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Publications (115)
The submarine seamount chains of Nazca and Salas & Gómez in the Southeast Pacific are areas of high levels of both biodiversity and endemism. The intersection of both ridges is strongly influenced by the Eastern Boundary Upwelling System of the Southeast Pacific and its associated oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The isolation of individual seamounts and...
One of the main objectives of the BBNJ Treaty is to enable States to establish large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) to encompass at least 30 % of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) by 2030, contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We reviewed geological, oceanographical, biological, ecological, cultural and go...
The Juan Fernández Archipelago (JFA) is a unique ecosystem due to its diversity and high endemism. In recent years there has been an increase in the populations of the endemic sea urchin Centrostephanus sylviae , generating negative impacts to the ecological and socio-economic systems of the archipelago. Here we describe the establishment of C. syl...
1. El clima futuro de Rapa Nui depende de la evolución de las grandes estructuras atmosféricas del Pacífico Sudeste, en particular de la posición del anticiclón del Pacífico Sur. El desplazamiento del anticiclón del Pacífico Sur hacia el sur como consecuencia del cambio climático generará cambios en el régimen de lluvias de Rapa Nui. Las proyeccion...
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two adjacent seamount chains of volcanic origin located in thesoutheastern Pacific, which collectively stretch across over 2,900 km of seafloor. Ecosystems in thisregion are isolated from the South American Continent by the Atacama Trench and the Humboldt CurrentSystem. This isolation has produced a unique bio...
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been associated with dramatic changes in adult populations of shallow benthic community-structuring species in northern Chile. However, early ontogenetic stages are more likely to be affected by physical processes associated with ENSO (e.g. increased temperature, upwelling), potentially reflected in diffe...
Connectivity is essential to consider in area-based marine conservation measures because it greatly impacts vital ecological processes (e.g., recycling nutrients, regulating temperature, sequestering carbon, and supporting the life cycle of species). However, it is generally not well studied or integrated into conservation measures, particularly in...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a pause in people’s activities and a socio-economic crisis worldwide due to confinement. This situation is an unprecedented opportunity to understand how these changes may impact biodiversity and its conservation, as well as to study human-nature interaction. Biodiversity plays an essential role in conservation and...
Spearfishing, a common activity among Pacific Islanders, has been described to strongly modify the behaviour of target fish species.
Rapa Nui (Easter Island), a remote Chilean oceanic island, has suffered a serious decline in its nearshore fish stocks through overfishing.
In this study, the flight initiation distance (FID) of the Pacific rudderfish...
The human history of the waters surrounding the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges is rich and culturally diverse. This ranges from indigenous cultures who first ventured to this remote region close to a thousand years ago to the period of European colonial exploration, as well as the rise of the modern global economy. Voyaging, fishing, and the transp...
We report new records of the fisheries‐harvested subtropical greater amberjack Seriola dumerili for the south‐east Pacific Ocean. Despite local fishers' asserting that three Seriola morphotypes exist in the region, only one species (the yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi) was previously scientifically recorded for Rapa Nui (also known as Easter I...
At the international level, the progressive recognition of indigenous peoples and their customary rights in legislative tools has established new guidelines for the conservation of natural resources in protected areas (PAs).
The indigenous peoples (IPs) in Chile who suffered the dispossession of ancestral areas after the declaration of PAs, have de...
The unique combination of natural and cultural resources has made the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges a top priority for protection on the high seas. With support from global datasets and GIS analysis, researchers have identified this area off the west coast of South America as a key location to conserve and protect marine biodiversity without impac...
Species overexploitation has simplified food webs worldwide, resulting in the degradation of ecosystems relative to their natural state. Fishes are the most important herbivores in many shallow coral reef environments, where they control algal successional processes and promote coral reef resilience. Nowadays, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is suffering...
Preface special issue: "Advances in science for ecology and sustainable management of oceanic islands"
Oceanic island ecosystems are among the most fragile on the planet.
A large number of recent species extinctions have been described
from these ecosystems, which have been primarily driven by anthropogenic impacts (Wood et al., 2017). In the 17th...
