Publicaciones

No sex-related dispersal limitation in a dioecious, oceanic long-distance traveller: the bull kelp Durvillaea antarctica.

Lizée-Prynne, D., López, B., Tala, F., & Thiel, M.

Dispersal of dioecious floating seaweeds could be limited due to biological constraints. This study examined for benthic and floating populations (stranded individuals) of the rafting kelp Durvillaea antarctica whether male and female individuals cohabit within one holdfast. As a previous study had indicated colour differences between sexes, we also examined whether these colour differences are consistent and possibly related to pigment and phlorotannin concentrations. Our large-scale survey of rafted holdfasts and a small-scale survey of benthic holdfasts at two sites found that reproductive males and females do travel together in coalesced holdfasts, although this proportion is relatively low (5–17%). There were no sex-specific differences in pigment and phlorotannin concentrations, but there were significant differences between the two benthic populations. There was no relationship between the colouration of thalli and the concentration of pigments but there was a slight colour difference between vegetative and reproductive sexual stages. Based on these results we conclude that biological conditions are not the cause for the lack of genetic connectivity between D. antarctica populations from central Chile. Instead, we suggest that ecological processes, such as density-blocking and physical factors (i.e. currents and winds), limit the potential for successful rafting dispersal.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Chemical composition; dioecious seaweeds; dispersal potential; phlorotannins; pigments; rafting.

Life history patterns are correlated with predictable fluctuations in highly seasonal environments of semi-terrestrial burrowing crayfish.

Palaoro, A., del Valle, E., & Thiel, M.

Animals living in extreme environments with predictable seasonality may have important life history events correlated to favourable periods. These animals pass critical life stages in protected habitats, especially during early life, often receiving parental care. It is thus hypothesized that juveniles rely on protective microhabitats provided by their parents, becoming independent only during favourable seasons. Semi-terrestrial crayfish Parastacus pugnax inhabit burrows in highly seasonal and predictable environments, thus being well suited to test this hypothesis. Following marked burrows and individual crayfish we examined the life history patterns of P. pugnax in their natural environment to test the predictions that (i) burrowing activity is higher during the wet season, (ii) reproductive events occur during favourable seasons and (iii) juveniles only disperse after reaching larger sizes. There was little or no burrowing activity during the dry season, when soil was more compact, but burrows became wider and had more openings during the wet season. After hatching, juveniles cohabited with adults for at least 4 months during the dry season. During this period juveniles grew considerably, starting independent lives during the wet season. These results suggest that the prolonged parent-offspring cohabitation evolved in response to the predictable seasonal variations in the crayfish habitat.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Behavioural adaptations, Fossorial species, Parastacus pugnax, Parental care, Seasonality.

Vertical distribution of rocky subtidal assemblages along the exposed coast of north-central Chile.

Stotz, W., Aburto, J., Caillaux, L., & González, S.

Through a systematic study of a stretch of coast in north central Chile, the variety and vertical zonation patterns of the rocky subtidal communities are described, thereby revising apparent uniformity and lack of vertical zonation of the rocky subtidal of southeastern Pacific shores previously reported in the literature. Over the 600 km of coast studied, the following pattern of depth-zonation is described: an upper fringe (lower part of the sublittoral fringe) characterized by barren grounds dominated by calcareous encrusting algae and the sea urchin Tetrapygus niger; an intermediate fringe (upper Infralittoral sub-zone) characterized either by deep barren grounds similar to the former, or kelp beds of Lessonia trabeculata, or an assemblage of suspension feeding organisms, as the big barnacle Austromegabalanus psittacus and/or the tunicate Pyura chilensis; and a deep fringe (Circalittoral sub-zone) dominated by small encrusting or mobile invertebrates. This basic vertical zonation pattern of the shallow rocky subtidal communities seems to be common to most of the temperate coasts of the world. The analysis, first of the occurrence of the general zonation pattern and second of the species composition within the assemblages corresponding to each sub-zone, offers a useful framework for the assessment of the eventual impacts and changes within the shallow rocky subtidal habitat, for example within environmental monitoring programs.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Chile; Community monitoring; Southeastern Pacific; Subtidal; Zonation pattern.

Artificial breakwaters as garbage bins: Structural complexity enhances anthropogenic litter accumulation in marine intertidal habitats.

Aguilera, M., Broitman, B., & Thiel, M.

Coastal urban infrastructures are proliferating across the world, but knowledge about their emergent impacts is still limited. Here, we provide evidence that urban artificial reefs have a high potential to accumulate the diverse forms of litter originating from anthropogenic activities around cities. We test the hypothesis that the structural complexity of urban breakwaters, when compared with adjacent natural rocky intertidal habitats, is a driver of anthropogenic litter accumulation. We determined litter abundances at seven sites (cities) and estimated the structural complexity in both urban breakwaters and adjacent natural habitats from northern to central Chile, spanning a latitudinal gradient of ∼15° (18°S to 33°S). Anthropogenic litter density was significantly higher in coastal breakwaters when compared to natural habitats (∼15.1 items m−2 on artificial reefs versus 7.4 items m−2 in natural habitats) at all study sites, a pattern that was temporally persistent. Different litter categories were more abundant on the artificial reefs than in natural habitats, with local human population density and breakwater extension contributing to increase the probabilities of litter occurrence by ∼10%. In addition, structural complexity was about two-fold higher on artificial reefs, with anthropogenic litter density being highest at intermediate levels of structural complexity. Therefore, the spatial structure characteristic of artificial reefs seems to enhance anthropogenic litter accumulation, also leading to higher residence time and degradation potential. Our study highlights the interaction between coastal urban habitat modification by establishment of artificial reefs, and pollution. This emergent phenomenon is an important issue to be considered in future management plans and the engineering of coastal ecosystems.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Artificial reefs; Anthropogenic litter; Rocky intertidal; Structural complexity; Shoreline.

Interannual variability in temporal patterns of Chlorophyll–a and their potential influence on the supply of mussel larvae to inner waters in northern Patagonia (41–44°S).

Lara, C., Saldías, G., Tapia, F., Iriarte, J., & Broitman, B.

Environmental forcing of biophysical processes can have deep influences on patterns of supply of planktonic larvae to benthic communities in coastal marine ecosystems. We investigated the role of environmental forcing following a recent interannual decrease in larval supply in the Inner Sea of Chiloé (41–45°S) using direct observations and environmental time series over the period 2003–2014. To examine the temporal structure of larval supply and potential associations with environmental forcing (approximated using satellite chlorophyll-a and sea surface temperature), we used wavelet analysis and lagged correlations to test the hypothesis of an association between larval availability and changes in the seasonal cycle of chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature, and relevant climate variability (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode). Our results indicate that a weakening in the annual cycle of chlorophyll-a concentration and abnormally cold sea surface temperature during 2009–2010 can be related to the observed disruption in larval supply to the Inner Sea of Chiloé starting during the 2010–2011 season. The potential influence of climate variability is further discussed as the spatial extent and temporal persistence observed suggest that other ecological processes might have also been affected, and consequently, we suggest a link to transient large-scale climatic forcing.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Inner Sea of Chiloé; Mussel larvae; Chlorophyll-a; Sea surface temperature.

Influence of Biological Factors on Connectivity Patterns for Concholepas concholepas (loco) in Chile.

Garavelli, L., Colas, F., Verley, P., Kaplan, D., Yannicelli, B., & Lett, C.

In marine benthic ecosystems, larval connectivity is a major process influencing the maintenance and distribution of invertebrate populations. Larval connectivity is a complex process to study as it is determined by several interacting factors. Here we use an individual-based, biophysical model, to disentangle the effects of such factors, namely larval vertical migration, larval growth, larval mortality, adults fecundity, and habitat availability, for the marine gastropod Concholepas concholepas (loco) in Chile. Lower transport success and higher dispersal distances are observed including larval vertical migration in the model. We find an overall decrease in larval transport success to settlement areas from northern to southern Chile. This spatial gradient results from the combination of current direction and intensity, seawater temperature, and available habitat. From our simulated connectivity patterns we then identify subpopulations of loco along the Chilean coast, which could serve as a basis for spatial management of this resource in the future.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Fecundity, Hydrodynamics, Biophysics, Chile (country), Biological transport, Death rates, Marine biology.

