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Coccinellids are important biological control agents and aphid predators in horticultural crops around the world. Neotropical Cycloneda sanguinea, Eriopis connexa and Coleomegilla quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata, and the exotic Harmonia axyridis (all Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), are predators that mainly feed on aphids. In this work we described the abundance of these coccinellid species and their spatial and temporal cooccurrence in agroecological eggplant crop of Argentina. We also estimate the intensity and symmetry of the intraguild predation between C. quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata and the other species in laboratory experiments. Both temporal and spatial segregation was observed. H. axyridis was the strongest intraguild predator in the interaction with C. quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata, and this latter was the strongest intraguild predator in interaction with C. sanguinea and E. connexa. In this context, native coccinellid species would be vulnerable to the exotic and invasive H. axyridis; however, the lack of cooccurrence of this species with the native ones, under conditions of low density of extra-guild prey would indicate that spatial segregation could be the mechanism by which these species coexist in the eggplant crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological performance in lizards may be affected by climate across latitudinal or altitudinal gradients. In the coastal dune barriers in central‐eastern Argentina, the annual maximum environmental temperature decreases up to 2°C from low to high latitudes, while the mean relative humidity of the air decreases from 50% to 25%. Liolaemus multimaculatus, a lizard in the family Liolaemidae, is restricted to these coastal dunes. We investigated the locomotor performance of the species at 6 different sites distributed throughout its range in these dune barriers. We inquired whether locomotor performance metrics were sensitive to the thermal regime attributable to latitude. The thermal performance breadth increased from 7% to 82% with latitude, due to a decrease in its critical thermal minimum of up to 5°C at higher latitudes. Lizards from high latitude sites showed a thermal optimum, that is, the body temperature at which maximum speed is achieved, up to 4°C lower than that of lizards from the low latitude. At relatively low temperatures, the maximum running speed of high‐latitude individuals was faster than that of low‐latitude ones. Thermal parameters of locomotor performance were labile, decreasing as a function of latitude. These results show populations of L. multimaculatus adjust thermal physiology to cope with local climatic variations. This suggests that thermal sensitivity responds to the magnitude of latitudinal fluctuations in environmental temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Liminalities is the property of Liminalities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Taking the case of population genetics and individual ancestry in Argentina, and through an exploration of discourses in social networks and media, we reflect on the role of genetic data in thinking an Argentina mestiza. We consider whether DNA can be a tool of reparation and social justice for some groups inserted in a society that for more than a century promoted and was perceived as homogeneously white and of European descent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The design of a library containing Brucella spp species for identification by MALDI-TOF to genus and species level facilitates rapid and accurate diagnosis, minimizing risks for the operator and allowing the patient to receive timely treatment. • The addition of regional strains to the database will allow future identification at biovar level, which will be of great relevance for the epidemiological study of this highly prevalent pathogen throughout Latin America. • The protein profiles transferred to ARGENTINA's national mass spectrometry network (RENAEM) opens the possibility of sharing them with other countries to expand the databases in order to improve identification. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) has proven to be a fast and reliable method for the identification of a large number of taxonomic groups. It offers the advantage of being able to incorporate protein spectra of microorganisms that are absent or poorly represented in commercial databases, such as the genus Brucella. The aim of the study was to build the first database of protein spectra of local biological variants of Brucella in Argentina and of standard strains. First, the identification performance of a panel of 135 strains was evaluated with the Swedish database ¨Folkhälsomyndigheten¨ (containing protein spectra of several international standards of the genus Brucella) imported from the open access site https://spectra.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/spectra/. With this library 100 % of the strains were correctly identified by mass spectrometry to genus level, but not to species level. Due to the limitation found, an in-house database was designed with local Brucella isolates from Argentina and standard strains used in routine bacteriological diagnosis. For its validation, a panel of strains, different from those used to develop the extended local database (n: 177), was used to, simultaneously, challenge both libraries. The samples were processed by triplicate and the results obtained were: 177 strains correctly identified to genus and species level compared to the gold standard method (phenotypic typing), meeting the criteria accepted by the literature and the manufacturer as reliable identification. Only 2 of these isolates had score values lower than 2 (1.862) and were therefore not included in the calculation of results. According to these results, MALDI-TOF MS is a fast and reliable method for the routine identification of the different Brucella species, and even has the advantage of reducing the time of exposure to pathogenic microorganisms for laboratorians. It could be