The structure of food webs provides important insight into biodiversity, organic matter (OM) pathways, and ecosystem functioning.
Stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) was used to characterize the trophic structure and the main OM pathways supporting food webs in the Rapa Nui coastal marine ecosystem.
The trophic position of consumers and isotopi...
The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two seamount chains of volcanic origin, which include over 110 seamounts that collectively stretch across over 2,900 km in the southeastern Pacific. Ecosystems in this region are isolated by the Atacama Trench, the Humboldt Current System, and an extreme oxygen minimum zone. This isolation has produced a uniqu...
• The largest changes in the circulation of the South‐eastern Pacific resulting from global warming are associated with the southward shift and intensification of the anticyclone and with coastal surface warming. Coastal upwelling is projected to be increase off central Chile, due to an increase in equatorward winds, although increased oceanic stra...
• Marine protected areas (MPAs) are becoming a widely used tool for the conservation of biodiversity and for fishery management; however, most of these areas are designed without prior knowledge of the basic ecological aspects of the species that they are trying to protect.
• This study investigated the movement of two top predators: the Galapagos...
The last decade has seen a noticeable advance in ocean protection through the creation of several LSMPAs which are largely driven by Aichi Target 11 under CBD. This paper uses the "Ocean grabbing framework" to assess the process preceding the announcement of a LSMPA in Rapa Nui, its rejection, the reformulation of the process and the ultimately suc...
• This paper describes how a series of papers published in Aquatic Conservation have had a clear impact on the conservation process run at Rapa Nui by the Chilean Government and the Rapanui community.
• Exploratory expeditions set the scientific basis for the creation of Rapa Nui Multiple Use Marine Protected Area.
• Past conservation initiatives l...
• The people of the Pacific have long relied on the ocean for sustenance, commerce and cultural identity, which resulted in a sophisticated understanding of the marine environment and its conservation.
• The global declines in ocean health require new and innovative approaches to conserving marine ecosystems. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been...
• 1. On shallow reefs, day‐night activity patterns between fishes and invertebrates are presumed to reflect trade‐offs between feeding and predation; however, quantitative data on daily community dynamics are scarce. Moreover, night surveys may contribute important information for biodiversity inventories or baselines that normally are not consider...
Biodiversity is vital in the functioning of ecosystems, but it’s permanently being threatened by anthropic impacts derived from productive activities. Thus, conservation has become a global challenge. In Chile, the dissociation between economic activities and conservation has triggered numerous socio-environmental conflicts in recent decades. This...
Subtropical gyres are the oceanic regions where plastic litter accumulates over long timescales, exposing surrounding oceanic islands to plastic contamination, with potentially severe consequences on marine life. Islands’ exposure to such contaminants, littered over long distances in marine or terrestrial habitats, is due to the ocean currents that...
Reef fishes are an important component of marine biodiversity, and changes in the composition of the assemblage structure may indicate ecological, climatic, or anthropogenic disturbances. To examine spatial differences in the reef fish assemblage structure around Easter Island, eight sites were sampled during autumn and summer 2016–2017 with baited...
During the last two decades, online media have played an increasing role in modeling modern societies. However, their role to shape public perception of biodiversity conservation and their alignment with conservation policies have received little attention so far. We conducted an extensive qualitative assessment of the interest in biodiversity in o...
In Chile, light-dependent benthic taxa have been observed to ~280 m with the presence of zooxanthellate cnidarians forming mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) to depths of at least 120 m at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Salas y Gómez. Evidence from dredge samples suggests MCEs in the southeast Pacific once extended along the Salas y Gómez Ridge as fa...
Background: Human population growth since the mid-1900s has been accompanied by an unsustainable use of natural resources and a corresponding impact on terrestrial and marine biota. In response, most states have established protected areas as tools to decrease biodiversity loss, being Chile one of the signatories of international conservation agree...
Marine conservation actions are promoted to conserve natural values and support human wellbeing. Yet the quality of governance processes and the social consequences of some marine conservation initiatives have been the subject of critique and even human rights complaints. These types of governance and social issues may jeopardize the legitimacy of,...
