Null models for understanding fairy shrimp habitats

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio De los Ríos Escalante
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Null Models ◽  
Fairy Shrimp ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Ephemeral Pools ◽  
Overlap Analysis ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
Structured Meaning

The Chilean fairy shrimp species are represented by the Branchinecta genus, which are poorly described, and mainly occur in shallow ephemeral pools in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and the Southern Chilean Patagonian plains. The aim of the present study was to perform an initial ecological characterization of Branchinecta habitats and its associated communities in the Chilean Southern Patagonian plains (45-53°S) using null models (co-occurrence, niche sharing and size overlap). The results of the co-occurrence analysis revealed that the species’ associations are structured, meaning that at different kinds of Branchinecta habitats, the associated species are different. I did not find niche sharing, which means interspecific competition is absent. Finally the size overlap analysis revealed structured patterns, which are probably due to environmental homogeneity or colonization extinction processes. The habitats studied are shallow ephemeral pools, with extreme environmental conditions, where continuous local colonization and extinction processes probably occur, which would explain the marked Branchinecta species endemism.

scholarly journals The salt flats fighter: agonistic survival of Liolaemus fabiani in the Salar de Atacama

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yery Marambio-Alfaro ◽  
Gabriel Álvarez ◽  
Marcos Cortés Araya ◽  
Antonio E. Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Salt Flats ◽  
Natural Sense ◽  
Winner Take All ◽  
Take All

Liolaemus fabiani is a lizard that lives in the Salar de Atacama, located in the center of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, one of the driest places on the planet. Likely due to the extreme environmental conditions of their habitat, L. fabiani has colonized all watercourse shores of the Puilar pond where the primary source of food, flies, are confined. By ‘owning’ these shores, they can retain resources, explaining their natural sense of territory and their world-renowned aggressive territorial behavior. From the perspective of the lizard, the battlefield is a narrow stretch between mountains of halite salt and the water, which leads to a winner-take-all type territory. The winning lizard is rewarded with control of the food supply, access to females and a privileged space to survive. This modern gladiator faces his opponent with an unmatched ferocity, although there are rarely, if ever, deaths between the contenders. Like other vertebrates, the defense of the territory is a cooperative job with the alpha female. She releases pheromone compounds, conferring an advantage to her partner to proceed ruthlessly to attack the intruder, on land or in water, in order to obtain victory. The victorious lizard gains ownership of the land, leaving no doubts of his claim to other would-be challengers.

scholarly journals The salt flats fighter: agonistic survival of Liolaemus fabiani in the Salar de Atacama

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yery Marambio-Alfaro ◽  
Gabriel Álvarez ◽  
Marcos Cortés Araya ◽  
Antonio E. Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Salt Flats ◽  
Natural Sense ◽  
Winner Take All ◽  
Take All

Liolaemus fabiani is a lizard that lives in the Salar de Atacama, located in the center of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, one of the driest places on the planet. Likely due to the extreme environmental conditions of their habitat, L. fabiani has colonized all watercourse shores of the Puilar pond where the primary source of food, flies, are confined. By ‘owning’ these shores, they can retain resources, explaining their natural sense of territory and their world-renowned aggressive territorial behavior. From the perspective of the lizard, the battlefield is a narrow stretch between mountains of halite salt and the water, which leads to a winner-take-all type territory. The winning lizard is rewarded with control of the food supply, access to females and a privileged space to survive. This modern gladiator faces his opponent with an unmatched ferocity, although there are rarely, if ever, deaths between the contenders. Like other vertebrates, the defense of the territory is a cooperative job with the alpha female. She releases pheromone compounds, conferring an advantage to her partner to proceed ruthlessly to attack the intruder, on land or in water, in order to obtain victory. The victorious lizard gains ownership of the land, leaving no doubts of his claim to other would-be challengers.

CONFOUNDINGLY COMPLEX EXPOSURE HISTORIES REVEALED BY 21NE AND 10BE ABUNDANCES IN ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS OF THE ATACAMA DESERT, NORTHERN CHILE

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Cross Jungers ◽  
◽  
Arjun M. Heimsath ◽  
Ronald Amundson ◽  
Greg Balco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Alluvial Deposits

Potential of arsenic bioremediation by a cyanobacterium isolated from the Salado River in the Atacama Desert

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Pablo Pérez-Portilla ◽  
Juan Araya ◽  
Karem Gallardo ◽  
Adriana Aránguiz-Acuña
Keyword(s):  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
Removal Of Arsenic ◽  
Salado River ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Cyanobacteria and microalgae are recognized as excellent metal(loid)s-bioremediators of aquatic systems. We isolated a cyanobacterium from the Salado River in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, which was identified as Cyanobium sp. Growth inhibition bioassays were conducted with arsenic and cadmium, and tolerance of Cyanobium to these metals was estimated. Removal of arsenic was assessed under different pH conditions and over time. We showed that the Cyanobium strain isolated from the Salado River has a greater tolerance to the arsenic and cadmium compounds than other species commonly used in metal(loid)s-bioremediation. Removal of up to 90% of arsenic was obtained in alkaline conditions, within the first 3 hours of exposure suggesting that Cyanobium sp. isolated from the Atacama Desert could be further studied with biotechnological purposes and to understand the evolutionary mechanisms of adaption to arid environments.

Detection and characterization of oxidizing acids in the Atacama Desert using the Mars Oxidation Instrument

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (13) ◽  
pp. 1376-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Quinn ◽  
A.P. Zent ◽  
F.J. Grunthaner ◽  
P. Ehrenfreund ◽  
C.L. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atacama Desert

scholarly journals Characterization of soiling on PV modules in the Atacama Desert

2017 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 547-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Olivares ◽  
Pablo Ferrada ◽  
Camila de Matos ◽  
Aitor Marzo ◽  
Enrique Cabrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Pv Modules
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