Anthropogenic debris in three sympatric seal species of the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

Litter pollution is a growing concern, including for Antarctica and the species that inhabit this ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the microplastic contamination in three seal species that inhabit the Western Antarctic Peninsula: crabeater (Lobodon carcinophaga), leopard (Hydrurga leptonyx) and Weddell (Leptonychotes weddellii) seals. Given the worldwide ubiquity of this type of contaminant, including the Southern Ocean, we hypothesized that the three seal species would present anthropogenic debris in their feces.

Impact of Chaitén Volcano ashfall on native and exotic fish recovery, recolonization, and abundance.

The effects of volcanic disturbance on aquatic communities and their recovery are poorly studied. To fill this gap, we explored the effects on fish communities in rivers in Argentina of the 2008 eruption of Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile (42.8° lat.

Selective foraging by non-native rainbow trout on invertebrates in Patagonian streams in Argentina.

Background: It is well known that fish predation alters ecosystem processes by top-down effects. Salmonids are described as aggressive, visually and size-selective predators. Thus, prey selection by the non-native rainbow trout was examined on a seasonal basis at two streams: Nant y Fall (NyF) and Cabeza de Vaca (CVA) at Patagonia, a region where this kind of information is lacking.

Assessing land-use effects on water quality, in-stream habitat, riparian ecosystems and biodiversity in Patagonian northwest streams.

Changes in land-use practices have affected the integrity and quality of water resources worldwide. In Patagonia there is a strong concern about the ecological status of surface waters because these changes are rapidly occurring in the region. To test the hypothesis that greater intensity of land-use will have negative effects on water quality, stream habitat and biodiversity we assessed benthic macroinvertebrates, riparian/littoral invertebrates, fish and birds from the riparian corridor and environmental variables of 15 rivers (Patagonia) subjected to a gradient of land-use practices (non-managed native forest, managed native forest, pine plantations, pasture, urbanization).