considered a valuable technique to replace, in the near future, the current conventional techniques due to the ease of transferring protein spectra, avoiding the use of reference strains that are difficult to find commercially available and commonly used in phenotypic typing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass spectrometry has revolutionized the clinical microbiology field in America’s and Europe’s industrialized countries, for being a fast, reliable and inexpensive technique. Our study is based on the comparison of the performance of two commercial platforms, Microflex LT (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) and Vitek MS (bioMérieux, Marcy l´Etoile, France) for the identification of unusual and hard-to-diagnose microorganisms in a Reference Laboratory in Argentina. During a four-month period (February–May 2018) the diagnostic efficiency and the concordance between both systems were assessed, and the results were compared with the polyphasic taxonomic identification of all isolates. The study included 265 isolates: 77 Gram-Negative Bacilli, 33 Gram-Positive Cocci, 40 Anaerobes, 35 Actinomycetales, 19 Fastidious Microorganisms and 61 Gram-Positive Bacilli. All procedures were practiced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations in each case by duplicate, and strictly in parallel. Other relevant factors, such as the utility of the recommended extraction protocols, reagent stability and connectivity were also evaluated. Both systems correctly identified the majority of the isolates to species and complex level (82%, 217/265). Vitex MS achieved a higher number of correct species-level identifications between the gram-positive microorganisms; however, it presented greater difficulty in the identification of non-fermenting bacilli and a higher number of incorrect identifications when the profile of the microorganism was not represented in the commercial database. Both platforms showed an excellent performance on the identification of anaerobic bacteria and fastidious species. Both systems enabled the fast and reliable identification of most of the tested isolates and were shown to be very practical for the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, MALDI-TOF MS has been proven as a solid option for microbial identification through the comparison of its profiles of protein spectra with those represented in a commercial library. The capabilities of this method for fast and accurate identification, depend mainly on the content of the protein spectral libraries that are used in the comparison. Commercial MALDI machines currently includes thousands of mass spectrum profiles in their databases. Despite this, the platforms have some difficulties to correctly identify some groups of microorganisms, generally due to the scarce or null representativeness in the commercial databases. That is the most important reason in the development of a custom MALDI Main Spectrum Profile (MSPs) in complementary libraries, including new microorganisms not represented before or local circulating species. In Argentina, within the framework of the National Network of Identification by Mass Spectrometry (ReNaEM, in spanish) the protein profiles of several isolates are created constantly to complement the Bruker Biotyper libraries, in order to improve the accuracy of identifications at species level for difficult bacterial and fungi of clinical relevance. These incorporations are transferred and installed in every platform around the country to ensure a timely and homogeneous diagnosis. From the National Reference Laboratory, we have modified the standard protocol, adding a simple step, which has significantly improved the characteristics of protein profiles obtained from difficult isolates, generating in our case 19 new MSPs with better quality, that means higher number of peaks present with higher frequency in each spectra of the profile, allowing their incorporation into the additional libraries faster than the original protocol. [Display omitted] • From the NRL, we have developed a modified in-house protocol, which has significantly improved the protein profiles obtained, generating MSPs with better quality, allowing their incorporation into the additional libraries faster than the original protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Enfoques: Ciencia Política y Administración Pública is the property of Universidad Central de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Densities of aphids (Aphis gossypii and A. spiraecola) and mummified aphids at different phenological stages of a blueberry crop were estimated for the purpose of developing sampling plans. Our data set comprised 99 samples taken during the period 2006–2008 in four fields in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Estimation of population density based on the proportion of sample units infested by individuals was investigated. We also calculated the minimum number of sample units to estimate the density of individuals on buds and buds + flowers using enumerative sampling. The relative precision of both methods was compared. Moreover, an enumerative sequential sampling protocol was developed. The presence–absence sampling plan gave density estimates with large variances (as measured by confidence intervals and large standard errors). The aggregation of mummies was similar on buds and buds + flowers, so the required number of sample units for density estimates was the same. Relative precision of estimates was much lower for the presence–absence sampling than the enumerative sampling, even at intermediate densities. An enumerative sequential plan would be the most appropriate and useful method in management plans for aphids and mummified aphids in blueberries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L. (Ericaceae), is a shrub native to the northern Hemisphere introduced in Argentina, where it occupies small cultivated areas mainly in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Tucumán. At present, little is known about insects associated with this crop in Argentina. The aim of this study was to identify the species of Chrysomelidae present in blueberry