The Easter Island ecoregion includes Rapa Nui (Easter Island; RN), with a human population of ~5600, and the uninhabited Salas y Gómez (SyG). Although the culture and terrestrial ecology of RN have been well studied, we know little about the marine environment of these islands, particularly the interplay among herbivores, algae, and corals, and how...
In Easter Island, most of fisheries regulations are top-down implemented by the central fisheries authority located ∼4000. km eastwards. This could generate problems in regulations compliance, given the cultural differences between the western worldview and Polynesian culture of Easter Island. A total of 18 issues that must be considered previously...
Although focused on aiding managers, these Guidelines are for anyone involved in supporting Large scale MPAs (LSMPAs) or the communities that hold an interest in them. It is hoped these Guidelines will also assist new LSMPAs from the earliest design phase, and enhance the management of existing LSMPAs from planning and implementation through ongoin...
Analysis of the feasibility of marine tailings in Chile and its effect on the Marine Protected Areas of Atacama and Coquimbo
Analysis of the feasibility of marine tailings in Chile and its effect on the Marine Protected Areas of Atacama and Coquimbo.
Marine conservation actions are promoted to conserve natural values and support human wellbeing. Yet the quality of governance processes and the social consequences of some marine conservation initiatives have been the subject of critique and even human rights complaints. These types of governance and social issues may jeopardize the legitimacy of,...
This chapter reviews and evaluates coral reef conservation strategies along the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP), a narrow biogeographic region on the Pacific American coast that extends from southern Baja California, Mexico to northern Peru, including several oceanic islands. The ETP is a natural laboratory, a model for understanding the development...
The Easter Island Ecoregion is in the center of the South Pacific gyre and experiences ultra-oligotrophic conditions that could make it highly susceptible to global change and anthropogenic activities, so it is imperative that these regions are characterized and studied so that conservation and sustainable management strategies can be developed. Fr...
Nations have recently committed to protecting 20–30% of the ocean at various global summits; however, marine protected areas currently cover <3% of the ocean. Large‐scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs, >100 000 km ² ) are a new concept in global marine conservation that offer real hope in achieving global conservation targets.
Many of the existing...
Social‐ecological system sustainability depends in part upon the fit between ecosystems and institutions.
In 2014, the local community on Easter Island started a bottom‐up process to improve marine resources conservation and management.
Local stakeholders formed a working group that has regular meetings and goals, such as creating a sea council and...
The Juan Fernández and Desventuradas islands are among the few oceanic islands belonging to Chile. They possess a unique mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate marine species, and although close to continental South America, elements of the biota have greater affinities with the central and south Pacific owing to the Humboldt Current, which cr...
Fishes observed around San Ambrosio Island and Robinson Crusoe and Santa Clara islands.
Resource species are those consumed directly or used as bait in the lobster and crab fisheries.
(DOCX)
Locations surveys during expeditions to San Ambrosio Island in the Desventuradas islands in February 2013 and Robinson Crusoe and Santa Clara islands in the Juan Fernández islands in January 2014.
(DOCX)
The Juan Fernández and Desventuradas islands are among the few oceanic islands belonging to Chile. They possess a unique mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate marine species, and although close to continental South America, elements of the biota have greater affinities with the central and south Pacific owing to the Humboldt Current, which cr...
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most isolated places in the world. The local Rapanui people have noticed an extreme decline in marine resources, which is due to the exploitation of these resources. Top-down regulations (e.g. fisherman and boat registrations and restrictions on catch-length and fishing season and location) implemented by the...
Here we report on two new reef fish species from the remote and isolated Easter Island-The striped boarfish Evistias acutirostris and the ornate butterflyfish Chaetodon ornatissimus were observed during scuba dives and underwater video around Easter Island, as well as at nearby Apolo Seamount. These observations are the first records of these speci...
This study identified and quantified in the field the natural predators of juvenile spiny lobster Jasus frontalis, an endemic, ecologically relevant species, and the most valuable local commercial catch of Robinson Crusoe Island. It also assessed the predation pressure that these predators exerted on juveniles lobsters and whether they showed prefe...
1. Five case studies from around the world illustrate key lessons in integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches to stakeholder and community engagement in the planning and implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs).
