Modeling geographic distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from molecular evidence in soils of Argentinean Puna using a maximum entropy approach.

The biogeographic region of Argentinean Puna mainly extends at elevations higher than 3,000 m within the Andean Plateau and hosts diverse ecological communities highly adapted to extreme aridity and low temperatures. Soils of Puna are typically poorly evolved and geomorphology is shaped by drainage networks, resulting in highly vegetated endorheic basins and hypersaline basins known as salar or salt flats. Local communities rely on soil fertility for agricultural practices and on pastures for livestock rearing.