MUTUALISM BETWEEN CHENOPODIUM, HERD ANIMALS, AND HERDERS IN THE SOUTHCENTRAL ANDES

The ecology of human, animal, and plant mutualism is examined as it oc curs in an Andean herding system. Highly favored forage species, espec ially species of the genus Chenopodium, exist in unusually high concen trations in corrals. Herd animals transport these forage species to pa storal campsites where the plants thrive in the organic corral soils. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship where certain plant sp ecies become camp followers of pastoral campsites. The mutualism invol ving Chenopodium may serve as a model for the domestication of quinua (C. quinoa) in the Andes. Prehistoric pastoralism may have led to camp following by wild Chenopodium that in turn led to the domestication o f this plant. The dynamic relationship between herd animals and forage species has further implications for understanding the role of pastor alism in forming present-day Andean landscapes as well as future chang es Andean environments may experience. The ability of modem herding to alter plant communities indicates the fragile nature of montane envir onments.