A rose by any other name: systematics and diversity in the Chilean giant barnacle Austromegabalanus psittacus (Molina, 1782) (Cirripedia).

Pappalardo, P., Pitombo, F., Wares, J., & Haye, P.

We analyzed the population structure of the edible barnacle Austromegabalanus psittacus (Molina, 1782) along most of the coast of Chile. The analysis of population structure was based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene region. We also tested for differences between the regions to the north and south of 30-33°S, as these latitudes represent a recognized biogeographic break and important oceanographic transitions occur in that area. No geographic differentiation was evident when using Hudson’s nearest-neighbor (S nn) statistic to analyze genetic differences between all populations. F st values nevertheless showed overall genetic structure among sites. Significant geographic structure was found using S nn and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) when locations were separated into northern and southern regions, with a stronger signal when the geographic division is set at 33°S. Our results support the idea that oceanographic transitions can affect the genetic structure in species with pelagic larvae. We also discuss observations on size structure differences within the natural range of A. psittacus and this barnacle’s sympatric occurrence with another barnacle, Megabalanus concinnus (Darwin, 1854) in its northern range.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Genetic diversity; genetic structure; picoroco; phylogeography; larval dispersal.

Quinoa – a Model Crop for Understanding Salt-tolerance Mechanisms in Halophytes.

Ruiz, K., Biondi, S., Martínez, E., Orsini, F., Antognoni, F., & Jacobsen, S.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is an ancient Andean crop that produces edible seeds and leaves. Quinoa's tolerance to salinity and other types of abiotic stresses provides it with high potential in a world where scarcity of water and increased soil salinization are important causes of crop failures. Due to its traditionally broad cultivation area (from Colombia to southern Chile), there is a wide range of quinoa cultivars adapted to specific conditions displaying a broad genetic variability in stress tolerance. In addition, being practically unique as a halophytic seed-producing crop with amazing nutritional properties, it is ideal as a model species for investigating morphological, cellular, physiological, and bio-molecular mechanisms of salinity tolerance. This review summarizes current knowledge of genotype-dependent variability in salinity responses and adaptive salt-tolerance mechanisms in quinoa. These include anatomical features and physiological aspects, such as osmotic adjustment through accumulation of ions, osmoprotectants, and sodium loading, transport, and storage, including the activity and gene expression of plasma and vacuolar membrane transporters. Finally, current knowledge regarding the effect of salinity on the nutritional properties of quinoa is discussed.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Abiotic stress, adaptation, Andean crop, genetic variability, halophyte crop, nutritional properties, salinity.

Seasonal evolution of penitente glaciochemistry at Tapado Glacier, Northern Chile.

Sinclair, K. & MacDonell, S.

This study uses stable isotopes and major ions to examine the seasonal evolution of penitentes on the surface of Tapado Glacier, in the Norte Chico region of the Chilean Andes. A snow pit was sampled in November 2011, and penitentes were sampled during the summer (December 2011 and January 2012). The major ion load of the winter snowpack is dominated by Ca2+ (60%), SO42− (16%) and NO3− (13%), and there is little influence from marine air masses at the site, with most SO42−, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Na+, derived from non-sea salt sources. During the early ablation season we observe increases in stable isotope ratios and major ion concentrations (particularly lithic ions Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) in the upper reaches of penitentes, which is attributed to sublimation and the aeolian deposition of dust particles. In the late-summer, melt replaces sublimation as the dominant ablation process and results in smoothing of the stable isotope profile and the elution of major ions within the penitente snow and ice matrix. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Año: 2016

Palabras claves: Abiotic stress, adaptation, Andean crop, genetic variability, halophyte crop, nutritional properties, salinity.