UCN-CEAZA
Anthropogenic structures as a spatial refuge from predation for the invasive bryozoan Bugula neritina.
Dumont, C., Harris, L., & Gaymer, C.
Anthropogenic structures may play an important role in the marine invasion process by providing novel artificial habitats, often out of the reach of common benthic predators. A survey of piers in northern-central Chile revealed a change in the epibenthic assemblage on pilings at different distances from a rocky shore with abundant grazers and predators. Pilings on soft sediment, away from the rocky shore, were heavily colonized by the invasive bryozoan Bugula neritina. We therefore hypothesized that benthic predators may forage on pilings located on rocky bottom whereas pilings on soft sediment benefit from the absence of generalist benthic predators which do not occur on soft sediment. We examined piling communities using cages directly attached to pilings, where we included or excluded the sea urchin Tetrapygus niger and the rock shrimp Rhyncocinetes typus. Resultant communities differed substantially; a high percentage of bare space occurred in the presence of sea urchins, while turf algae dominated in the presence of shrimp. Both sea urchins and shrimp suppressed the colonization of the invasive B. neritina and, when acting together, totally prevented its recruitment. In contrast, invasive bryozoans colonized 95% of the available substratum in cages where predators were excluded. Our results show the important role of benthic generalist predators in limiting the establishment and spread of non-native species on anthropogenic structures. Further, this study highlights the unprecedented role of shrimp grazing in structuring hard-bottom communities.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: Predation • Rock shrimp • Sea urchin • Invasive species • Fouling • Artificial hábitat.
Referencia APA: Dumont, C., Harris, L., & Gaymer, C. (2012). Anthropogenic structures as a spatial refuge from predation for the invasive bryozoan Bugula neritina. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 427, 95-103.
Conservación de la biodiversidad en Chile: Nuevos desafíos y oportunidades en ecosistemas terrestres y marinos costeros
Jorquera-Jaramillo, C., Vega, J., Aburto, J., Martínez-Tillería, K., F. Leon, M., & A. Pérez, M., Gaymer, C.F., & Squeo, F.A.
La pérdida de la biodiversidad producida por el crecimiento demográfico, la demanda por recursos y la actividad productiva es contradictoria con el reconocimiento de su importancia. En ecosistemas terrestres, el Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas del Estado (SNASPE) contiene cerca del 19 % del territorio de Chile continental; aunque no representa todos los ecosistemas con especies amenazadas, puede ser complementado implementando nuevas áreas protegidas públicas (AP) y privadas (APP). El desarrollo de áreas marinas protegidas (AMP) es incipiente, y algunas iniciativas comparten la responsabilidad de conservación con los usuarios locales. En Chile, un conjunto de reglamentos, normas legales y tratados internacionales promueven distintas oportunidades de conservación en ecosistemas terrestres y marinos costeros, de las cuales emergen nuevos desafíos. Entre estos destacan, estandarizar la clasificación de especies según categorías de conservación en un protocolo internacional y optimizar las metodologías para seleccionar áreas prioritarias, ambos criterios indispensables para decidir qué y dónde conservar. Otro desafío es integrar el valor intrínseco de la biodiversidad con los servicios ecosistémicos que presta para instaurar una cultura participativa. Esto mejoraría la efectividad de las distintas estrategias de protección y uso sustentable de la biodiversidad al incorporar la educación y la participación ciudadana desde una perspectiva biocultural. La educación fomenta la conservación de la naturaleza al hacernos conscientes de nuestro entorno; mientras que la participación involucra a los ciudadanos como un actor más en la toma de decisiones, procurando la aplicación efectiva de las estrategias de conservación de la biodiversidad.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: áreas marinas protegidas, áreas silvestres protegidas, conservación privada, participación ciudadana.
Referencia APA: Jorquera-Jaramillo, C., Vega, J., Aburto, J., Martínez-Tillería, K., F. Leon, M., & A. Pérez, M., Gaymer, C.F., & Squeo, F.A. (2012). Conservación de la biodiversidad en Chile: Nuevos desafíos y oportunidades en ecosistemas terrestres y marinos costeros. Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat., 85(3), 267-280.
Geochemistry of trace metals in shelf sediments affected by seasonal and permanent low oxygen conditions off central Chile, SE Pacific (∼36°S).
Muñoz, P., Dezileau, L., Cardenas, L., Sellanes, J., Lange, C., & Inostroza, J. et al.
Trace metals (Cd, U, Co, Ni, Cu, Ba, Fe, Mn), total organic carbon (TOC) and C and N stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) were determined in short sediments cores from the inner and outer shelf off Concepción, Chile (∼36°S). The objectives were to establish the effect of environmental conditions on trace metal distributions at two shelf sites, one affected by seasonal oxygenation and the other by permanent low oxygen conditions due to the presence of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). We evaluate trace metals as proxies of past changes in primary productivity and the bottom water oxygen regime. Concentrations of pore water sulfides and NH4+ were also measured as indicators of the main diagenetic pathways at each site. Our results for the inner shelf (seasonal suboxia) suggest that the oxidative state of the sediments responds to seasonal pulses of organic matter and that seasonal oxygenation develops during high and low primary productivity in the water column. Here, positive fluxes (to the water column) estimated from pore water concentrations of several elements were observed (Ba, Co, Ni, Fe and Mn). The less reduced environment at this site produces authigenic enrichment of Cu associated with the formation of oxides in the oxic surface sediment layer, and the reduction of U within deeper sediment sections occur consistently with negative estimated pore water fluxes. In the outer shelf sediments (permanent suboxia, OMZ site), negative fluxes (to the sediment) were estimated for all elements, but these sediments showed authigenic enrichments only for Cd, Cu and U. The short oxygenation period during the winter season did not affect the accumulation of these metals on the shelf. The distribution of Cu, Cd and U have been preserved within the sediments and the authigenic accumulation rates estimated showed a decrease from the deep sections of the core to the surface sediments. This could be explained by a gradual decrease in the strength of the OMZ in the last 100 years, in combination with periods of strong oxygenations during El Niño events.
Año: 2012
Palabras claves: Trace metals; Sediments; Oxygen minimum zone; Organic carbon; SE Pacific; Concepción shelf.
Referencia APA: : Muñoz, P., Dezileau, L., Cardenas, L., Sellanes, J., Lange, C., & Inostroza, J. et al. (2012). Geochemistry of trace metals in shelf sediments affected by seasonal and permanent low oxygen conditions off central Chile, SE Pacific (∼36°S). Continental Shelf Research, 33, 51-68.