altitudinal gradient in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, the behavioral response to temperature varies between populations from different altitudes. Animals from high altitude (cold environment) reduce their activity rate at high temperatures, in contrast to animals from low altitude (relatively warmer environment). The goal of this study was to unveil the mechanism underlying such intraspecific behavioral variability in P. xanthopygus. We characterized activity rates under different thermal treatments both for wild-reared and lab-reared animals. As we expected, the intraspecific variability shown by animals raised at different altitudes in the field disappeared in animals raised under homogenous conditions in the laboratory. Our results are indicative of ontogenetic plasticity in P. xanthopygus and suggest that the behavioral versatility of adult individuals to deal with thermal challenges is shaped by the range of environmental conditions experienced during their early life. This adds to the list of features that modulate the biological performance of individuals and could influence the relative vulnerability of populations inhabiting different elevations under the global disturbance of climate change.EEA BarrowFil: Ruperto, Emmanuel F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CCT-Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas. Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad; ArgentinaFil: Taraborelli, Paula Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Barrow; ArgentinaFil: Taraborelli, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Menéndez, Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CCT-Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas. Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad; ArgentinaFil: Sassi, Paola L. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CCT-Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas. Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad; ArgentinaFil: Sassi, Paola L. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Plasticity in food assimilation, retention time and coprophagy allow herbivorous cavies (Microcavia australis) to cope with low food quality in the Monte desert

Energy balance depends on the efficiency with which organisms make use of their trophic resources, and has direct impact on their fitness. There are environmental variations that affect the availability as well as the quality of such resources; energy extraction also depends on the design of the digestive tract. It is expected that features associated with food utilization will be subjected to selective pressures and show some adjustment to the variability of the environment. Since energetic constraints challenge animals to display digestive compensatory mechanisms, the objective of this study is to determine the physiological and behavioral responses to spatial and seasonal heterogeneity in food quality. We investigated digestive strategies (digestive efficiency and coprophagy) in cavies inhabiting two different populations, and hence naturally experiencing different levels of diet quality. Cavies under experimentally different quality diets showed changes in dry matter digestibility and intake, digesta retention time and coprophagy. Our results partially support the expectations from theory and also reveal interpopulation differences in the ability to cope with changes in food quality, and may explain the capability of Microcavia australis to colonize extreme habitats.Fil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas; ArgentinaFil: Caviedes Vidal, Enrique Juan Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Antón, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Bozinovic, Francisco. Universidad Católica de Chile; Chil

Phenotypic plasticity in the energy metabolism of a small Andean rodent: Effect of short-term thermal acclimation and developmental conditions

The study of phenotypic variation within species in response to different environments is a central issue in evolutionary and ecological physiology. Particularly, ambient temperature is one of the most important factors modulating interactions between animals and their environment. Phyllotis xanthopygus, a small Andean rodent, exhibits intraspecific differences along an altitudinal gradient in traits relevant to energy balance that persist after acclimation to common experimental temperatures. Therefore, we aim to explore geographic variations in energetic traits of P. xanthopygus and to assess the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to population differences. We compared metabolic rate and thermal conductance in response to different acclimation temperatures in animals collected at distinct altitudes (F0 generation) and in their offspring, born and raised under common-garden conditions (F1 generation). We found intraspecific differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) of animals collected at different altitudes that were no longer evident in the F1 generation. Furthermore, although both generations showed the same pattern of RMR flexibility in response to acclimation temperature, its magnitude was lower for the F1 individuals. This suggests that developmental conditions affect the short-term acclimation capacity of this trait during adulthood. On the other hand, thermal conductance (C) showed irreversible plasticity, as animals raised in the laboratory at stable warm conditions had a relatively higher C than the animals from the field, showing no adjustments to thermal acclimation during adulthood in either group. In sum, our results support the hypothesis that the developmental environment shapes energetic traits, emphasizing the relevance of incorporating ontogeny in physiological studies.Fil: Menéndez Sammartino, Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Ruperto, Emmanuel Fabián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Taraborelli, Paula Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Barrow; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sassi, Paola Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin