Watershed Conservation and Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the Alberto D'Agostini National Park, Tierra del Fuego, Chile Page: 41
18 p.View a full description of this article.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Anales Instituto Patagonia (Chile), 2006. 34: 41-58
WATERSHED CONSERVATION AND AQUATIC BENTHIC
MACROINVERTEBRATE DIVERSITY IN THE ALBERTO
D'AGOSTINI NATIONAL PARK, TIERRA DEL FUEGO, CHILE
ESTADO DE CONSERVACION DE LAS CUENCAS HIDROGRAFICAS Y DIVERSIDAD
DE LOS MACROINVERTEBRADOS BENTONICOS DULCEACUICOLAS DEL
PARQUE NACIONAL ALBERTO D'AGOSTINI, TIERRA DEL FUEGO, CHILE
Michelle C. Moorman1,2*, Christopher B. Anderson13, Alvaro G. Gutidrrez1 4, Rina Charlin' & Ricardo Rozzi1,4,5,6
ABSTRACT
Southern South America is known globally for its remote and rugged landscapes, which include
one of Chile's largest national park: Alberto De Agostini. The singular nature of this area, however, is
also found in is flora and fauna. The recent designation of Magellanic Sub-Antarctic Forests as one of
the world's last wilderness areas propelled us to question whether there was detailed evidence for this
classification in the Tierra del Fuego portion of the De Agostini Park. Therefore, in January 2004 and
2005 boat-based expeditions were carried out around the south-west portion of Tierra del Fuego Island,
as well as adjacent islands south of the Beagle Channel. Their purpose was to evaluate the current state
of the park's natural resources and to create a baseline of physical, chemical, biological and ecological
information that can be used in the administration, conservation and future research of this area. We
utilized a watershed analysis approach, examining vegetation cover, habitat type and disturbance. Along
the major watercourse of each basin, we quantified the presence of exotic species, water quality and the
aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblage.
We found that habitats types were highly diverse with mixed and deciduous forests dominating
the eastern portion of the study area and Magellanic evergreen forests and tundra in the west. On avera-
ge, approximately 50% of the watersheds' areas were covered by forests with exposed rock and tundra
occupying 28% and 17%, respectively. Glaciers and herbaceous habitats only made up 3% of study sites.
Disturbances from human impacts and introduced species were rare and focused mainly outside the
national park and in the eastern portion of the Brecknock peninsula, but significant localized exceptions
occurred even in isolated fjords and where fishing and tourism activities were being carried out.
1 Parque Etnobotanico Omora, Puerto Williams, Provincia Antartica Chilena, Regi6n de Magallanes, Chile (www.omora.org)
2 Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
3 Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
4 Institute de Ecologia y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile. Casilla 653, Santiago de Chile
5 Universidad de Magallanes, Puerto Williams, Regi6n de Magallanes, Chile
6 Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies, University of North Texas, Denton TX, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: email: mccienek@usgs.gov41
Recibido 24/6/2005
Aceptado 2/1/2006
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This article can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Article.
Moorman, Michelle C.; Anderson, Christopher B.; Gutiérrez, Alvaro G.; Charlin, Rina & Rozzi, Ricardo, 1960-. Watershed Conservation and Aquatic Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the Alberto D'Agostini National Park, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, article, 2006; [Magallanes, Chile]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc102287/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT College of Arts and Sciences.