Gray gulls Larus modestus are unique among birds of northern Chile as the only species nesting in the interior Atacama Desert, and the only seagull nesting far (30 - 100 km) from surface water. During breeding-nesting (August - February) gray gulls congregate on the coast of northern Chile where they feed and initiate courtship. As early as August, breeding pairs commute daily to the inner desert to establish nesting territories, round-trip distances of 60-200 Km. During incubation (30 days) and brooding (7 days) adults alternate daily foraging flights to the coast. Afterwards, both adults forage daily for their chick(s) until fledging (ca. 60 days). Foraging flights and thermoregulatory costs during the period of maximal solar radiation, when ground temperatures may reach 61 C in the day and drop to 2 C at night, have selected for adaptations which minimize those costs: tolerance of hypothermia and hyperthermia; dark plumage; low egg-shell water vapor conductance; low standard metabolic rate; elaborate repertory of thermoregulatory behavior which allow adults to take advantage of microclimatic variations in the desert and minimize costs relative to a sympatric congenor, Larus belcheri scheduling foraging flights to take advantage of optimal atmospheric conditions and presence of forage fish (anchovies) …

Charles Darwin spent the majority of his 1831-1836 voyage around the world in southern South America, and his early experiences in the Cape Horn region seem to have triggered his first ideas on human evolution. Darwin was not only a field naturalist, but also a scholar of the observations of the European explorers who preceded him. This book illuminates the foundations of Cape Horn’s natural history that oriented Darwin’s own explorations and his ideas on evolution, which acquire the highest relevance for planetary sustainability and environmental ethics. Richly illustrated with maps and color photographs, this book offers a guide to the sites visited by Darwin, and a compass for present-day visitors who can follow Darwin’s path over the sea and land that today are protected by the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve.

The election of a coalition of socialists and communists in 1970 and three years later, the assumption of a military government have led to much controversy around the world. This study attempts to analyze the economic conditions prevailing in Chile from 1970 to 1981. It examines the gradual deterioration of the nation's economy under the Unidad Popular government and the recovery that has taken place with the Junta Militar de Gobierno. The implementation of a market system in 1973 has been effective in bringing the nation out of economic chaos. The balance of payments is under control, inflation has been reduced, and since 1977 the nation's GNP has had an average annual growth of 7.7 per cent.

This study is concerned with describing and analyzing the factors that led to the election and subsequent defeat of Salvador Allende. The research information was selected from leading books, periodicals, government documents, archives, and newspapers. The thesis presents the political history of Allende's rise to power, the social structure that made his victory possible, the development of major programs that facilitated his ascension and that made his decision inevitable, and, finally, an analysis of his administration with observations as to why he failed. The importance of the lower class, the middle class, the military, and the United States are presented as factors contributing to Allende's victory and later accelerating Allende's fall from power.

From book jacket: In the humid forests of Cape Horn, a single tree can host more than 100 species of little epiphyte plants. The floor of the forest and the rocks are also covered by numerous species of liverworts, mosses, and lichens. The decision to stop at a tree or rock and explore these “miniature forests” generates an authentic ecotourism experience. In a small area we can spend several minutes or hours with a magnifying glass or camera discovering the colors, shapes, and textures of the most diverse organisms of Cape Horn. This guidebook enhances exploration by providing information to understand the architecture, life cycles, and identification of taxonomic groups of the organisms that form them. For example, when viewing a yellow orange organism, the full color pictures and text in the guidebook illustrate that what you are viewing on the inter-tidal rocks is a crustose lichen, with a well-defined circular structure belonging to the genus Caloplaca that enjoys a broad distribution in inter-tidal zones of Arctic and Antarctic areas. The authors of this guidebook also provide a novel twist on other, more traditional field guides to bryophytes and lichens by introducing the innovative, sustainable tourism activity of “ecotourism with …

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the political factors which came into the creation and implementation of the Andean Foreign Investment Code. This study analyzes the political forces in the creation of the Code and examines the implementation of the Code in each of the Andean countries. This investigation concludes that although the Code has not been implemented uniformly in the Andean countries, it remains an important part of the Andean Common Market. In addition, the continual political consensus among the member countries is emphasized for the continuation of the Andean integration effort.

