Publications by authors named "Gonzalo S Saldias"
Article Synopsis
- There has been a global increase in Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) over recent decades, linked to environmental exploitation, enhanced monitoring, and rising maritime transport.
- HAB species, such as those causing paralytic shellfish poisoning and producing yessotoxins, pose serious public health and socioeconomic risks.
- Recent observations in the Biobio region suggest a northward movement of these HABs into more open waters, with studies indicating that factors like deep-water turbulence and the presence of toxic resting cysts could trigger harmful events in the environment.
Article Synopsis
- Climate change is impacting marine environments by altering their average conditions and the variability over time, affecting the adaptability of different species.
- A study on mussels in Chilean Patagonia found that changes in environmental conditions, including extreme events, influence their physical traits while genetic differences remain minimal due to significant mixing from aquaculture.
- The research highlights the importance of variability and predictability in shaping biological diversity, suggesting that managing these factors is vital for species resilience and biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change.
Green algae blooms of the genus are occurring globally and are primarily attributed to anthropogenic factors. At Los Tubos beach in Algarrobo Bay along the central Chilean coast, there have been blooms of these algae that persist almost year-round over the past 20 years, leading to environmental, economic, and social issues that affect the local government and communities. The objective of this study was to characterize the species that form these green tides based on a combination of ecological, morpho-anatomical, and molecular information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe methylation of DNA is an environmentally inducible epigenetic mechanism reflecting the short-term ecological and environmental background of populations. Marine invertebrate populations, which spread along a latitudinal cline, are particularly suitable for profiling DNA methylation, due to the heterogenous environmental conditions experienced. We used the MSAP (Methylation Sensitive Amplified Polymorphism) technique to investigate the natural variation in DNA methylation of different female's tissues (muscle, gonads, and gills) and early-stage eggs from five populations of the kelp crab Taliepus dentatus, distributed along a latitudinal cline in the coast of Chile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), particularly those caused by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella, produce saxitoxins that lead to serious human health issues like Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).
- - Most research in the Chilean Patagonia has focused on coastal regions, overlooking the potential role of the offshore continental shelf as a source of A. catenella resting cysts that could trigger toxic blooms.
- - The study reveals that submarine canyons enhance coastal upwelling by increasing the vertical movement of bottom waters, which increases the risk of reintroducing A. catenella cysts into thriving regions for harmful blooms.
Human activities have led to an increase in land use change, with effects on the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The impact of contrasting land uses along river basins on the concentration of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) reaching the coastal zone, and its relationship with the carbonate system of the adjacent coastal ocean, is poorly known. To understand the relationship between land use change, CDOM and its influence on the carbonate system, two watersheds with contrasting land uses in southern Chile were studied.
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