crops in different regions of Argentina, and to present new chrysomelids-blueberry associations. Identification diagnosis, geographical distribution, association with other plants and aspects of their biology is given for each species. Seven species of crop-damaging Chrysomelidae were recorded in blueberry crops of Buenos Aires and Entre Rios. They belong to the subfamilies Calerucinae: Diabrotica speciosa (Cermar), Disonychodes exclamationis (Boheman), Caeporis stigmula Cermar, and Cacoscelis melanoptera Germar; Eumolpinae: Percolaspis varia (Lefèvre), and Spintherophyta semiaurata (Klug); and Cryptocephalinae: Lexiphanes coenobita Suffrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report for the first time in Argentina the presence of Syncharina lineiceps (Spinola) and it is cited as new record for blueberries crops. For each species of the genus Syncharina Young we provide updated information referred to geographic distribution and plants hosts. A key to identify the species of the genus is presented.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a crop is introduced into a new region the herbivorous insect communities are structured from the regional pool of species, and the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the landscape and the spatial arrangement of habitat elements are essential for species diversity. The blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., is a crop native to the northern hemisphere and was introduced in Argentina in the 1990s. We have analyzed the richness and diversity of insect herbivore communities in several blueberry crops located in different agricultural landscapes of Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos, in Argentina. In total, the number of families recorded throughout the study period was 31. The richness and the diversity showed significant differences among phenological stages and years, although the sites had an effect on the richness, in Buenos Aires. Aphidae was the most abundant family in all sites, followed by different families depending on the surrounding crops and their more common herbivores. The highest values of cumulative alpha diversity were in crops located in more changing landscapes. There were high values of temporal beta diversity everywhere. Spatial beta diversity was higher in Buenos Aires than in Entre Ríos, probably because the crops of the latter are located in similar landscapes. Gamma diversity was 29 families for communities of Buenos Aires and it was 15 families in Entre Ríos. The herbivorous communities in blueberry crops of Argentina are shaped by ectophagous generalist (South American and cosmopolitan) from the regional pool of species, characteristic of the landscape where the crops were introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between Science and Ethics studied in the entering students' perception of Psychology in Mar del Plata National University Abstract This work is an approach to the results of the project: The entering students' Social Perception of the Ethical Dimension in the Scientific Practices of Psychology in Mar del Plata National University. One of the most important goals of the project is to identify the entering students' social perception related to the ethical problems implicit in the new scientific-technological knowledge. This means the relation between science and ethics in the students' production and the scientists' knowledge transmission. The data have been collected from a survey of 440 students attending the Entering Course of Psychology at the Mar del Plata National University. This survey includes five topic sections. In this article we present the results provided by the fourth section corresponding to the relation between science and ethics, the scientists' duties, ethical problems related to the scientific advance, the ethical control, the science and the scientists' rights and duties. This work is useful to show some contradictions between the perception of science and the perception of questions related to the scientific practices. The results which are coincident with the national and international investigations require guaranteeing the consideration of all the variables related to the scientists' work specially those referred to the ethical dimension enabling the acknowledgement of the epistemological complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales is the property of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Icerya purchasi Maskell is a polyphagous scale pest of ornamentals and several other crops. It has two natural specialist enemies that maintain its populations at low levels: Rodoliacardinali.s (Mulsant) and Cryptochaetum iceryae (Williston). I. purchari was recently observed in bluebeny crops (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in Argentina. Seven blueberry fields located in different agricultural landscapes were sampled from July 2006 to September 2008. I. purchasi was present only in the citrus areas of Gobernador Castro, San Pedro, and Concordia. In the last locality, it was present in January 2007, and the abundance was very low, In Buenos Aires, I. purchasi was more abundant in Cobernador Castro where it was present throughout all study period. In San Pedro, it was only registered in August 2007 and March, April, and June 2008. In Gobemador Castro, where the abundance was highest, the dominant crop near blueberries is citrus. The low abundance in San Pedro and Concordia fields may be attributable to the replacement of citrus crops by nonhosts. In Concordia and San Pedro fields, no parasitized I. purchasi were found. In Gobernador Castro, the proportion of adults parasitized was 0.805 ± 0.286. When the risk of parasitism was analyzed for three density categories, there were no significant differences. R. cardinalis was present only in Gobernador Castro, and very few individuals were observed. The presence and abundance of I. purchasi in blueberry crops in Argentina seems to be linked to the structure of the landscape at the regional level, and the variable incidence of C. iceryae suggests major constraints to the scale's population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Internacional de Desastres Naturales, Accidentes e Infraestructura Civil is the property of University of Puerto Rico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Highlights from the article: AL amyloidosis incidence rate adjusted to Buenos Aires is 6 (95%CI: 2.6-9.7) per 1,000,000 person-years [[1]]. Incidence rate of amyloidosis in patients from a medical care program in Buenos Aires, Argentina: a prospective cohort. Improvement in quality of life of patients with AL amyloidosis treated with high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation.

