CEAZA
Genetic diversity of Colobanthus quitensis across the Drake Passage.
Acuña-Rodríguez, I., Oses, R., Cortés-Vasquez, J., Torres-Díaz, C., & Molina-Montenegro, M.
The Drake Passage arises as a likely route for gene flow into Antarctica, as it is the shortest path between this continent and the rest of the world. Despite this, long-distance dispersion into Antarctica could be particularly complex for terrestrial biota. To compare the levels of genetic diversity between Antarctic and South American populations of the Antarctic pearlwort, Colobanthus quitensis, we conducted the first estimation of genetic diversity in this species using amplified fragment length polymorphism. Four populations across the Drake Passage were selected and their genetic composition was characterized. Differences among the levels of genetic diversity were found between the populations analysed as well as between their allelic identities. However, interestingly, their spatial distribution across the Drake Passage suggests a north-to-south gradient of increasing genetic diversity.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: AFLP, Antarctic vascular plants, Colobanthus quitensis, genetic diversity.
Referencia APA: Acuña-Rodríguez, I., Oses, R., Cortés-Vasquez, J., Torres-Díaz, C., & Molina-Montenegro, M. (2014). Genetic diversity of Colobanthus quitensis across the Drake Passage. Plant Genetic Resources, 12(01), 147-150.
Effect of grazing on distribution and recovery of harvested stands of Lessonia berteroana kelp in northern Chile.
Oróstica, M., Aguilera, M., Donoso, G., Vásquez, J., & Broitman, B.
Understanding the ecological factors regulating exploited natural communities is important in establishing conservation and management strategies. Since the 1960s, artisanal fishermen have harvested up to 300000 dry tons yr-1 of wild populations of Lessonia spp. kelps. Adult kelps form a key habitat on the rocky shores of Chile, and benthic grazers regulate kelp populations by grazing or bulldozing microscopic and juvenile stages. To establish the role of the grazer assemblage in the recovery of kelp stands following harvesting, we conducted a manipulative experiment simulating artisanal kelp extraction and then manipulating the presence of grazers. We followed community succession and spatial distribution of L. berteroana recruits in manipulated and control rocky shore platforms for ca. 12 mo. Inter-individual distances of recruits and spatial autocorrelation analyses showed that the presence of grazers determined a patchy distributional pattern of L. berteroana. The aggregated spatial pattern of kelp recruits in the presence of grazers was followed by numerous coalescence events between small holdfasts, but no coalescence events were observed between recruits in the grazer removal areas. Our results suggest that grazing and recruit coalescence play an important role in the recovery of kelp stands following artisanal harvesting. Incorporating these processes into conservation and management strategies may bolster current strategies, which are based solely on the spatial structure of kelp stands.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Algae-herbivore, Harvesting, Grazers, Kelp communities, Spatial structure.
Referencia APA: Oróstica, M., Aguilera, M., Donoso, G., Vásquez, J., & Broitman, B. (2014). Effect of grazing on distribution and recovery of harvested stands of Lessonia berteroana kelp in northern Chile. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 511, 71-82.
Unusual forest growth decline in boreal North America covaries with the retreat of Arctic sea ice.
Girardin, M., Guo, X., De Jong, R., Kinnard, C., Bernier, P., & Raulier, F.
The 20th century was a pivotal period at high northern latitudes as it marked the onset of rapid climatic warming brought on by major anthropogenic changes in global atmospheric composition. In parallel, Arctic sea ice extent has been decreasing over the period of available satellite data records. Here, we document how these changes influenced vegetation productivity in adjacent eastern boreal North America. To do this, we used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, model simulations of net primary productivity (NPP) and tree-ring width measurements covering the last 300 years. Climatic and proxy-climatic data sets were used to explore the relationships between vegetation productivity and Arctic sea ice concentration and extent, and temperatures. Results indicate that an unusually large number of black spruce (Picea mariana) trees entered into a period of growth decline during the late-20th century (62% of sampled trees; n = 724 cross sections of age >70 years). This finding is coherent with evidence encoded in NDVI and simulated NPP data. Analyses of climatic and vegetation productivity relationships indicate that the influence of recent climatic changes in the studied forests has been via the enhanced moisture stress (i.e. greater water demands) and autotrophic respiration amplified by the declining sea ice concentration in Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. The recent decline strongly contrasts with other growth reduction events that occurred during the 19th century, which were associated with cooling and high sea ice severity. The recent decline of vegetation productivity is the first one to occur under circumstances related to excess heat in a 300-year period, and further culminates with an intensifying wildfire regime in the region. Our results concur with observations from other forest ecosystems about intensifying temperature-driven drought stress and tree mortality with ongoing climatic changes.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Bayesian; Canada; carbon; climate change; multivariate adaptive regression splines; process-based model 3PG; Quebec; regime shifts; satellite imagery; wavelet coherency.
