Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, Maria de los Angeles Gallardo, Matthias Gorny, Javier Sellanes
Summary: This article discusses the seamounts and oceanic islands of the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone, highlighting the unique biodiversity of the area and the establishment of the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park. Detailed descriptions of benthic habitats and associated fauna are provided, offering valuable insights into the ecological environment of the region. The study's results present an expanded and updated baseline for understanding the benthic biodiversity of the NDMP habitats, which appear to be pristine and free of anthropogenic debris.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew L. Gimmel, M. Andrew Johnston, Michael S. Caterino
Summary: This study provides the first enumeration of the beetle fauna of the California Channel Islands in over 120 years. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of digitized specimen records, the authors report 825 unique species from 514 genera and 71 families, comprising the largest list of species published to date for any taxonomic group of animals on the Channel Islands. Despite this, the checklist is considered preliminary and evidence suggests that there are still hundreds of beetle species yet to be recorded from the islands.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ariadna Mecho, Javier Sellanes, Jacopo Aguzzi
Summary: This study describes and quantifies litter from the seafloor of oceanic islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, noting a strong association with local artisanal fishing activity. The findings provide baseline information for local communities to improve management practices by understanding the potential sources of seafloor litter.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Biology
Emanuela Fanelli, Simone Di Giacomo, Cristina Gambi, Silvia Bianchelli, Zaira Da Ros, Michael Tangherlini, Franco Andaloro, Teresa Romeo, Cinzia Corinaldesi, Roberto Danovaro
Summary: Ocean acidification is causing significant changes in marine ecosystems, particularly in shallow hydrothermal vent areas. The emissions of CO2 at these vents lead to a simplification of community structure and a decline in biodiversity, with the disappearance of the most sensitive taxa.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Eric F. Mazzei, Hudson T. Pinheiro, Thiony Simon, Rodrigo L. Moura, Raphael M. Macieira, Caio R. Pimentel, Joao Batista Teixeira, Sergio R. Floeter, Carlos Eduardo L. Ferreira, Renato D. Ghisolfi, Ronaldo B. Francini-Filho, Juan P. Quimbayo, Luiz A. Rocha, Joao Luiz Gasparini, Jean-Christophe Joyeux
Summary: The mechanisms driving the ecology and biodiversity of seamount communities remain unclear, but research suggests that habitat heterogeneity, shallowest depth, and distance from the mainland may be key factors influencing species distribution and site similarity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roberto Rozzi, Mark Lomolino, Alexandra A. E. van der Geer, Daniele Silvestro, S. Kathleen Lyons, Pere Bover, Josep A. Alcover, Ana Benitez-Lopez, Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, Masaki Fujita, Mugino O. Kubo, Janine Ochoa, Matthew E. Scarborough, Samuel T. Turvey, Alexander Zizka, Jonathan M. Chase
Summary: Islands have long been recognized as unique environments for evolutionary divergence, resulting in variations in body size, such as dwarfs and giants. Incorporating data from 1231 extant and 350 extinct species, our study spanning 23 million years reveals that island mammals with extreme body sizes are most vulnerable to extinction. Moreover, the arrival of modern humans has significantly accelerated extinction rates, leading to the near complete eradication of these iconic examples of island evolution.
Article
Biology
Lauren N. Dykman, Carolyn K. Tepolt, Armand M. Kuris, Andrew R. Solow, Lauren S. Mullineaux
Summary: Habitat isolation and disturbance can affect parasite diversity. In this study, the authors compared parasite communities in different ecosystems and found that isolated and disturbed ecosystems had reduced parasite richness, but similar richness within host species. Surprisingly, the proportion of parasite species with indirect life cycles was not lower in the isolated and disturbed ecosystem.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Maria Holynska, Lukasz Slugocki
Summary: Compared to land animals, little is known about the diversity and determinants of freshwater invertebrates on islands. In this study, we aimed to obtain global-scale information on the diversity of Cyclopidae on islands, test its relationships with geographical variables in different types of islands, and compare patterns with other organisms. We found strong positive correlations between total and endemic species richness and surface area and maximum elevation of the islands, with larger regression slopes in oceanic islands. Small-island effects were observed between endemic species richness and area and elevation. The distance from the mainland had negative correlations with total and endemic species richness in oceanic islands. Compositional similarity was determined to a minor extent by geographic variables, with space having a stronger impact. The relationships found in Cyclopidae generally aligned with those observed in other predominantly terrestrial organisms, suggesting potential freshwater-specific characteristics.