Abstract: Recent remote sensing analyses and field studies have shown that Bajada del Diablo, in Argentina, is a new crater-strewn field. Bajada del Diablo is located in a remote area of Chubut Province, Patagonia. This amazing strewn field contains more than 100 almost circular, crater-type structures with diameters ranging from 100 to 500 m in width and 30 to 50 m in depth. It is composed of three separated impact crater fields, which formed simultaneously. The impact was upon a Miocene basaltic plateau and Pliocene–Early Pleistocene pediments. The original crater field (60 km2) was later eroded by Late Pleistocene fluvial processes; thus, three major, separate areas were defined. Due to the erosional processes that have affected the area, it is difficult to determine yet if the crater field has a classic elliptical distribution. Crater structures are similar in target rocks, although showing different response and morphology in relation to rock type. They are simple rings, bowl-shaped with raised rimrock. Basaltic boulders have been deposited as a ring-shaped pile and the ejecta are found toward the NE flanks. The craters present a hummocky bottom, with dry ponds and lakes in the center, but they do not show raised central peaks. The rocks within the craters have strong and stable magnetic signature. No meteorite fragments or other diagnostic landmarks have been found yet. The craters have been partially filled in by debris flows from the rim and windblown sands in recent times. The origin of these crater fields may be related to multiple fragmentation of one asteroid that broke up before impact, perhaps traveling across the space as a rubble pile. Alternatively, multiple collisions of comet fragments could explain the formation of these crater fields. Based on field geological and geomorphological data, the age of this event is estimated to be bracketed between Early Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene (i.e., 0.78–0.13 Ma ago). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a species with great nutritional value and promising to be cultivated as a second crop in irrigated fields of cold-temperate regions with short growing seasons. However, little information exists regarding the nitrogen (N) economy of common buckwheat as a second crop following a high-yielding winter cereal. This study aimed to quantify grain yield, its components, and the grain protein content, and to evaluate N economy processes such as the initial N use efficiency (INUE), the N uptake efficiency (NUptE), the N internal efficiency (NIE) for biomass and grain yield and the N harvest index (NHI) among different treatments of N availability at sowing in four site-year experiments of common buckwheat as a second crop in irrigated fields of the southwestern Pampas of Argentina. The variety Mancan, used in this study, lasted between 73 and 92 days (888–1073 °C days) from sowing to harvest. Grain yield was highly correlated with achene number but not with achene weight. Grain yield ranged from 405 to 2725 kg ha-1, with an interaction between treatments and experiments, with major differences among experiments and minor differences among N availability treatments. Relative N uptake was maximized at a higher value of N availability (160 kg N ha-1) than grain yield (50 kg N ha-1), associated with higher responses of N uptake, vegetative N uptake and grain protein content than grain yield to N availability. However, NUptE featured a negative response to N availability in all experiments. NHI was highly variable among experiments, ranged between 0.51 and 0.83 and was affected by N availability in only two experiments. NIE for biomass and grain yield were 80 kg kg-1 and 36 kg kg-1, respectively, which were lower than those of most cereals but higher than those of other non-cereal grain crops. A short crop cycle of the variety Mancan, an average grain yield of 1594 kg ha-1 among experiments in this study, a low N availability requirement to maximize grain yield and high values of NIE for biomass and for grain yield suggest that buckwheat is a promising species for second crop sowing in cold-temperate regions. • Analyzed the response of second-crop buckwheat to varying N availability levels. • Grain yield response to N was low and relative grain yield maximized at 50 kgN ha-1. • N internal efficiency was lower than cereals but higher than non-cereal crops. • Initial N use efficiency decreased dramatically with higher N availability levels. • Observed responses are promising characteristics to grow buckwheat as a second crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Bajada del Diablo astrobleme-strewn field is a huge domain of enigmatic circular structures located in central Patagonia. Three more localities are herein described, adding to the first area studied so far. Taking into consideration the four areas, a single, blurred crater dispersion ellipse has been identified. The four sectors now have been investigated, mapped, and georreferenced. Their circular structures, with a total of 185 (some of which are partially obliterated by erosion or sediment accumulation), were identified by remote sensing techniques, but many have been evaluated in situ and interpreted as impact craters. Moreover, two of the structures have been surveyed in detail in the field using a total station instrument. In addition to the previously known occurrence of circular structures on the Eruptive Complex Quiñelaf (Miocene basalts), the Pampa Sastre Fm. (Pliocene conglomerates), and of the Pleistocene pediment gravels and sands, and the geomorphological