This study is an attempt to contribute to the emerging theoretical literature on state repression. A time-series model was developed to test the hypothesis that state violence in Argentina and Chile is largely a function of four internal political factors and their interactions: 1) the inertial influence of past restrictive policies on the formulation of current policies, 2) the annual incidence of political protest demonstrations, 3) the perceived effectiveness of repressive measures on unrest, 4) and the institutionalization of military rule.

General objectives of my study were to describe the reproductive ecology of gray gulls in the large Lealtad colony, with emphasis on demographic parameters and physiological adaptations of eggs and chicks, which would complete some original objectives established in the early 1980's by Guerra and Fitzpatrick. Specifically, my study focused on describing, then comparing with other desert and non-desert nesting larids, interactive effects of ambient physical conditions and nest-site predation on eggs and chicks.

Altitudinal gradients in Sub-Antarctic freshwater systems present unique opportunities to study the effect of distinct environmental gradients on benthic macroinvertebrate community composition and dispersal. This study investigates patterns in biodiversity, dispersal and population genetic structure of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna across an altitudinal gradient between two watersheds on Navarino Island in southern Chile. Patterns in diversity, density, evenness and functional feeding groups were not significantly different across the altitudinal gradient in both the Windhond and Róbalo Rivers. Taxa richness in both rivers generally increased from the headwaters of the river to the mouth, and functional feeding group patterns were consistent with the predictions of the River Continuum Concept. Population genetic structure and gene flow was investigated by sampling the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene in two invertebrate species with different dispersal strategies. Hyalella simplex (Amphipoda) is an obligate aquatic species, and Meridialaris chiloeense (Ephemeroptera) is an aquatic larvae and a terrestrial winged adult. Contrasting patterns of population genetic structure were observed. Results for Hyalella simplex indicate significant differentiation in genetic structure in the Amphipod populations between watersheds and lower genetic diversity in the Róbalo River samples, which may be a result of instream dispersal barriers. Meridialaris chiloeense exhibited weak population structure …

The Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve is located at the southern tip of South America. This large archipelago is considered one of the last pristine areas left on the world. Despite it being an unpopulated area with most of the native forest cover intact, it has not been exempt from biological invasions, one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss. Three species that naturally interact in their native range in North America – American beavers (Castor canadensis), muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), and American mink (Neovison vison) – were independently introduced in this remote region. In my dissertation, I investigated (i) the hypothesis of niche expansion in the invasive mink population on Navarino Island towards terrestrial habitats; (ii) potential mink impact on breeding success of forest-bird populations; (iii) habitat selection of small-rodent species and their perception on the mink's novel predation risk; and (iv) the dynamics of multiple-species invasions under the hypothesis of an invasional meltdown. Additionally, I worked within the framework of environmental philosophy. I provide an example of combining ecological and cultural dimensions within the International Long-Term Ecological Research network to disentangle the ethical dilemmas that surround the management of invasive species. I finally proposed a management plan based on the …

This article evaluates whether the lack of potential predators and competitors, together with a more diurnal and terrestrial prey, have resulted in the mink expanding its spatial and temporal niche on Navarino Island as compared to that in its native habitats,

This article presents an analysis of the research programs carried out in the three foundational sites of the Chilean Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research Network (LTSER-Chile) and presents the context in which these lines have been established.

This article describes the external morphometrics of shell and radula morphology as performed in two species of micromollusks of the genus Eatoniella in Navarino Island, Chile.

This article contains an examination of habitat selection by radio-tracked juvenile Slender-billed Parakeets (Enicognathus leptorhynchus) at multiple spatial scales in a fragmented agricultural landscape of southern Chile.

This report discusses the Earthquake in Chile, the current condition, the response from Chilean government, international humanitarian response, as well as the U.S. humanitarian response. The report provides background information on Chile and U.S. relations and policy issues.

This article studies the breeding biology of the Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta) in terms of clutch size, nesting sites, and breeding success as a function of habitat variables on Navarino Island, Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile.

This article presents the methods and results of a multidisciplinary work focused on invertebrates and freshwater ecosystems of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve.

Report discussing earthquake activity in the United States during 1952. The report is broken down by regions and has sections for specific earthquakes.

This publication describes major global environmental issues and policy decisions during 2006.