Article
Ecology
Robin Aguilee, Felix Pellerin, Maxence Soubeyrand, Jeremy Choin, Christophe Thebaud
Summary: The dynamics of island biodiversity is influenced by the archipelago effect and history effect, which can lead to deviations from General Dynamic Model predictions. Islands within archipelagos tend to host more diversity and endemic species, with inter-island dispersal contributing to within-island diversity and speciation processes. The spatial-temporal structure of the whole archipelago should be taken into account in analyses of insular biodiversity data.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Michelle A. A. Hauer, Corinna Breusing, Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert, Julie A. A. Huber, Roxanne A. A. Beinart
Summary: This study compared the genomes of free-living and host-associated symbionts of the deep-sea snail Alviniconcha hessleri and found that they have the same population structure but significant differences in gene content, suggesting that geographic isolation and adaptation to local habitat conditions are important determinants of symbiont population structure and intra-host composition.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carmelo Andujar, Paula Arribas, Heriberto Lopez, Yurena Arjona, Antonio Perez-Delgado, Pedro Oromi, Alfried P. Vogler, Brent C. Emerson
Summary: Most of the understanding of island diversity comes from aboveground systems, while the patterns and processes of diversification and community assembly for belowground biotas remain poorly understood. This study focuses on a young and dynamic oceanic island to advance our understanding of the processes driving community assembly of soil mesofauna. Through DNA metabarcoding and analysis, the study reveals the role of niche conservatism in community assembly and the importance of habitat specialization through colonization and preadapted species. The study also shows hierarchical patterns of distance decay and geographical structuring within the soil mesofaunal community.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lu-Yi Wang, Chung-Ping Lin, Stanislav N. Gorb, Hamed Rajabi
Summary: Enhanced attachment ability is common in plants on islands to avoid passive dispersal, but whether island insects also possess this ability is unclear. This study found that a flightless weevil from tropical islands has stronger attachment ability compared to mainland arthropods, regardless of body size and substrate roughness. The study identified the specific adaptions of the weevil's attachment devices and highlighted the potential benefits of strong attachment in windy island environments.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Dagmar M. Hanz, Vanessa Cutts, Martha Paola Barajas-Barbosa, Adam C. Algar, Carl Beierkuhnlein, Jose-Maria Fernandez-Palacios, Richard Field, Holger Kreft, Manuel J. Steinbauer, Patrick Weigelt, Severin D. H. Irl
Summary: Functional traits can elucidate biogeographical and ecological processes driving assemblage structure. Our study on plant species of different evolutionary origins in the Canary Islands revealed that endemic and non-endemic native species possess similar traits, while alien species tend to expand functional space in introduced ecosystems. The distribution of functional diversity of floristic groups is distinct across environmental gradients, indicating their adaptation to different habitats.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yannik E. Roell, John G. Phillips, Christine E. Parent
Summary: The study found that topographic complexity is an important factor influencing species richness in the Galapagos Islands, but different TC indices have varying impacts on different taxonomic groups. While incorporating TC indices improved models, no single index consistently contributed to species richness variation across all taxa. Future research should consider broad, multi-dimensional measures of TC to better understand its biological significance.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joana R. Xavier, David J. Rees, Raquel Pereira, Ana Colaco, Christopher K. Pham, Francisca C. Carvalho