Referencia APA: Girardin, M., Guo, X., De Jong, R., Kinnard, C., Bernier, P., & Raulier, F. (2014). Unusual forest growth decline in boreal North America covaries with the retreat of Arctic sea ice. Glob Change Biol, 20(3), 851-866.
Rivers as a source of marine litter – A study from the SE Pacific.
Rech, S., Macaya-Caquilpán, V., Pantoja, J., Rivadeneira, M., Jofre Madariaga, D., & Thiel, M.
Composition and abundance of persistent buoyant litter (plastics, polystyrene and manufactured wood) were investigated at riversides and on adjacent coastal beaches of four rivers flowing into the SE Pacific Ocean. Persistent buoyant litter made up the main share of litter at riversides (36–82%) and on coastal beaches near the river mouths (67–86%). The characteristic litter composition of each river is attributable to human influences along its course. Riverine litter items were deposited to both sides of the river mouths on coastal beaches, and their abundance generally declined with distance from the river mouth. However, maximum litter accumulations were often found on beaches north of the river mouth, suggesting a long-term influence of the prevailing equatorward low-level jet along the Chilean coast. The results confirm that riverine transport has an important impact on litter abundances on coastal beaches.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Riverine litter; Litter composition; Litter abundance; Marine beaches; Riversides.
Referencia APA: Rech, S., Macaya-Caquilpán, V., Pantoja, J., Rivadeneira, M., Jofre Madariaga, D., & Thiel, M. (2014). Rivers as a source of marine litter – A study from the SE Pacific. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 82(1-2), 66-75
Environmental tolerance of the two invasive species Ciona intestinalis and Codium fragile: their invasion potential along a temperate coast.
Jofré Madariaga, D., Rivadeneira, M., Tala, F., & Thiel, M.
Ciona intestinalis and Codium fragile are among the most successful invasive species in marine systems worldwide, and they are currently in the process of expanding their distributional ranges along the Chilean coast. Herein we evaluated whether their tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions contributes to the invasion potential of these two species. To examine the environmental tolerance and performance (e.g., growth) of these non-indigenous species, unifactorial experiments (8–10 days) were conducted with different environmental factors (solar radiation, salinity and temperature). Based on the results, the potential risk of invasion along the Chilean coast was evaluated for both species using a mechanistic niche modeling approach. Both species can tolerate extensive ranges of the abiotic factors salinity and temperature, with C. intestinalis being more tolerant to cold-temperate waters. Also, C. intestinalis was more susceptible to high light intensities than C. fragile. These results confirm those of other experiments, and the outcome of the niche modeling shows that both species can potentially invade most regions of the Chilean coast with the exception of the Magellan region. The results suggest that physiological capacity to tolerate and perform in a wide range of physical conditions is a pre-requisite for successful invasions by littoral biota, but predation and possibly competitive exclusion can slow down the invasion success of C. intestinalis, which in contrast to C. fragile, is consumed by many benthic predators. Sexual and asexual reproduction as well as buoyancy of its thalli further contribute to the dispersal and colonization success of C. fragile. Based on these considerations, it is concluded that the invasion risk of C. fragile along the Chilean coast is substantially higher than that of C. intestinalis.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Invasive species, Environmental tolerance, Chilean coastInvasion risk, Niche modeling.
Referencia APA: Jofré Madariaga, D., Rivadeneira, M., Tala, F., & Thiel, M. (2014). Environmental tolerance of the two invasive species Ciona intestinalis and Codium fragile: their invasion potential along a temperate coast. Biol Invasions, 16(12), 2507-2527.
Albedo variations and the impact of clouds on glaciers in the Chilean semi-arid Andes.
Abermann, J., Kinnard, C., & MacDonell, S.
