Using genetic methods also presents challenges due to the hybridization history of the domestic species, which are thought to have extensively hybridized following the Spanish conquest of South America that resulted in camelids slaughtered en masse. Identifying the domestic species (alpaca and llama) in archaeological sites based solely on morphological data is challenging due to their similarity with respect to their wild ancestors. The study of South American camelids and their domestication is a highly debated topic in zooarchaeology.
The GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Genomic and Biodiversity Laboratory, Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Bio-Bio University, Chile.ICCMISAC - International Consortium for the Conservation Management and Improvement of South American Camelids, United Kingdom.School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, United Kingdom.CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Portugal.Human Genetics Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Chile.School of Science Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, Austral of Chile University, Chile.Institute of Archaeological Research and Museum, Católica del Norte University, Chile.Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Chile, Chile.Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.The Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Photojournal note: EarthKAM was formerly known as KidSat. This image was taken from the Space Shuttle on February 20, 2000. The endeavor is expected to become one of Argentina's biggest mines, producing up to 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate and lithium chloride per year, to be extracted by pumping from the area's lithium-rich saltbeds. The nearby Salar del Hombre Muerto is being put into mineral production. The term salar is used exclusively of the saltwater wetlands of the Puna (high Andes) and can describe not only salt lakes but also temporary marshes, shallow lakes and lagoons, or simply salt crust. The large whitish features are very common in the arid Andes they are called salars. Prior to a report of ash columns from the summit in 1993, the volcano was not known to be active and very little is known of the volcano's age and history. Well-preserved lava flows are found at its base. It is located just east of the Argentina-Chile border. It is a steep-sided stratovolcano with a youthful-looking summit crater 1-1.5 km in diameter. 6,082 m) is one of many volcanoes in the Andes Range. The Andes Mountains are part of the Southern Cordillera formed from subduction zone volcanism at the convergent boundary of the Nazca plate and the South American plate.