Summary: This study assessed the diversity and distribution of lithistid sponges in the Azores, identifying 11 species with one being reported for the first time in the archipelago. Molecular barcodes were provided for seven species, with discussions on their phylogenetic and biogeographic affinities. The study also highlighted the importance of adding some lithistid species to VME indicators for sustainable management and conservation.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Paula Pappalardo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, Andrew W. Park, Shan Huang, John P. Schmidt, Patrick R. Stephens
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Oceanography
Jennifer Beckensteiner, Andrew M. Scheld, Miriam Fernandez, David M. Kaplan
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Simone Baldanzi, Daniela Storch, Marco Fusi, Nicolas Weidberg, Alexandra Tissot, Sergio A. Navarrete, Miriam Fernandez
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2020)
Article
Oceanography
L. Nahuelhual, X. Vergara, F. Bozzeda, G. Campos, M. D. Subida, L. Outeiro, S. Villasante, M. Fernandez
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andres Ospina-Alvarez, Silvia de Juan, Katrina J. Davis, Catherine Gonzalez, Miriam Fernandez, Sergio A. Navarrete
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Simone Baldanzi, Ignacio T. Vargas, Francisco Armijo, Miriam Fernandez, Sergio A. Navarrete
Summary: The study evaluated the efficacy of PEDOT against the common biofouling species Notobalanus flosculus in the Southeastern Pacific shores, finding that its antifouling effect was similar to a commercial antifouling coating, making it a promising candidate for specific marine applications.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miriam Fernandez, Montserrat Rodriguez-Ruiz, Stefan Gelcich, Luciano Hiriart-Bertrand, Juan Carlos Castilla
Summary: This study explores the recent advances in marine conservation in Chile and evaluates the contribution of various conservation tools as well as the distribution of designated areas across ecoregions. While Chile ranks among the highest in the world in terms of area coverage and proportion of continental exclusive economic zone assigned to fully protected areas, there are significant imbalances in the distribution of MPAs between coastal and oceanic waters.
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Paula Pappalardo, Allen G. Collins, Katrina M. Pagenkopp Lohan, Kate M. Hanson, Sarit B. Truskey, William Jaeckle, Cheryl Lewis Ames, Jessica A. Goodheart, Stephanie L. Bush, Leann M. Biancani, Ellen E. Strong, Michael Vecchione, M. G. Harasewych, Karen Reed, Chan Lin, Elise C. Hartil, Jessica Whelpley, Jamie Blumberg, Kenan Matterson, Niamh E. Redmond, Allison Becker, Michael J. Boyle, Karen J. Osborn
Summary: The performance of DNA metabarcoding for characterizing biodiversity can be influenced by multiple factors. This study used morphological assessment of zooplankton samples to develop a large barcode database and evaluated the congruence of taxonomic identification with metabarcoding under different conditions. Using multiple genetic markers and taxonomic assignment methods, the study found variations in taxonomic identification and taxon detection with metabarcoding, highlighting the importance of using a multi-marker approach and taxonomic expertise to improve biodiversity surveys.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, Jenna Sullivan-Stack, Callum Roberts, Vanessa Constant, Barbara Horta E Costa, Elizabeth P. Pike, Naomi Kingston, Dan Laffoley, Enric Sala, Joachim Claudet, Alan M. Friedlander, David A. Gill, Sarah E. Lester, Jon C. Day, Emanuel J. Goncalves, Gabby N. Ahmadia, Matt Rand, Angelo Villagomez, Natalie C. Ban, Georgina G. Gurney, Ana K. Spalding, Nathan J. Bennett, Johnny Briggs, Lance E. Morgan, Russell Moffitt, Marine Deguignet, Ellen K. Pikitch, Emily S. Darling, Sabine Jessen, Sarah O. Hameed, Giuseppe Di Carlo, Paolo Guidetti, Jean M. Harris, Jorge Torre, Zafer Kizilkaya, Tundi Agardy, Philippe Cury, Nirmal J. Shah, Karen Sack, Ling Cao, Miriam Fernandez, Jane Lubchenco
Summary: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are tools for conserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity. However, confusion over the various MPA types has led to inconsistent outcomes. The MPA Guide provides a science-driven framework to improve the design, implementation, and evaluation of MPAs for achieving conservation goals.
