A5032476448- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Geological formations and processes
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
- Plant and animal studies
- Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Fern and Epiphyte Biology
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2016-2025
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity
2016-2025
Instituto de Ecología
2024
University of Nevada, Reno
2024
Millenium Nucleus for Planet Formation
2024
University of Atacama
2021-2023
Millennium Science Initiative
2023
University of Chile
1999-2019
University of South Dakota
2018
Phoenix Contact (United States)
2017
Impacts of global climate change on terrestrial ecosystems are imperfectly constrained by ecosystem models and direct observations. Pervasive transformations occurred in response to warming associated climatic changes during the last glacial-to-interglacial transition, which was comparable magnitude projected for next century under high-emission scenarios. We reviewed 594 published paleoecological records examine compositional structural vegetation since glacial period project magnitudes...
Abstract The Neotoma Paleoecology Database is a community-curated data resource that supports interdisciplinary global change research by enabling broad-scale studies of taxon and community diversity, distributions, dynamics during the large environmental changes past. By consolidating many kinds into common repository, lowers costs paleodata management, makes paleoecological openly available, offers high-quality, curated resource. Neotoma’s distributed scientific governance model flexible...
Fossil rodent middens and wetland deposits from the central Atacama Desert (22° to 24°S) indicate increasing summer precipitation, grass cover, groundwater levels 16.2 10.5 calendar kiloyears before present (ky B.P.). Higher elevation shrubs summer-flowering grasses expanded downslope across what is now edge of Absolute Desert, a broad expanse largely devoid rainfall vegetation. Paradoxically, this pluvial period coincided with insolation minimum reduced adiabatic heating over Andes. Summer...
Widespread, organic-rich diatomaceous deposits are evidence for formerly wetter times along the margins of central Atacama Desert, one driest places on Earth today. We mapped and dated these paleowetland at three presently waterless locations near Salar de Punta Negra (24.5°S) western slope Andes. Elevated groundwater levels supported phreatic discharge into wetlands during two periods: 15,900 to ~ 13,800 12,700 9700 cal yr BP. Dense concentrations lithic artifacts testify presence...
Research Article| March 01, 2002 Vegetation invasions into absolute desert: A 45;th000 yr rodent midden record from the Calama–Salar de Atacama basins, northern Chile (lat 22°–24°S) Claudio Latorre; Latorre 1Laboratorio Palinología, Departamento Biología, Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Julio L. Betancourt; Betancourt 2Desert Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, 1675 West Anklam Road,...
A large fraction of the vital groundwater in Atacama Desert northern Chile is likely composed "fossil" or "ancient" reserves that receive little no recharge today's hyperarid climate. Here, we present evidence for latest Pleistocene perennial streamflow canyons from core Chile. Fluvial terraces Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT) basin (21 degrees S) contain widespread fossil wood, situ roots, and well preserved leaf litter deposits indicative surface flow currently absent these channels. Nineteen...
Understanding the factors that modulate bacterial community assembly in natural soils is a longstanding challenge microbial ecology. In this work, we compared two co-occurrence networks representing soil communities from different sections of pH, temperature and humidity gradient occurring along western slope Andes Atacama Desert. doing so, topological graph alignment was used to determine impact shift environmental variables on OTUs taxonomic composition their relationships. We observed...
Few archeological sites in South America contain uncontroversial evidence for when the first peopling of continent occurred. Largely ignored this debate, extreme environments are assumed either as barriers to early wave migration or without potential past habitability. Here, we report on a rare 12–13 ka human occupation from Quebrada Maní (site QM12), plantless, near rainless landscape (1240 m asl and 85 km Pacific Ocean) located hyperarid core Atacama Desert. This location harbored wetlands...
The emergence of complex cultural practices in simple hunter-gatherer groups poses interesting questions on what drives social complexity and causes the disappearance innovations. Here we analyze conditions that underlie artificial mummification Chinchorro culture coastal Atacama Desert northern Chile southern Peru. We provide empirical theoretical evidence appeared during a period increased freshwater availability marine productivity, which caused an increase human population size...
The Atacama Desert in Chile-hyperarid and with high-ultraviolet irradiance levels-is one of the harshest environments on Earth. Yet, dozens species grow there, including Atacama-endemic plants. Herein, we establish Talabre-Lejía transect (TLT) as an unparalleled natural laboratory to study plant adaptation extreme environmental conditions. We characterized climate, soil, plant, soil-microbe diversity at 22 sites (every 100 m altitude) along TLT over a 10-y period. quantified drought,...
Abstract Plant macrofossils from 33 rodent middens sampled at three sites between 2910 and 3150 m elevation in the main canyon of Río Salado, northern Chile, yield a unique record vegetation climate over past 22,000 cal yr BP. Presence low-elevation Prepuna taxa throughout suggests that mean annual temperature never cooled by more than 5°C may have been near-modern 16,270 Displacements lower limits Andean steppe Puna indicate rainfall was twice modern 17,520–16,270 This pluvial event...
Abstract Precipitation in northern Chile is controlled by two great wind belts—the southern westerlies over the Atacama and points south (> 24° S) tropical easterlies central Desert (16–24° S). At intersection of these summer winter rainfall regimes, respectively, a Mars‐like landscape consisting expansive surfaces devoid vegetation (i.e. absolute desert) except canyons that originate high enough to experience runoff once every few years. Pollen assemblages from 39 fossil rodent middens...
Over the last eight years, we have developed several paleoenvironmental records from a broad geographic region spanning Altiplano in Bolivia (18°S–22°S) and continuing south along western Andean flank to ca. 26°S. These include: cosmogenic nuclide concentrations surface deposits, dated nitrate paleosoils, lake levels, groundwater levels wetland plant macrofossils urine-encrusted rodent middens. Arid environments are often uniquely sensitive climate perturbations, there is evidence of...
Research Article| November 01, 2007 The structure and rate of late Miocene expansion C4 plants: Evidence from lateral variation in stable isotopes paleosols the Siwalik Group, northern Pakistan Anna K. Behrensmeyer; Behrensmeyer 1Department Paleobiology, MRC 121, National Museum Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013–7012, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jay Quade; Quade 2Dept. Geosciences Desert Laboratory, University...
Abstract. Paleoclimate reconstructions reveal that Earth system has experienced sub-millennial scale climate changes over the past two millennia in response to internal/external forcing. Although hydroclimate fluctuations have been detected central Andes during this interval, timing, magnitude, extent and direction of change these events remain poorly defined. Here, we present a reconstruction variations on Pacific slope based exceptionally well-preserved plant macrofossils associated...
Abstract Climate controls on the nitrogen cycle are suggested by negative correlation between precipitation and δ 15 N values across different ecosystems. For arid ecosystems this is unclear, as water limitation among other factors can confound relationship. We measured herbivore feces, foliar soil 13 C chemically characterized soils (pH elemental composition) along an elevational/climatic gradient in Atacama Desert, northern Chile. Although very positive span entire gradient, show a with...