Geobiology of Andean Microbial Ecosystems Discovered in Salar de Atacama, Chile.

The Salar de Atacama in the Chilean Central Andes harbors unique microbial ecosystems due to extreme environmental conditions, such as high altitude, low oxygen pressure, high solar radiation, and high salinity. Combining X-ray diffraction analyses, scanning electron microscopy and molecular diversity studies, we have characterized twenty previously unexplored Andean microbial ecosystems in eight different lakes and wetlands from the middle-east and south-east regions of this salt flat. The mats and microbialites studied are mainly formed by calcium carbonate (aragonite and calcite) and halite, whereas the endoevaporites are composed predominantly of gypsum and halite.

Reproductive aspects of the poorly known and critically endangered freshwater snail (Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea).

Knowing the reproductive biology of threatened species is essential for conservation and to establish proper management plans. , a freshwater snail only known from two locations in the Atacama Saltpan, northern Chile, is currently classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List and Critically Endangered by the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente of Chile. Based on size-frequency distribution, multivariate analysis of shell measurements, and microdissections, we studied the reproductive strategy, recruitment period, sex ratio and sexual dimorphism in this species.