Albedo variations are presented at two on-glacier sites in the semi-arid Andes, Chile, with >3 years of continuous measurements. Although <2 km apart and at similar elevations, the sites show significantly different albedo cycles. Whereas Toro 1 exhibits a clear seasonal cycle, Guanaco reveals a more complicated pattern, as exposed ice can occur in any month of the year. Daily albedo values are as low as 0.18 for debris-covered Toro 1, while minima are higher on Guanaco (0.38). A method is presented to discern cloud-free from cloudy conditions using measured incoming shortwave radiation only. A cloud climatology is provided showing very low cloudiness values. We see that effective cloud cover relates inversely to cloud occurrence (i.e. either more but thin or fewer but thick clouds). The cloud-free diurnal albedo cycle is pronounced, with lowest values around noon. Clouds increase albedo by 0.04 as a median hourly value, and 0.20 for the 95% quantile. There is a positive relationship between effective cloud cover and resulting albedo rise. Calculations as to whether the diurnal albedo cycle or the effect of clouds on albedo should be considered in energy-balance estimations show that the former is necessary whereas the latter can be neglected in the semi-arid Andes.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Energy Balance; Glacier Mass Balance; Glacier Meteorology; Ice/atmosphere Interactions
Referencia APA: Abermann, J., Kinnard, C., & MacDonell, S. (2014). Albedo variations and the impact of clouds on glaciers in the Chilean semi-arid Andes. Journal Of Glaciology, 60(219), 183-191.
Climatic drivers of tree growth in a swamp forest island in the semiarid coast of Chile.
Peña, M., Barichivich, J., & Maldonado, A.
Isolated patches of swamp forests surrounded by xerophytic vegetation occur along the semiarid coast of Chile. Supported by shallow groundwater, these unique ecosystems have endured a long-term aridity trend during the Holocene and historical land use change. In this study, we investigated the patterns and climate drivers of annual tree growth in a coastal swamp dominated by the hygrophilous tree Myrceugenia exsucca. A tree-ring width chronology spanning the period 1864–2007 was developed and compared with long-term precipitation, temperature and soil moisture dynamics. There is a general lack of significant climate response during the earlier part of the 20th century, but a time-dependent positive growth response to temperature and moisture variability took place following partial drainage of the forest (1930s). Furthermore, a shift from a concurrent to a lagged growth response to moisture occurred around 1980, coinciding with increased frequency of ENSO-related moisture extremes. These results suggest that the ecological functioning of swamp forests in this region is very resilient to short-term climate variability, but even slight drainage disturbance can trigger very dynamic growth responses to climate variability. The degree of anthropogenic disturbance of these ecosystems will likely influence their response to projected increases in regional aridity during the coming decades.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Dendrochronology; Drought; ENSO; Groundwater; Swamp forest.
Referencia APA: Peña, M., Barichivich, J., & Maldonado, A. (2014). Climatic drivers of tree growth in a swamp forest island in the semiarid coast of Chile. Journal Of Arid Environments, 109, 15-22.
Geographical Variation of Shell Thickness in the Mussel Perumytilus purpuratus Along the Southeast Pacific Coast.
Briones, C., M.m., Rivadeneira, M., Fernández, R., Guiñez.
At broad geographical scales, the variation in bivalve shell thickness can be modulated by environmental factors that vary with latitude, such as sea surface temperature (SST), seawater pH, or calcium carbonate availability. Mussels usually form multilayered beds, and shell thickness is also expected to be affected by density and layering due to intraspecific competition. In this work, we explored the geographical variation of shell thickness in the intertidal mussel Perumytilus purpuratus between 18° and 42°S along the southeastern Pacific coast. We tested the hypothesis that there was a positive relationship between shell thickness and SST, and then we explored other variables that could have an effect on thickness, such as density, number of layers, and others environmental variables (pH and calcite concentration). The expected positive linear relationship between shell thickness and sea surface temperature was not found, but when the other population variables were included in the analysis, an unexpected inverse SST-thickness relationships appeared as significant, probably because this species could be adapted to colder and more acid seawater as are those of the tips of South America. Thickness was also negatively affected by density, which was expected for a gregarious species howing high intraspecific competition.Finally, our results highlight the importance of including density and crowding effects when macroscale patterns are explored, particularly in gregarious species, since these patterns could also be modulated by density-dependent processes, which might then override latitudinal trends of shell thickness when they are not included in the analyses.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: Briones, C., M.m., Rivadeneira, M., Fernández, R., Guiñez. (2014). Geographical Variation of Shell Thickness in the Mussel Perumytilus purpuratus Along the Southeast Pacific Coast. Biol. Bull. 227: 221–231.
