Patricio Pliscoff

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 Chiles 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 importance.

Modelación de la distribución de especies y ecosistemas en el tiempo y en el espacio: una revisión de las nuevas herramientas y enfoques disponibles

This article aims to present the conceptual and methodological framework in which models techniques for species and ecosystems distribution are developed. An historical review of concepts behind these techniques is made as well as the presentation of the major methodological steps involved in these tests. A discussion on how these approaches are useful for the development of new questions in the fi eld of biogeography and biological conservation is generated. Finally, an application of distribution modeling techniques, using the specie Beilschmiedia miersii (belloto Del Norte) as a study case, is presented. This conceptual and methodological review as well as the example applied, seeks to clarify the usefulness and potential of distribution models techniques, with the objective to go forward in biogeography research and thus, farther progress in understanding spatial and temporal patterns of organism’s distribution.

Spatial phylogenetics of the vascular flora of Chile

Current geographic patterns of biodiversity are a consequence of the evolutionary history of the lineages that comprise them. This study was aimed at exploring how evolutionary features of the vascular flora of Chile are distributed across the landscape. Using a phylogeny at the genus level for 87% of the Chilean vascular flora, and a geographic database of sample localities, we calculated phylogenetic diversity (PD), phylogenetic endemism (PE), relative PD (RPD), and relative PE (RPE). Categorical Analyses of Neo- and Paleo-Endemism (CANAPE) were also performed, using a spatial randomization to assess statistical significance. A cluster analysis using range-weighted phylogenetic turnover was used to compare among grid cells, and with known Chilean bioclimates. PD patterns were concordant with known centers of high taxon richness and the Chilean biodiversity hotspot. In addition, several other interesting areas of concentration of evolutionary history were revealed as potential conservation targets. The south of the country shows areas of significantly high RPD and a concentration of paleo-endemism, and the north shows areas of significantly low PD and RPD, and a concentration of neo-endemism. Range-weighted phylogenetic turnover shows high congruence with the main macrobioclimates of Chile. Even though the study was done at the genus level, the outcome provides an accurate outline of phylogenetic patterns that can be filled in as more fine-scaled information becomes available.

Valdivian Temperate Rainforests of Chile and Argentina

At first glance, the Valdivian temperate rainforest of Chile and Argentina (see figure 5-1) is a mirror image of the Pacific Coast of North America in appearance and climate, but upon closer inspection this strikingly unique rainforest is dominated by broadleaf evergreen flowering trees that evolved in near complete isolation from the temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere. This is truly a region worthy of global recognition. Open image in new window Figure 5-1. Valdivian temperate rainforests of Chile and Argentina (digitized from national vegetation surveys).

Predicciones de cambios en los principales tipos de vegetación de Chile bajo cambio climático basados en un estudio preliminar: Modelos, incertidumbres y adaptación de la investigación para un mundo de biodiversidad dinámica

Los efectos del cambio climatico sobre la biodiversidad ocurren a diferentes niveles de organizacion (organismos, especies y ecosistemas). La vegetacion se encuentra relacionada directamente con el clima, por lo que se espera que el calentamiento global altere la distribucion de los tipos de vegetacion para el futuro cercano. Usando un enfoque de envoltura bioclimatica, los tipos de vegetacion de Chile fueron modelados y proyectados usando escenarios del IPCC para el ano 2080. Los resultados presentan diferentes transiciones entre los tipos de vegetacion, en relacion a su distribucion latitudinal y altitudinal actual. Entre los cambios principales, se identifica el avance altitudinal de la vegetacion alpina, la expansion hacia el sur del desierto absoluto y del matorral desertico sobre el bosque escleroflo. Se esperan cambios en la representacion relativa de las areas protegidas dentro de los diferentes tipos de vegetacion de Chile. Las limitaciones del ejercicio de modelacion son discutidas junto a la necesidad de mejorar el conocimiento cientifico sobre procesos biologicos claves como dispersion y polinizacion.

Variabilidad climática y bioclimas de la Región de Valparaíso, Chile

The Valparaiso 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 Valparaiso: coastal bioclimate, inlandbioclimate, inland mountain bioclimate, pre-Andean and Andean bioclimate. The insular area of theJuan Fernandez 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.

Phylogeny-Based Measures of Biodiversity When Data Is Scarce: Examples with the Vascular Flora of Chile and California

The urgency for conserving biodiversity has elicited much research on how to determine its “value” for conservation. The use of phylogenetic diversity (PD) has provided a quantitative framework to assess biodiversity at different taxonomic levels and spatial scales. PD assessments at any spatial resolution need a reasonably well-resolved phylogeny and distribution data for the target taxa. Because of the explosive growth of phylogenetic work, it is becoming easier to get phylogenetic information for a given group. However, distribution data is much harder to obtain. Using examples from world flora, this study explores the correlation between PD-related studies and availability of distribution data. We found that most PD studies in plants have been done in a handful of countries, which correlate with the amount of available distribution information. In order to address the question of whether PD studies should be done in places where information is scarce, we took two recent studies in which PD was calculated – the flora of Chile and California – as examples of poor and good sampling efforts of herbaria data, respectively. We randomly pruned the California database to see if and how spatial patterns of PD change with data depletion. We show that if redundancy (a measure of sampling) is kept at reasonable levels, meaning using larger grid sizes, PD patterns could still be inferred even with 25% of the original data. We argue that these studies are worth doing even with poor data sets, since even coarse PD patterns can point at places where future studies, and conservation efforts, should be focused.

The Relationship Between Pollinator Visits and Climatic Suitabilities in Specialized Pollination Interactions

Abstract Pollination by animals presents important advantages for plant reproduction. However, relying on biotic pollen dispersers also exposes plants to challenges, which include, for instance, the need to match the ecologies and phenologies of the pollinator species. Because of their ecological simplicity, specialized pollination systems are useful models to understand some of the variables that modulate how zoophilous pollination evolves, and whether or not species involved in pollination interactions respond jointly to evolutionary or ecological processes. In this study, we used a combination of field work, species distribution modeling (SDM), and geospatial analyses to investigate whether the number of floral visits by different pollinators in specialized zoophilous pollination interactions is correlated with the climatic suitability of the pollinator insects and, thus, to insect potential abundance. To do this, we investigated the pollination biology of four Calceolaria L. (Calceolariacea) species from central Chile, and we sampled across their whole ranges. Our results indicate that the four plant species are pollinated by different oil-bees of genera Centris Fabricius (Apidae: Centridini) and Chalepogenus Holmberg (Apidae: Tapinotaspidini), and that the number of floral visits varies at different localities. Our SDMs were accurate, successfully recovering the known ranges of the pollinators. Our analyses indicated that most plant species occur at localities in which insect climatic suitabilities are high. Furthermore, the number of pollinator visits at each locality was significantly and positively correlated with the insect suitability values, suggesting that matching high suitability areas can indeed increase the reproductive success of the plants.

Dispersal Strategies, Genetic Diversity, and Distribution of Two Wolf Spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae): Potential Bio-Indicators of Ecosystem Health of Coastal Dune Habitats of South America

Dispersal strategies are essential for species survival. Animals need to move to search for food, to locate potential sexual partners, to find refuge and escape from predators, and to avoid inbreeding and local competition for resources. The degree of plasticity of those traits will determine the ability of the species or population to respond successfully to changes in the environment, which is particularly important in species with a restricted habitat. Allocosa marindia and Allocosa senex are two nocturnal lycosids that construct burrows along the sandy coasts of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Both species show a reversal in the typical sex roles and size dimorphism expected in spiders: females are the mobile and courting sex, and males are larger than females. A. marindia and A. senex are strictly associated to coastal sand dunes with scarce native vegetation. During recent decades, the South American coastline has been reduced and disturbed due to urbanism and touristic activities, leading to the isolation of populations of Allocosa species. In the present chapter, we review the available information about the natural history of Allocosa species, providing data about their mechanisms of dispersal, distribution, genetic diversity, and spatial patterns of genetic variation, as well as their role as biological indicators for the coastlines of Southern South America. We integrate information provided by dispersal behavior data, genetic data, and GIS (geographic information systems) and SDMs (species distribution models) tools, and discuss the predictive maps of distribution for each species and their possible fate under a global-warming scenario.

A framework for the classification Chilean terrestrial ecosystems as a tool for achieving global conservation targets

Countries that are signatories of the Convention of Biological Diversity are committed to the goal of protecting 17% of their natural ecosystems by 2020. The lack of an up-to-date, operational classification and cartography of regional ecosystems seriously limits the assessment of progress towards this goal. Here, we present a broad ecosystem framework, which combines land use, functional traits of dominant plant species, and climatic factors for the classification of terrestrial ecosystems and apply this framework to classify Chilean terrestrial ecosystems. This new classification is consistent with the recently proposed IUCN framework to assess ecosystem conservation status. Using this framework, we identified and described 30 Chilean terrestrial ecosystems, including land units of natural and anthropogenic origin. We also provide a cartographic representation of ecosystems for land planning purposes and an overall assessment of their conservation status. We evaluated the representation of the 30 ecosystems in the Chilean National System of Protected Areas (NSPA) and in Private Protected Areas (PPA), identifying 15 ecosystems underrepresented (below the 17% target) in the NSPA, in contrast to only 11 when the area of NSPA+PPA was considered. The proposed classification can be broadly applicable to assess the conservation status of ecosystems elsewhere, using similar conceptual and methodological tools. The development of functional ecosystem classifications for different countries must be encouraged to facilitate monitoring of global conservation targets.