Print PageThe need to understand global change and biodiversity loss has promoted ecological studies on broad spatial and temporal scales. Thus, long-term ecological research (LTER) has served as a successful organizing framework to guide research agendas designed to address meaningful ecological phenomena and questions at the scales of decades or whole ecosystems. The international LTER network has sites on every continent, allowing for global comparisons. Nevertheless, LTER sites are predominantly located at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere and there is a lack of formalized long-term research sites in southern South America. This is the only continental area besides Antarctica reaching beyond 47 S. The Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (Chile) has begun to fill this gap by linking work at three research sites (Fray Jorge Forest National Park – 33° S, Senda Darwin Biological Station – 43° S, and Omora Ethnobotanical Park – 55° S) to establish the first formal LTER network in southern South America. We addressed comparative questions regarding climate change effects on temperate and subantarctic forest ecosystems, and biodiversity responses to anthropogenic land use change, through experimental and systematic sampling approaches. As examples, we document and discuss land use change impacts on bird and mammal populations and forest responses to summer rainfall exclusion.
Results/Conclusions
In all sites, we deployed instruments to provide an uninterrupted record of biophysical variables characterizing climatic and ecosystem process trends. In a temperate rural environment (Senda Darwin field site), bird species most sensitive to habitat change were associated with old-growth habitats where canopy emergent trees, snags, logs and understory bamboos were present. In contrast, a five-year study of the arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides showed no difference in densities and demographic parameters between old-growth and logged forest, although they were rarely present in shrublands. Summer rainfall exclusion from evergreen forest plots has produced changes in litterfall, soil respiration and overall tree growth compared to control plots in the same forest. The importance LTER is underscored by the fact that research can be linked across regions and questions are addressed through international collaboration.