Article
Ecology
Bryan Bularz, Miriam Fernandez, Maria Dulce Subida, Evie A. Wieters, Alejandro Perez-Matus
Summary: The degradation of marine ecosystems is a global problem with significant consequences, such as biodiversity loss and reduced ecosystem service provisions. This study in central Chile reveals the impact of artisanal subtidal Lessonia trabeculata fishery on associated species and the difficulty in recovery. Effective management and conservation of coastal ecosystems should consider the ecosystem-wide impacts of L. trabeculata fisheries.
Article
Oceanography
Silvia de Juan, Maria Dulce Subida, Andres Ospina-Alvarez, Ainara Aguilar, Miriam Fernandez
Summary: The substantial increase in poaching within the fisheries' management areas in central Chile is driven by a combination of socio-economic factors. The study found that socio-economic factors and environmental variables play a significant role in poaching activities in the area. An integrated ecological and socio-economic approach can offer solutions to the unsustainable exploitation of marine resources.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Clara Arboleda-Baena, Nicole Osiadacz, Mirtala Parrague, Andres E. Gonzalez, Miriam Fernandez, Gerhard R. Finke, Sergio A. Navarrete
Summary: This article focuses on the research of biofouling control in marine industries. It shows that both traditional copper-based antifouling coatings and eco-friendly alternatives are effective in field conditions. However, further research is needed for the environmentally friendly technologies.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ana Navarro Campoy, Alejandro Perez-Matus, Evie A. Wieters, Rodrigo Alarcon-Ireland, Vladimir Garmendia, Ricardo Beldade, Sergio A. Navarrete, Miriam Fernandez
Summary: The diversity and ecology of temperate mesophotic ecosystems (TME) have been poorly studied and limited to certain geographic regions. This study focuses on TME in central Chile and provides the first description of the depth distribution of reef fishes, benthic invertebrates, and algae. The findings show that reef fish density and richness decrease with depth but increase with local topographic complexity. Benthic assemblages are dominated by sponges and gorgonians at depths below 20 m, with brachiopods and anemones increasing at greater depths.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Jose Martinez-Harms, Juan J. Armesto, Juan Carlos Castilla, Anna Astorga, Jose Aylwin, Alejandro H. Buschmann, Victoria Castro, Giovanni Daneri, Miriam Fernandez, Taryn Fuentes-Castillo, Stefan Gelcich, Humberto E. Gonzalez, Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete, Pablo A. Marquet, Flavia Morello, Laura Nahuelhual, Patricio Pliscoff, Brian Reid, Ricardo Rozzi, Cesar Guala, David Tecklin
Summary: Efficient mechanisms for practitioners to find relevant evidence are crucial for conservation decision-making in Chilean Patagonia. This study systematically collected and synthesized evidence on the impacts of global change drivers on ecosystems and human-nature relationships in Chilean Patagonia, highlighting the exponential growth of studies on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The evaluation showed that 80% of the sample represented reliable evidence, emphasizing the need to deliver this evidence in a user-friendly format for decision-makers.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Vladimir Garmendia, Maria Dulce Subida, Ainara Aguilar, Miriam Fernandez
Summary: This study tested the reliability of fishers' knowledge in estimating the abundance of two benthic resources in central Chile. The results showed high consistency between fishers' knowledge and direct assessments, supporting the use of fishers' knowledge in filling information gaps. Additionally, the study found higher resource abundances in territorial user rights for fisheries (TURFs) compared to open access areas (OAAs), and highlighted the potential unintended effects of TURFs on resource abundance.