Tamara Contador

Filosofía ambiental de campo y conservación biocultural en el Parque Etnobotánico Omora: Aproximaciones metodológicas para ampliar los modos de integrar el componente social ("S") en Sitios de Estudios Socio-Ecológicos a Largo Plazo (SESELP)

This article discusses field environmental philosophy and biocultural conservation methods at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve in Chile.

Egg masses of the Patagonian squid ( Doryteuthis Amerigo gahi ) attached to giant kelp ( Macrocystis pyrifera ) in the sub-Antarctic ecoregion

Egg masses of the Patagonian squid Doryteuthis (Amerigo) gahi attached to giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in the Magellanic channels of the sub-Antarctic ecoregion in southern South America is documented for the first time. Of seven egg masses observed between 2008 and 2011, one was taken to the laboratory to be analysed and photographed. Comprising long transparent capsules containing eggs, the masses were strongly attached to the stipes of M. pyrifera. This macroalgae is a potentially important economic resource due to its multiple industrial uses; this study shows that it also serves an important ecological role as a spawning substrate for D. gahi.

Sharp altitudinal gradients in Magellanic Sub-Antarctic streams: patterns along a fluvial system in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (55°S)

Abstract Magellanic Sub-Antarctic streams run through steep, low-altitude mountainous gradients characterized by a topography that supports a mosaic of evergreen, mixed, and deciduous forests, peat lands, and scrublands. Here, the macroinvertebrate fauna and their ecological interactions are poorly known. This study linked the distribution, community composition, and functional feeding structure of benthic macroinvertebrates with physicochemical and thermal patterns along the altitudinal gradient of a Magellanic Sub-Antarctic watershed. Invertebrates were collected during the austral summers of 2008, 2009, and 2010 at five different altitudes. Our results indicate that benthic macroinvertebrate community distributions are predominantly affected by temperature and certain species show distribution restrictions through the altitudinal gradient studied. Temperature profiles indicate that this Sub-Antarctic watershed is characterized by a sharp thermal gradient, in which cumulative degree-days (°C) per year sharply increase through a relatively short altitudinal gradient (0–600 m above sea level). With the results from this study, we can now study thermal tolerances of altitude-restricted species or project changes in their distributions and voltinism patterns according to climate change scenarios. Ecosystems at higher latitudes and altitudes are experiencing some of the fastest rates of warming on the planet, and Magellanic Sub-Antarctic watersheds could be considered as “sentinel systems,” providing early warning of wider scale change.

Ciclos de vida de insectos dulceacuícolas y cambio climático global en la ecorregión subantártica de Magallanes: investigaciones ecológicas a largo plazo en el Parque Etnobotánico Omora, Reserva de Biosfera Cabo de Hornos (55° S)

El Parque Etnobotanico Omora, ubicado en la ecorregion subantartica y en la Reserva de Biosfera Cabo de Hornos (55° S) es el sitio mas austral de la red LTSER-Chile. El Parque protege la cuenca hidrografica del rio Robalo, que provee de agua a Puerto Williams, la capital de la Provincia Antartica Chilena. El ano 2008, se inicio un estudio a largo plazo sobre la diversidad, historias de vida y distribucion de insectos acuaticos asociados al rio Robalo, y otros cursos de agua en la isla Navarino. Estos estudios son de gran interes para la red LTSER-Chile y la ciencia mundial por tres razones: 1) las caracteristicas climaticas unicas de los ecosistemas dulceacuicolas de la ecorregion subantartica de Magallanes, que contrastan con aquellas del Hemisferio Norte; 2) las respuestas de los insectos dulceacuicolas y sus ciclos de vida son muy sensibles a la temperatura, y bajo condiciones de gradientes termicos del gradiente altitudinal del rio Robalo se pueden hacer predicciones bajo distintos escenarios de Cambio Climatico Global; y 3) los ciclos de vida de insectos dulceacuicolas han sido muy poco estudiados en el suroeste de Sudamerica, e incorporando el gradiente latitudinal con estudios similares de respuestas fenologicas de los insectos dulceacuicolas incorporando otros sitios de la Red LTSER-Chile permitiria evaluar senales tempranas de esta biota al cambio climatico global.

Trophic ecology of two co-existing Sub-Antarctic limpets of the genus Nacella: spatio-temporal variation in food availability and diet composition of Nacella magellanica and N. deaurata

Abstract Interactions between algae and herbivores can be affected by various factors, such as seasonality and habitat structure. Among herbivores inhabiting marine systems, species of the order Patellogastropoda are considered key organisms in many rocky coasts of the world. Nacella species are one of the most dominant macro-herbivores on the rocky shores of the sub-Antarctic ecoregion of Magellan. However, the importance of its key role must be associated with its trophic ecology. The objective of this work was to evaluate spatial and temporal variabilities in the dietary composition of two intertidal Nacella species, considering grazing on macro- (macroalgae) and microscopic (periphyton) food. The composition of periphyton and the availability of macroalgae in the winter and summer seasons were examined at two localities of the Magellanic province, alongside the gut contents of N. magellanica and N. deaurata. The dietary composition differed between the two Nacella species, as well as between seasons and locations. The differences observed in the diet of the two species of Nacella may be mainly due to their respective distributions in the intertidal zone. Both species presented a generalist strategy of grazing, which is relationed to the seasonality of micro- and macroalgae availability and to the variability of the assemblages between the localities. This research was the first to perform a detailed study of the diet of intertidal Nacella species.

Primer registro de Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) en la isla Navarino, Chile

La avispa comun Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) es una especie introducida en el Hemisferio Sur que ha sido registrada en Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Tasmania, Argentina y Chile central. Este trabajo documenta la presencia de V. vulgaris en la isla Navarino, Reserva de la Biosfera Cabo de Hornos, sur de Chile.

The life histories of Meridialaris chiloeensis (Demoulin, 1955) (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) and Gigantodax rufescens (Edwards, 1931) (Diptera: Simuliidae) on a Magellanic sub-Antarctic island (55°S)

ABSTRACT The life histories of Meridialaris chiloeensis (Demoulin, 1955) (Leptophlebiidae: Ephemeroptera) and Gigantodax rufescens (Edwards, 1931) (Simuliidae: Diptera) were studied in a Magellanic sub-Antarctic river in Navarino Island (55°S). Both species are distributed along the whole length of the watershed. Phenology was studied in the field for a period of 12 months between August 2009 and September 2010, at a site near the rivers mouth (sea level). Cumulative degree-days were calculated along the gradient at five representative altitudinal locations, starting at the rivers headwaters. Samples were obtained during January of 2010 at all the remaining altitudinal locations to assess possible changes in voltinism during the austral summer season through the watershed. Results show that M. chiloeensis and G. rufescens have a bivoltine and multivoltine life cycle, respectively, at sea level. Based on degree-days obtained and field observations at the remaining stations, possible voltinism patterns are discussed for both species along the altitudinal gradient. These species are proposed as suitable long-term indicators for climate change studies in the sub-Antarctic ecoregion of Magallanes, as monitoring their responses will be important in the interpretation of changes in ecosystem function, community structure, and distributions of aquatic taxa in this region of the world.

Field environmental philosophy: ecology and ethics in LTSER-Chile and ILTER networks

Universidad de Concepcion, casilla 160-C, Concepcion, Chile.SUMMARYThe long-term socio-ecological research (LTSER) study sites should integrate theoretical and applied research to effectively confront global socio-environmental change. For a socio-ecological integration beyond the socio-economic approach that prevails today in LTSER networks worldwide, in the southernmost site of the LTSER-Chile network (Omora Park, 55