2. Community resistance to MPA proposals from centralized agencies can be addressed through effective participatory processes...
The Aichi Biodiversity Targets were designed to promote and implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by providing a framework for action to save biodiversity and enhance its benefits for people. Specifically, Target 11 aims to protect 10% of all seas by 2020. The percentage of the world's oceans that are protected has increased steadi...
The ability of sea urchins to destroy kelp forests, leaving large areas stripped of vegetation and covered by sparse calcareous algae is well known. The reduction in active predators of sea urchins combined with their broad diet makes them an important factor in the structuring of subtidal benthic marine systems. In central and northern Chile, the...
The implementation of ecosystem-based management does not start from scratch, but it is usually shaped from the existing institutional and governance arrangements in a given area. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the institutional framework of a region or country, and assess whether this framework is compatible, promotes or hinders the implement...
Marine protected areas are not established in an institutional and governance vacuum and managers should pay attention to the wider social-ecological system in which they are immersed. This article examines Islas Choros-Damas Marine Reserve, a small marine protected area located in a highly productive and biologically diverse coastal marine ecosyst...
1. An expedition to Salas y Gómez and Easter islands was conducted to develop a comprehensive baseline of the nearshore marine ecosystem, to survey seamounts of the recently created Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park (MMHMP) – a no-take marine reserve of 150 000km2 – and to compare these results with Easter Island where the marine ecosystem is similar bu...
The northern sea star Leptasterias polaris (Müller and Troschel, 1842) is the best-studied species of the genus Leptasterias. L. polaris is a common species in the cold-water regions of the northwestern North Atlantic and attains its southern limit in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. It also extends through the Canadian Arctic region (Grainger 19...
In species of the family Heliasteridae, the ossicles of the proximal parts of the sides of each ray are joined by connective tissue to those of the adjacent rays to form interradial septa. These provide support to the extensive disc. Only a relatively small part of the ray is free. Autotomy of rays occurs in Heliaster helianthus in response to pred...
Biodiversity loss caused by population growth, the demand of resources and productive activities is inconsistent with the recognition of its importance. In terrestrial ecosystems, the National State System of Protected Areas (SNASPE) contains about 19 % of continental Chile. Although it does not represent all the ecosystems with endangered species,...
Biodiversity loss caused by population growth, the demand of resources and productive activities is inconsistent with the recognition of its importance. In terrestrial ecosystems, the National State System of Protected Areas (SNASPE) contains about 19 % of continental Chile. Although it does not represent all the ecosystems with endangered species,...
Background: Chile is committed to extending its National System of Protected Areas (NSPA), focusing on eco-regions whose ecosystems are currently under-represented in the NSPA. A newly proposed law aims to create a Service of Biodiversity and Protected Areas that would unify the terrestrial and marine systems. The proposed law would allow the inclu...
Juvenile Northern scallops Argopecten purpuratus were exposed to cultures of the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) producing dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, or a non-toxic microalga as a control, T-iso. After 3 and 6 days of exposure to either A. catenella or T-iso, scallops were stimulated to elicit an escape response by exposing them to the...
We ran field experiments to examine whether the micro-distribution of the sea urchin Tetrapygus niger on elevated surfaces represents a strategy for limiting predation by the sea stars Heliaster helianthus and Meyenaster gelatinosus. Several lines of evidence supported this hypothesis. (1) A survey of the distribution of the urchin and the 2 sea st...
A decision support tool was used to determine priority sites for marine conservation within the Isla Grande de Atacama multiple uses marine protected area (MUMPA) in northern Chile, based on both biological and social information. Scuba diving, and an unweighted paired‐group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) analyses were used to determine th...
Marine anthropogenic structures offer novel niches for introduced species but their role in the subsequent invasion to natural
habitats remains unknown. Upon arrival in new environments, invaders must overcome biotic resistance from native competitors
and predators if they are to establish successfully in natural habitats. We tested the hypotheses...
Hatchery rearing of the scallop Argopecten purpuratus has resulted in successive generations of scallops not exposed to predators that are less sensitive to and escape more slowly
from predators than wild scallops. The present study examined whether conditioning hatchery-reared A. purpuratus to its natural predator, the sea star Meyenaster gelatino...
