The distribution of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in Patagonia during Late Pleistocene–Holocene and its importance for prehistoric human diet

Abstract

The great importance of the guanaco ( Lama guanicoe) for the subsistence of the human populations of Patagonia during the Holocene has been demonstrated in numerous studies. This species is considered as the main prey of the hunter-gatherer groups of the Patagonian interior, indicating the existence of a strong ecological relationship of predator-prey type. Despite the importance of this ungulate for prehistoric human populations, its spatial distribution throughout the Holocene has not been systematically explored, assuming that it was ubiquitously distributed in almost all of Patagonia. In this work, the spatial distribution of the guanaco in Patagonia during different periods of the final Pleistocene and Holocene is explored using zooarchaeological and paleontological evidence together with species distribution models and paleoclimatic reconstructions. Likewise, the spatial variation in the importance of this species for the diet of human populations is assessed. The results show that there were large differences in the distribution of guanaco in Patagonia over time. In general terms, this camelid suffered a constant contraction in range since the Late Pleistocene period to the present. There is an Andean range and peri-cordilleran core of population distribution that remains observable during all this time. Human subsistence was strongly influenced by this pattern of distribution. The differences in the guanaco distribution described in this work are important not only for archaeological and paleontological problems, but also for the current conservation of guanacos.