How does spatial variability of climate affect catchment streamflow predictions?.
Patil, S., Wigington, P., Leibowitz, S., Sproles, E., & Comeleo, R.
Spatial variability of climate can negatively affect catchment streamflow predictions if it is not explicitly accounted for in hydrologic models. In this paper, we examine the changes in streamflow predictability when a hydrologic model is run with spatially variable (distributed) meteorological inputs instead of spatially uniform (lumped) meteorological inputs. Both lumped and distributed versions of the EXP-HYDRO model are implemented at 41 meso-scale (500–5000 km2) catchments in the Pacific Northwest region of USA. We use two complementary metrics of long-term spatial climate variability, moisture homogeneity index (IM) and temperature variability index (ITV), to analyze the performance improvement with distributed model. Results show that the distributed model performs better than the lumped model in 38 out of 41 catchments, and noticeably better (>10% improvement) in 13 catchments. Furthermore, spatial variability of moisture distribution alone is insufficient to explain the observed patterns of model performance improvement. For catchments with low moisture homogeneity (IM < 80%), IM is a better predictor of model performance improvement than ITV; whereas for catchments with high moisture homogeneity (IM > 80%), ITV is a better predictor of performance improvement than IM. Based on the results, we conclude that: (1) catchments that have low homogeneity of moisture distribution are the obvious candidates for using spatially distributed meteorological inputs, and (2) catchments with a homogeneous moisture distribution benefit from spatially distributed meteorological inputs if they also have high spatial variability of precipitation phase (rain vs. snow).
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Hydrologic model; Climate variability; Streamflow; Catchment.
Referencia APA: Patil, S., Wigington, P., Leibowitz, S., Sproles, E., & Comeleo, R. (2014). How does spatial variability of climate affect catchment streamflow predictions?. Journal Of Hydrology, 517, 135-145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.05.017
Environmental and climatic changes in central Chilean Patagonia since the Late Glacial (Mallín El Embudo, 44° S).
de Porras, M., Maldonado, A., Quintana, F., Martel-Cea, A., Reyes, O., & Méndez, C.
Multi-millennial environmental and climatic changes in central Chilean Patagonia (44–49° S) during the Last Glacial–Interglacial cycle have been of particular interest as changes in the position and strength of the southern westerlies are the major forcing factor conditioning the environmental dynamics. Recent attempts to reconstruct regional environmental and climatic signals from central Chilean Patagonia reveal some discrepancies and unclear issues among the records. This paper presents the 13 ka pollen and charcoal records from Mallín El Embudo (44° 40' S, 71° 42' W) located in the deciduous Nothofagus forest in the middle Río Cisnes valley. The paper aims to (1) establish the timing and magnitude of local vegetation changes and fire activity since the Late Glacial and (2) integrate these results at the regional scale in order to discuss the discrepancies and depict the environmental and climatic dynamics in central Chilean Patagonia since the Late Glacial. Open landscapes dominated by grasses associated with scattered Nothofagus forest patches dominated the middle Río Cisnes valley between 13 and 11.2 ka suggesting low effective moisture but also indicating that landscape configuration after glacial retreat was still ongoing. At 11.2 ka, the sudden development of an open and quite dynamic Nothofagus forest probably associated with the synchronous high fire activity occurred, suggesting a rise in effective moisture associated with dry summers. Since 9.5 ka, the record reflects the presence of a closed Nothofagus forest related to higher effective moisture conditions than before combined with moderate dry summers that may have triggered a high frequency of low-magnitude crown fires that did not severely affect the forest. The forest experienced a slight canopy opening after 5.7 ka, probably due to slightly drier conditions than before followed by a sudden change to open forest conditions around 4.2 ka associated with fire and volcanic disturbances. Around 2 ka, the recovery of a closed Nothofagus forest related to slightly wetter conditions (similar to present) occurred and persisted under highly variable climatic conditions up to 0.1 ka when massive forest burning and logging due to European settlements occurred. Central Chilean Patagonian climatic and environmental changes at millennial–centennial timescales since the Late Glacial were driven by changes in the southern westerlies latitudinal position and/or intensity, but during the late Holocene fire, volcanism and humans arose as forces contributing to environmental dynamics.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: de Porras, M., Maldonado, A., Quintana, F., Martel-Cea, A., Reyes, O., & Méndez, C. (2014). Environmental and climatic changes in central Chilean Patagonia since the Late Glacial (Mallín El Embudo, 44° S). Climate Of The Past, 10(3), 1063-1078.
