Variabilidad climática y bioclimas de la Región de Valparaíso, Chile

The Valparaíso Region in its continental area is located under the influence of a Mediterraneanclimate. Analyses of data from meteorological stations and climatic surfaces suggest that elevationand topographical position respect to Andes and Coastal Cordilleras determine the climatic variationwithin the Region. Climate change projections in the continental area indicate a general trend to anincrease of temperature and a decrease of precipitation. Based on cluster analyses, five bioclimatescan be recognised in the continental area of the Region of Valparaíso: coastal bioclimate, inlandbioclimate, inland mountain bioclimate, pre-Andean and Andean bioclimate. The insular area of theJuan Fernández Archipelago is also under the influence of a Mediterranean climate, although withmore humid conditions than in the continental area. Easter Island has a tropical bioclimate. Eachbioclimate is briefly described in terms of distribution, and climatic and vegetation features.    La Región de Valparaíso en su área continental se encuentra bajo la influencia de un clima mediterráneo.El análisis de datos de estaciones meteorológicas y de superficies climáticas, sugiere que la altitud yla posición topográfica respecto a la Cordillera de los Andes y de la Costa determinan la variacióndel clima al interior de la región. Proyecciones de cambio climático en el área continental de laRegión indican, en general, una tendencia al aumento de las temperaturas y a una disminución delas precipitaciones. Basándose en análisis de conglomerados, cinco bioclimas pueden reconocersedentro del área continental de la Región de Valparaíso: bioclima costero, bioclima interior, bioclima deserranías interiores, bioclima pre-andino y bioclima andino. El área insular del Archipiélago de JuanFernández también se encuentra bajo la influencia de clima mediterráneo, aunque bajo condicionesmás húmedas que el área continental. La Isla de Pascua presenta un bioclima tropical. Cada bioclimaes brevemente descrito de acuerdo a su ubicación y características climáticas y vegetacionales.  

Representativeness of terrestrial ecosystems in Chile's protected area system

Because protected areas are a major means of conservation, the extent to which ecosystems are represented under different protection regimes needs to be ascertained. A gap analysis approach was used to assess the representativeness of Chile's terrestrial ecosystems in differing kinds of protected areas. Terrestrial ecosystems were described in terms of potential vegetation, employing three protection scenarios. Scenario 1 was based exclusively on the Chilean National System of Protected Wild Areas (SNASPE). Scenario 2 included all types of public protected areas, namely SNASPE, nature sanctuaries and Ministry of National Heritage lands. Scenario 3 included all items in Scenario 2, but also included private protected areas and biodiversity priority sites. There is insufficient protection of terrestrial ecosystems under the Scenario 2. In addition to the low level of ecosystem protection provided by state protected areas (only 42 of the 127 terrestrial ecosystems had >10% of their area protected), 23 terrestrial ecosystems were identified as having no protection at the national level. Gaps in protection were concentrated in the North (both coastal and inland desertic scrub), Central (thorny scrub, thorny forests, sclerophyllous forests and deciduous coastal forests) and Austral (steppe ecosystems) regions of Chile. These gaps include ecosystems that are of global conservation importanc

Modeling the 20th-century distribution changes of Microgyne trifurcata, a rare plant of the southern South American grasslands

Microgyne trifurcata is a rare native plant species from one of the areas with the highest humanimpact on the environment in southern South America. Its habitat, mostly grasslands suitable for agriculture, has been increasingly covered by crops since the late 1800s. Microgyne trifurcata provides an excellent case study to understand how different environmental variables have affected the distribution area of a rare species. This study aims to estimate the impact of topoclimatic and land-use changes in the distribution of Microgyne trifurcata throughout the twentieth century. We carried out recent past and present distribution modeling using the Ensembles of Small Models (ESM) methodology. In this spatio-temporal study, we included climatic, topographic, and land-usevariables. We classified the occurrences into two periods of the twentieth century. The first dates from 1901 to 1940, and the second, from 1960 to 2000, when the main cropping changes of the area occurred. The projected area between 1960 and 2000 provides for this species new suitable habitats toward the northeast of the area of study. Our results highlight the importance of assessing the combined impacts of climate and land-use changes on species distributionsover time. This study shows that the potential area of Microgyne trifurcata decreased and underwent fragmentation throughout the twentieth century when these variables combined are used to model its distribution. Our outcomes prompt future studies on the vulnerability of Microgyne trifurcata to outline conservation strategies.Fil: Viera Barreto, Jessica Noelia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División de Plantas Vasculares; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Sancho, Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División de Plantas Vasculares; ArgentinaFil: Bonifacino, José Mauricio. Universidad de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Pliscoff, Patricio. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chil

Disentangling morphologically similar species of the Andean forest: integrating results from multivariate morphometric analyses, niche modelling and climatic space comparison in Kaunia (Eupatorieae: Asteraceae)

Six subtropical montane forest Kaunia spp. are remarkable for their superficial morphological similarity. We aim to explore different sources of data to clarify species delimitation in this complex of Kaunia. Morphological variation and environmental data of the species of the complex were assessed by using multivariate morphometric analyses. We performed a species distribution modelling approach applying BIOMOD2. Morphological quantitative traits allowed discrimination of some species in the complex. These Kaunia spp. have statistically different potential distributions, although some similarities between species in terms of climatic space were found. The species with the most similar climatic space were K. saltensis and K. lasiophthalma. The biogeographical context that could have affected the distribution of these two species is discussed. The results of our integrative study confirm the discrimination of three species, K. lasiophthalma, K. rufescens and K. saltensis, but the other three, K. arbuscularis, K. longipetiolata and K. uber, are here regarded as a single entity.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoInstituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet

A review on coastal urban ecology: research gaps, challenges, and needs

Coastal urban areas have dramatically increased during the last decades, however, coastal research integrating the impacts and challenges facing urban areas is still scarce. To examine research advances and critical gaps, a review of the literature on coastal urban ecology was performed. Articles were selected following a structured decision tree and data were classified into study disciplines, approaches, type of analysis, main research objectives, and Pickett's paradigms in-, of-, and for- the city, among other categories. From a total of 237 publications, results show that most of the research comes from the USA, China, and Australia, and has been carried out mostly in large cities with populations between 1 and 5 million people. Focus has been placed on ecological studies, spatial and quantitative analysis and pollution in coastal urban areas. Most of the studies on urban ecology in coastal zones were developed at nearshore terrestrial environments and only 22.36% included the marine ecosystem. Urban ecological studies in coastal areas have mainly been carried out under the paradigm in the city with a focus on the disciplines of biology and ecology. Results suggest a series of disciplinary, geographical, and approach biases which can present a number of risks. Foremost among these is a lack of knowledge on social dimensions which can impact on sustainability. A key risk relates to the fact that lessons and recommendations of research are mainly from developed countries and large cities which might have different institutional, planning and cultural settings compared to developing and mid-income countries. Scientific research on coastal urban areas needs to diversify toward an ecology of and for the cities, in order to support coastal development in a diversity of countries and settings

Cryptic speciation in gentoo penguins is driven by geographic isolation and regional marine conditions: Unforeseen vulnerabilities to global change

The conservation of biodiversity is hampered by data deficiencies, with many new species and subspecies awaiting description or reclassification. Population genomics and ecological niche modelling offer complementary new tools for un-covering functional units of phylogenetic diversity. We hypothesize that phyloge-netically delineated lineages of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) distributed across Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands are subject to spatially explicit ecological con-ditions that have limited gene flow, facilitating genetic differentiation, and thereby speciation processes

Impacts of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems on conservation policy and practice

In 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature adopted the Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) criteria as the global standard for assessing risks to terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. Five years on, it is timely to ask what impact this new initiative has had on ecosystem management and conservation. In this policy perspective, we use an impact evaluation framework to distinguish the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of the RLE since its inception. To date, 2,821 ecosystems in 100 countries have been assessed following the RLE protocol. Systematic assessments are complete or underway in 21 countries and two continental regions (the Americas and Europe). Countries with established ecosystem policy infrastructure have already used the RLE to inform legislation, land-use planning, protected area management, monitoring and reporting, and ecosystem management. Impacts are still emerging due to varying pace and commitment to implementation across different countries. In the future, RLE indices based on systematic assessments have high potential to inform global biodiversity reporting. Expanding the coverage of RLE assessments, building capacity and political will to undertake them, and establishing stronger policy instruments to manage red-listed ecosystems will be key to maximizing conservation impacts over the coming decades

Priority questions for biodiversity conservation in the Mediterranean biome: Heterogeneous perspectives across continents and stakeholders

International audienceThe identification of research questions with high relevance for biodiversity conservation is an important step towards designing more effective policies and management actions, and to better allocate funding among alternative conservation options. However, the identification of priority questions may be influenced by regional differences in biodiversity threats and social contexts, and to variations in the perceptions and interests of different stakeholders. Here we describe the results of a prioritization exercise involving six types of stakeholders from the Mediterranean biome, which includes several biodiversity hotspots spread across five regions of the planet (Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Australia). We found great heterogeneity across regions and stakeholder types in the priority topics identified and disagreement among the priorities of research scientists and other stakeholders. However, governance, climate change, and public participation issues were key topics in most regions. We conclude that the identification of research priorities should be targeted in a way that integrates the spectrum of stakeholder interests, potential funding sources and regional needs, and that further development of interdisciplinary studies is required. The key questions identified here provide a basis to identify priorities for research funding aligned with biodiversity conservation needs in this biome

A function-based typology for Earth’s ecosystems

As the United Nations develops a post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the Convention on Biological Diversity, attention is focusing on how new goals and targets for ecosystem conservation might serve its vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’(1,2). Advancing dual imperatives to conserve biodiversity and sustain ecosystem services requires reliable and resilient generalizations and predictions about ecosystem responses to environmental change and management(3). Ecosystems vary in their biota(4), service provision(5) and relative exposure to risks(6), yet there is no globally consistent classification of ecosystems that reflects functional responses to change and management. This hampers progress on developing conservation targets and sustainability goals. Here we present the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology, a conceptually robust, scalable, spatially explicit approach for generalizations and predictions about functions, biota, risks and management remedies across the entire biosphere. The outcome of a major cross-disciplinary collaboration, this novel framework places all of Earth’s ecosystems into a unifying theoretical context to guide the transformation of ecosystem policy and management from global to local scales. This new information infrastructure will support knowledge transfer for ecosystem-specific management and restoration, globally standardized ecosystem risk assessments, natural capital accounting and progress on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework