Browsing by Author "Pliscoff, Patricio"

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    A framework for the classification Chilean terrestrial ecosystems as a tool for achieving global conservation targets
    (2017) Martínez, K.; Núñez, M.; León, C.; Pliscoff, Patricio; Squeo, F.; Armesto, Juan J.
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    Area-Wide Prediction of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Hole Density and Depth across a Climate Gradient in Chile Based on UAV and Machine Learning
    (MDPI, 2021) Grigusova, Paulina; Larsen, Annegret; Achilles, Sebastian; Klug, Alexander; Fischer, Robin; Kraus, Diana; Uebernickel, Kirstin; Paulino, Leandro; Pliscoff, Patricio; Brandl, Roland; Farwig, Nina; Bendix, Joerg
    Burrowing animals are important ecosystem engineers affecting soil properties, as their burrowing activity leads to the redistribution of nutrients and soil carbon sequestration. The magnitude of these effects depends on the spatial density and depth of such burrows, but a method to derive this type of spatially explicit data is still lacking. In this study, we test the potential of using consumer-oriented UAV RGB imagery to determine the density and depth of holes created by burrowing animals at four study sites along a climate gradient in Chile, by combining UAV data with empirical field plot observations and machine learning techniques. To enhance the limited spectral information in RGB imagery, we derived spatial layers representing vegetation type and height and used landscape textures and diversity to predict hole parameters. Across-site models for hole density generally performed better than those for depth, where the best-performing model was for the invertebrate hole density (R-2 = 0.62). The best models at individual study sites were obtained for hole density in the arid climate zone (R-2 = 0.75 and 0.68 for invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively). Hole depth models only showed good to fair performance. Regarding predictor importance, the models heavily relied on vegetation height, texture metrics, and diversity indices.
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    Assessing floristic representativeness in the protected areas national system of Chile : are vegetation types a good surrogate for plant species?
    (2016) Urbina Casanova, Rafael; Luebert, Federico; Pliscoff, Patricio; Scherson, Rosa A.
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    Bioturbation 1 enhances C and N contents on near-surface 2 soils in resource-deficient arid climate regions but shows 3 adverse effects in more temperate climates
    Pliscoff, Patricio; Kraus, Diana; Brandl, Roland; Bendix, Jörg; Grigusova, Paulina; Köhler, Sabrina; Larsen, Annegret; Übernickel, Kirstin; Farwig, Nina
    Bioturbating animals can affect physical and chemical soil properties on near-surface soil by either foraging for food or constructing suitable habitats. Thereby, bioturbation can influence the soil texture either sorting or mixing the different grain sizes clay, silt and sand during burrowing. Additionally, bioturbating animals can increase the macronutrients carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) through the transport of nutrients by vertically mixing the soil column and the addition of the bioturbators’ feces to the soil surface. To date, it is not clear how the effects of bioturbation on soil properties vary along an ecological gradient. Therefore, we compared the physical properties clay, silt and sand and the chemical contents of the macronutrients C, N and P for soil samples from mounds and the surrounding area as controls in three different climatic regions (arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean) of coastal Chile. To do so, we calculated the difference between the concentrations of paired mound and control samples. When comparing soil texture, we did not find significant differences between mound and control soil samples. For the macronutrient contents, the difference between mound and control C and N contents increased in the arid site and decreased in the two other research sites with increasing vegetation cover. Since we aimed to cover bioturbation patterns on a broader scale, we additionally compared our findings to other bioturbation studies performed in different biomes. Thereby, we found that other studies also show small differences in soil properties caused by bioturbation which are already sufficient to increase soil fertility.
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    Chile mega-fire 2017: An analysis of social representation of forest plantation territory
    (2020) Pliscoff, Patricio; Folchi, M.; Aliste, E.; Cea, D.; Simonetti, J. A.
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    Cryptic speciation in gentoo penguins is driven by geographic isolation and regional marine conditions: Unforeseen vulnerabilities to global change
    (2020) Pertierra, Luis R.; Segovia, Nicolás I.; Noll, Daly; Martínez, Pablo A.; Pliscoff, Patricio; Barbosa, Andrés; Vianna, Juliana; Aragón, Pedro; Raya Rey, Andrea; Pistorius, Pierre; Trathan, Phil; Polanowski, Andrea; Bonadonna, Francesco; Le Bohec, Célin; Bi, Ke; Wang-Claypool, Cynthia Y.; González Acuña, Daniel; Dantas, Gisele P. M.; Bowie, Rauri C. K.; Poulin, Elie
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    Dinámicas espaciales y temporales de la vegetación zonal en la Región Altiplano andino, hotspot de biodiversidad Andes Tropicales (2000 – 2020)
    (2022) Paicho Hidalgo, Maritza Alejandra; Pliscoff, Patricio; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Geografía
    Las dinámicas de la vegetación zonal son una respuesta, entre otros factores, al comportamiento del clima, existiendo un fuerte acoplamiento clima-biosfera. En el marco de esta premisa, se planteó el objetivo de analizar las dinámicas de la vegetación zonal y su relación con las variables ambientales, en la región Altiplano andino, parte del hotspot de biodiversidad Andes Tropicales, entre los años 2000 y 2020; con el propósito de identificar perturbaciones y/o tendencias en las dinámicas de la vegetación. Considerando los cambios registrados en la variabilidad climática propia del Altiplano en las últimas décadas, particularmente en la precipitación y la temperatura, variables que tienen una gran injerencia en el comportamiento de la vegetación en los diferentes territorios. Investigación que se abordó a través del cálculo de métricas fenológicas de vegetación; aplicación de pruebas de tendencias no paramétricas y estimación de pendientes de las series temporales de valores NDVI; y por último se determinó la correlación entre la vegetación (NDVI) y las variables precipitación (CHIRPS), temperatura diurna de la superficie terrestre (LST) y evapotranspiración (ET). Los resultados indicaron i) una gran variabilidad en los días del año (DOY) de las métricas inicio, punto máximo y fin de la temporada de crecimiento (SOS, POP y EOS), y a su vez no se identificaron tendencias o cambios estadísticamente significativos en estas métricas; ii) tendencias principalmente positivas y leves en la vegetación del Altiplano, entre 2000 y 2020, con una magnitud de cambio menor o igual a 0.023 NDVI por década, en la mayor parte del área de estudio, tasa de cambio que se incrementa en la primavera austral; y iii) una correlación positiva estadísticamente significativa entre la vegetación y evapotranspiración, una correlación negativa con la variable temperatura diurna de la superficie terrestre, y una correlación positiva relativamente alta entre la vegetación y precipitación, principalmente en la zona centro-norte del Altiplano. Por lo tanto, los leves incrementos en la vigorosidad de la vegetación podrían estar explicados, en parte, por el comportamiento de las precipitaciones en esta zona en las últimas décadas.
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    Dispersal and extrapolation on the accuracy of temporal predictions from distribution models for the Darwin's frog
    (2017) Uribe, D; Soto, C; Valenzuela, A; Bizama, G; Simonetti Zambello, Javier; Pliscoff, Patricio
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    Distribution and new sightings of Promops davisoni Thomas, 1921 (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth
    (ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2022) Pedro, Annia Rodriguez San; Allendes, Juan Luis; Beltran, Clemente A.; Mayorga, Marcelo; Pliscoff, Patricio
    Davison's Mastiff Bat Promops davisoni is a poorly studied species, only present in Ecuador, Peru, and more recently in Chile, where its known geographic distribution is supported by very few records from the extreme north of the country. Using ultrasonic recordings, we reported new records of P. davisoni in northern Chile, extending its distribution range ca. 60 km southward to the Chaca and Camarones valleys in the province of Arica. Additionally, using Species Distribution Models, we predicted its potential distribution in the north of the country based on similar suitable habitats. The high number of recordings obtained in our study suggest a wide distribution and relative abundance of P. davisoni in the coastal valleys of the Arica province and surrounding urban areas, with a remarkable habitat diversity for populations of this species. In addition, our potential distribution models suggest its presence in other arid environments within the Atacama Desert. These data provide additional information on the current and potential distribution of P. davisoni and can be useful for further studies to better understand the biology and population dynamics of the species, as well as the design of conservation and management strategies.
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    Early-career experts essential for planetary sustainability
    (2017) Lim, Michelle; Linch, Abygail; Fernández-Llamazares, Alvaro; Balint, Lenke; Basher, Zeenatul; Chan, Ivis; Jaureguiberry, Pedro; Mohamed, A.A.A.; Mwampamba, Tuyeni; Pliscoff, Patricio; Palomo, Ignacio; Salimov, Rashad; Samakov, Aibek; Selomane, Odirilwe; Shrestha, Uttam; Sidorovich, A.
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    Efectos sobre la flora y vegetación del evento de precipitación extremo de agosto 2015 en Alto Patache, Desierto de Atacama, Chile
    (2017) Pliscoff, Patricio; Zanetta Colombo, Nicolás Camilo; Hepp Castillo, Josefina; Machuca, Javiera
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    Effects on the flora and vegetation of the extreme precipitation event of August 2015 in Alto Patache, Atacama Desert, Chile
    (PONTIFICA UNIV CATOLICA CHILE, INST GEOGRAFIA, 2017) Pliscoff, Patricio; Zanetta, Nicolas; Hepp, Josefina; Machuca, Javiera
    During the extreme precipitation event related with "El Nino", which occurred in August 2015 on the coast of the Tarapaca region, Atacama Desert, rainfall of 50 mm was recorded at the Alto Patache Fog Oasis (annual average of 1 mm), activating germination of many species present on the site. After the event, transects were demarcated and the presence and dominance of vegetation was recorded. The floristic data identified was compared with historical records and related with the distribution of fog, measured between the years 2001 and 2002. Results show 42 species identified, 78% of all known plants in the area, with one new record (Tiquilia sp.). The floristic analysis allowed the identification of three vegetation units, and a greater diversity of species was observed in lower areas of the coastal mountain chain.
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    Endemic crop wild relatives in Chile towards the end of the 21st century: Protected areas and agricultural expansion
    (2023) Jensen, Magdalena; Pliscoff, Patricio
    Climate change is expected to change weather patterns in Chile significantly. Preserving the taxonomic and genetic diversity of crop wild relatives (CWR) is critical to ensure the availability of crops for future human food. However, many CWR are threatened in their natural habitats and underrepresented in gene banks. This research aimed to analyze the current and future climatic suitability under climate change of Chilean endemic CWR, the role of protected areas in their conservation, and possible conflicts of land use with agricultural production. The climatic suitability of 30 species was modeled with present and future bioclimatic variables using a species distribution modeling approach. The climatically suitable areas of all endemic CWR species analyzed are projected to change; 26 increased their suitable areas in the future and four decreased (Ribes integrifolium Phil., Dioscorea fastigiata Gay, Solanum chilense (Dunal) Reiche, Lupinus oreophilus Phil.). Specific conflict with agricultural land use is projected to occur between Valparaiso and Biobio regions, where zones not in protected areas with more than 15 CWR species intersect with those that will be more suitable to produce food crops. Careful and informed planning is required to protect the future distribution of endemic CWR in Chile, especially for species whose climatically suitable area decreases. This effort should comprise a coordinated approach that includes both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to preserve genetic diversity.