Induced twining in Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth.: response threshold and induction by volatiles and snail damage.
Atala, C., Quilodrán, M., & Molina-montenegro, M.
Twining in some Convolvulaceae can be induced by leaf damage and jasmonic acid application. This induced response is believed to reduce the likelihood of future leaf damage and it is limited by drought. This response has been detected in the Convolvulaceae family using artificial damage. The mechanisms and ecological implications of this response are still unknown. In this study was tested if the induced twining requires a threshold level and if it is induced by volatiles and/or by snail damage. Three separated greenhouse experiments were conducted in order to test the induced twining in Ipomoea purpurea (Convolvulaceae) by applying different levels of artificial damage (0, 1, 5, 10 perforations to the leaves), volatiles (ground leaves) and natural damage by snails. Plants receiving the two higher damage levels twined faster than the individuals exposed to the two lower damage levels. Plants exposed to grounded leaves (volatiles) twined faster than control plants. Finally, twining was induced by snail damage more than in undamaged plants. Most growth traits did not change in any treatment. Twining in I. pupurea can be induced by artificial or natural damage, and also by volatiles emitted by damaged leaves of neighbor plants, making the induced twining an ecologically relevant response.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves: Induced twining, Ipomoea purpurea, Convolvulaceae, induced responses, herbivory.
Referencia APA: Atala, C., Quilodrán, M., & Molina-montenegro, M. (2014). Induced twining in Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth.: response threshold and induction by volatiles and snail damage. Gayana Bot., 71(2), 181-187.
Hydrologic landscape classification assesses streamflow vulnerability to climate change in Oregon, USA.
Leibowitz, S., Comeleo, R., Wigington, P., Weaver, C., Morefield, P., Sproles, E., & Ebersole, J.
Classification can allow for evaluations of the hydrologic functions of landscapes and their responses to stressors. Here we demonstrate the use of a hydrologic landscape (HL) approach to evaluate vulnerability to potential future climate change at statewide and basin scales in the state of Oregon. The HL classification has five components: climate, seasonality, aquifer permeability, terrain, and soil permeability. We evaluate changes when the 1971–2000 HL climate indices are recalculated using 2041–2070 simulation results from the ECHAM (European Centre HAMburg) and PCM (Parallel Climate Model) climate models with the A2, A1b, and B1 emission scenarios. Changes in climate class were modest (4–18%) statewide. However, there were major changes in seasonality class for five of the six realizations (excluding PCM_B1): Oregon shifts from being 13% snow-dominated to 4–6% snow-dominated under these five realizations, representing a 56–68% reduction in snowmelt-dominated area. At the basin scale, simulated changes for the Siletz Basin, in Oregon's Coast Range, include a small switch from very wet to wet climate, with no change in seasonality. However, there is a modest increase in fall and winter water due to increased precipitation. For the Sandy Basin, on the western slope of the Cascades, HL climate class does not change, but there are major changes in seasonality, especially for areas with low aquifer permeability, which experiences a 100% loss of spring seasonality. This would reduce summer baseflow, but effects could potentially be mitigated by streamflow buffering effects provided by groundwater in the high aquifer permeability portions of the upper Sandy. The Middle Fork John Day Basin (MFJD), in northeastern Oregon, is snowmelt-dominated. The basin experiences a net loss of wet and moist climate area, along with an increase in dry climate area. The MFJD also experiences major shifts from spring to winter seasonality, representing a 20–60% reduction in snowmelt-dominated area. Altered seasonality and/or magnitude of seasonal streamflows could potentially affect survival, growth and reproduction of salmonids in these watersheds, with the greatest effects projected for the MFJD. A major strength of the HL approach is that results can be applied to similarly classified, ungaged basins. Information resulting from such evaluations can help inform management responses to climate change at regional and basin scales without requiring detailed modeling efforts.
Año: 2014
Palabras claves:
Referencia APA: Leibowitz, S., Comeleo, R., Wigington, P., Weaver, C., Morefield, P., Sproles, E., & Ebersole, J. (2014). Hydrologic landscape classification evaluates streamflow vulnerability to climate change in Oregon, USA. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18(9), 3367-3392.