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Biota del intermareal rocoso expuesto de la Isla Grande de Chiloé, Archipiélago de Chiloé, Chile: Patrones de diversidad e implicancias ecológicas y biogeográficas

2016; University of Valparaíso; Volume: 51; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4067/s0718-19572016000100004

0718-1957

Carlos Velásquez, Eduardo Jaramillo, Patricio A. Camus, Mario Manzano, Roland Sánchez,

Marine and coastal plant biology

The northern part of the Chiloé Island (41.8°S) has been linked to an abrupt biogeographic break in the Southeastern Pacific; a break which represents the northern limit of the Magellanic Province, a large zone geographically characterized by a broken coastline as opposed to the Chilean coast further north.This study represents a first eco-biogeographical characterization of the rocky intertidal macrobiota along the northwest coast of Chiloé Island, a coastal line stretching nearly 50 km.Sampling was carried out at 5 sites using the same systematic design (transects perpendicular to the coast using 0.25 m 2 quadrats in 4 tidal levels), and the data were analyzed by using multivariate statistical methods.A total of 38 species were recorded, with a consistent zonation and dominance across sites, albeit minor differences due to local variations in abundance and cover of mobile and sessile species.Virtually all taxa were organisms widely distributed along the coast of Chile, showing patterns of community structure and composition similar to those documented for central Chile.We reinforce the need to reassess the biogeographic character of the coasts directly exposed to the Pacific in the austral zone of Chile, and the role of historical processes on the northwest coast of Chiloé having in mind that the study area was not affected by glacial advances in the late Pleistocene.