inferences that have suggested the extra-terrestrial origin of this event, we should now add that the recurrent absence of the cited Pliocene stratigraphic unit at the bottom of the craters is found in the pediment gravel and sands. Its removal has been interpreted as directly related to the impact, according to the magnetometric record of existing magnetic anomalies. Other preliminary observations on the collected samples (glass, breccias, and, most relevant, Fe-Ni-bearing spherules picked up within the impact zones) are herein discussed. Two hypotheses have been put forward about the nature of the possible impacting object that formed these astroblemes which, fragmented into hundreds of pieces, hit the surface of the Earth most likely in middle Pleistocene times. One of these hypotheses is related to the impact of a disintegrated asteroid of the rubble pile type, whereas a second hypothesis refers to the collision of a split comet with the Earth surface. The latter hypothesis is favoured since no meteorite fragments have been found so far. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 1.5-km-wide, 40-m-deep, crater-like structure in the 10 Ma old Barda Negra basaltic plateau in Central Argentina was discovered in the early 2000s. Based on remote sensing surveys and on its morphological characteristics, similar to those of the Barringer crater in Arizona, the structure is described to be originated by an impact. In this study we ran several field work campaigns and collected and analysed samples, in order to find more evidences to endorse or reject this hypothesis. We observe a circular depression not generally surrounded by raised rims, in contrast to craters produced either by a meteorite impact or phreatomagmatic eruption (maars). Mineralogical investigations of rocks and sediments do not show high pressure and temperature minerals, such as coesite or stishovite, or any remnants of an impactite or impact melt/glass. Likewise, no textural evidences for impact-related fracturing or stress are observed. A detailed geomorphological mapping indicates a successive crater development which invokes local stepwise subsidence. Magnetic mapping performed with the EU-funded NEWTON multisensor novel instrument shows a ~2000 nT field anomaly associated to the edges of the crater, and susceptibility measurements cast an important contrast between the basaltic rims and plateau, and the crater interior. Therefore, we propose a sinkhole origin for the crater, with a former collapse of the plateau basalts and a latter infill with sedimentary material. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the 40 to 85 m thick and 14 to 15 Ma old carbonate-bearing Collón Curá Formation, underneath the 100 to 150 m thick basaltic plateau lava sheet, represents ideal rocks for dissolution and karst formation; remote sensing data show other nearby sinkholes (20 km westward), with extensions of 3 × 6 km and 100 m depth, which are emplaced within a cogenetic neighboring basaltic plateau with a similar underlying lithology; and the consistence of the magnetic model computed with this scheme and on measured rock remanence and susceptibilities of the structure and surroundings. These giant collapse sinkholes, up to 6 km in diameter, within caprocks of very thick plateau basalts, represent unique examples for planetary surface shaping processes which also occur on Mars and comets in areas with basalts or rigid caprocks. • Barda Negra crater is a terrestrial analogue of Mars and the Moon. • Barda Negra crater was classified as formed by an impact. • Magnetic tests and field work lead to a new interpretation. • A sinkhole origin is proposed for Barda Negra crater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoregulation in ectotherms may be modulated by climatic variability across geographic gradients. Environmental temperature varies along latitudinal clines resulting in heterogeneous thermal resource availability, which generally induces ectotherms to use compensatory mechanisms to thermoregulate. Lizards can accommodate to ambient temperature changes through a combination of adaptive evolution and behavioral and physiological plasticity. We studied the thermal ecology of the endangered endemic lizard Liolaemus multimaculatus at six different sites distributed from the northern to southern areas of the distribution (700 km) in the Atlantic dune barriers of Argentina, and even including the borders areas of the distribution range. Environmental temperatures and relative humidity showed a strong contrast between northern and southern limits of the distribution range. The northern localities had operative temperatures (T e) above the range of preferred temperatures (T set), instead, the southern localities had large proportion of T es within the T set. Although these different climatic conditions may constrain the thermal biology of L. multimaculatus , individuals from all localities maintained relatively similar field body temperatures (X T b = 34.07 ± 3.02 °C), suggesting that this parameter is conservative. Thermal preference partially reflected latitudinal temperature gradient, since lizards from the two southernmost localities showed the lowest T sel and T set. Thermoregulatory efficiency differed among localities, since E values in the northern localities (E = 0.53–0.69) showed less variability than those of southern localities (E = 0.14–0.67). Although L. multimaculatus employed a strategy of having a conservative T b and being able to acclimatize the thermal preference to copes with latitudinal changes in the thermal environment, other local factors, such as ecological interactions, may also impose limitations to thermoregulation and this may interfered in the interpretation of results at wider spatial scale. • We studied the thermal biology of Liolaemus multimaculatus in a latitudinal gradient. • Field body temperature were constant despite of latitude. • Individuals of different sites used similar thermal patches. • Preferred temperatures decreased up to 3 °C with latitude. • Changes in thermal preferences and behavioral plasticity improve thermoregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]