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    Filogeografía y estructura genética poblacional del Rayadito de cola espinosa (Aphrastura spinicauda), un paseriforme ampliamente distribuido en Chile (30°S – 56°S)
    (2021) Ortiz Carvajal, Gustavo; Vianna, Juliana; Pliscoff, Patricio; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal
    La investigación sobre la distribución de la diversidad genética entre las poblaciones nos permite inferir procesos ecológicos relacionados con su conectividad. También nos permite identificar los factores que contribuyen a su estructura y demografía. Aunque las aves tienden a mostrar una baja estructura genética debido a su alta capacidad de dispersión, se ha informado de una fuerte presión de diferenciación en islas terrestres y oceánicas. Evaluamos la estructura genética poblacional, filogeografía, historia demográfica y adecuación climática pasada, actual y futura del Rayadito de Cola Espinosa (Aphrastura spinicauda), un paseriforme endémico del bosque templado del sur de Sudamérica, que se distribuye en un amplio rango latitudinal (30°S - 56°S) en Chile y el oeste de Argentina. Mediante el análisis del genoma completo, estudiamos 50 muestras de cinco localidades distribuidas dentro del rango geográfico de la especie en Chile. Utilizando métodos de estructuración genética, algoritmos de agrupamiento e identificación de barreras biogeográficas, encontramos evidencias que apoyan una estructura genética moderada y una serie de barreras espaciales que limitan el flujo génico hacia las poblaciones de Fray Jorge e Isla Mocha, favoreciendo su diferenciación. Por otro lado, no encontramos evidencia que apoye la validez de la subespecie A. s. fulva, descrita para las islas Chiloé y Chonos. Mediante los análisis de historia demográfica y modelos distribución de especie, hallamos evidencia que apoyaría la existencia de posibles refugios glaciares durante el Último Máximo Glacial para la especie. Finalmente, nuestros mapas de idoneidad climática destacan la importancia actual y futura de proteger áreas continentales costeras y ponen de manifiesto el riesgo de las poblaciones del centro y norte.
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    Flora of the hot deserts : emerging patterns from phylogeny-based diversity studies
    (2020) Scherson, R. A.; Luebert, F.; Pliscoff, Patricio; Fuentes Castillo, T.
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    Geographic Patterns of Vascular Plant Diversity and Endemism Using Different Taxonomic and Spatial Units
    (MDPI, 2022) Luebert, Federico; Fuentes-Castillo, Taryn; Pliscoff, Patricio; Garcia, Nicolas; Jose Roman, Maria; Vera, Diego; Scherson, Rosa A.
    Estimation of biodiversity patterns in poorly known areas is hampered by data availability and biased collecting efforts. To overcome the former, patterns can be estimated at higher taxonomic levels and larger spatial units. To deal with the latter, species distribution models (SDMs) can be employed. We explored the ability of higher-rank taxonomic units to surrogate patterns of species diversity at different aggregation levels and the use of SDMs to correct collection bias. We used Chile as a study case and employed three biodiversity measures (taxon richness, weighted endemism and turnover), four spatial aggregation levels or resolutions (100, 75, 50 and 25 km grid cells) and three taxonomic levels (species, genera and operational taxonomic units (OTUs)) to evaluate the spatial agreement of biodiversity measures. OTUs are monophyletic groups at the finest taxonomic resolution given the available phylogenetic information. We used a specimen database of 3684 species (84%) of the Chilean vascular flora and evaluated its redundancy. Agreement in spatial patterns was calculated using the fuzzy Kappa index. SDMs were generated for the three taxonomic levels to estimate taxon richness. For each spatial aggregation level, we calculated agreement between specimen-based and SDM-based richness and surrogacy among taxonomic levels with and without SDMs. Density of sampling for specimen-based data allowed for a resolution of 25 km before reaching a critical low redundancy value for all taxonomic levels. Genera and OTUs are good surrogates of species for all biodiversity measures, but their predictive power decreases with spatial scale. Agreement in richness patterns between taxonomic levels is greatest for SDMs at 100 and 75 km resolution, suggesting that biodiversity patterns are best estimated at 75 km resolution using SDMs for this data set. While these results cannot be extrapolated beyond the study area, this framework can be implemented in other data-deficient regions to describe biodiversity patterns and to choose the appropriate aggregation level for downstream biodiversity studies, such as spatial phylogenetics, where species-level data availability is a more generalized problem, since sequence data are normally available for only few species.
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    Hotspots and ecoregion vulnerability driven by climate change velocity in Southern South America
    (2020) Fuentes Castillo, Taryn; Hernandez, HJ; Pliscoff, Patricio
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    Impacts of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems on conservation policy and practice
    (2019) Bland, L.M.; Nicholson, E.; Miller, R.M.; Andrade, A.; Carre, A.; Etter, A.; Ferrer-Paris, J.R.; Herrera, B.; Kontula, T.; Pliscoff, Patricio; Lindgaard, A.; Skowno, A.; Valderrabano, M.; Zager, I.; Keith, D.A.