RESUMEN El aumento de la demanda energética chilena en los últimos años ha promovido la creación de una gran cantidad de proyectos de generación eléctrica. La posible instalación de tres centrales termoeléctricas a carbón al norte de la Región de Coquimbo y en las inmediaciones de áreas definidas como claves para la conservación y manejo de la biod...
In recent years, Chilean increasing energy needs have promoted the creation of many initiatives to generate electricity. The possible installation of three coal-fired power plants in the coastal area north of the Region of Coquimbo and close to areas identified as key to the conservation and management of marine (e.g., marine reserves, management a...
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 preda...
The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been associated with dramatic changes in adult populations of shallow benthic community-structuring species in northern Chile. However, early ontogenetic stages are more likely to be affected by physical processes associated with ENSO (e.g. increased temperature, upwelling), potentially reflected in diffe...
Species with wide latitudinal distributions are exposed to significant abiotic gradients throughout their geographic range. Thermal gradients are especially important for ectothermic species inhabiting the intertidal zone because they affect their life history traits and fitness. In order to identify the role of latitudinal thermal gradients (speci...
Chemodetection plays an important role in interactions among marine animals; for example, prey can often detect the odours of their predators allowing them to respond with appropriate defensive behaviours. The sea stars Meyenaster gelatinosus and Heliaster helianthus are the two important predators of the Chilean sea urchin Tetrapygus niger. Howeve...
Scallop aquaculture in Chile suffers from intense fouling on culture facilities by invasive species such as the ascidian Cionaintestinalis and the bryozoan Bugulaneritina. We examined the grazing effect of the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetestypus on fouling species, which colonize scallop pearl nets. We placed different densities of shrimp (0, 2, 5 and...
Our data showing distance chemodetection of sea star predators by the urchin T. niger, and variations in responses according to the sea star predator, indicate that the defensive behaviours of the urchin may be adjusted to the risk of predation. The urchin’s greater response time (meaning that it is slower to react) and reduced reaction distance to...
This paper addresses the current lack of internationally recognized standards for quality management practices in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The application of the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems to MPAs can provide a flexible and adaptive management system that can be integrated with existing MPA management practices as...
The impact of keystone predators may be affected by physical conditions and interactions with other predators. We evaluated the impact of the sea star Meyenaster gelatinosus on another sea star, Heliaster helianthus, which was previously described as a keystone predator along the coast of central Chile. Field surveys showed that H. helianthus is a...
Although many marine invertebrates reproduce by releasing gametes into the water, major spawning events have rarely been observed for cold-water invertebrates. We documented mass spawnings by the sea star Asterias vulgaris and the ophiuroid Ophiopholis aculeata on 6 July 1996 and 2 July 1998, and by these 2 species plus a second ophiuroid Ophiura r...
The term autotomy refers to the process by which some species lose limbs or parts of limbs in response to adverse biotic or abiotic conditions, as for example, predation or abnormally high temperatures. The multi-armed sea star Heliaster helianthus is a key predator of the intertidal and the shallow rocky subtidal communities of north-central Chile...
El Área Marina y Costera Protegida de Múltiples Usos (AMCP-MU) Isla Grande de Atacama se ubica al sur de Bahía Inglesa, Región de Atacama y tiene una longitud aproximada de 30 km lineales, una superficie marina de 3.549 ha y una terrestre de 9.703 ha. El AMCP-MU incluye numerosos ecosistemas costeros que albergan una gran diversidad de especies: 16...
Scallop aquaculture in Chile suffers from intense fouling on culture facilities by the exotic ascidian Ciona intestinalis. We examined the grazing effect of the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus on fouling species which colonize scallop pearl nets. We measured (shell length), tagged and placed 10 scallops (Argopecten purpuratus) in each of the 20 pe...
The Humboldt Current System (HCS) is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on earth. It extends along the west coast of South America from southern Chile (~42 ° S) up to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands near the equator. The general oceanography of the HCS is characterised by a predominant northward flow of surface waters of subantarctic or...
