Community patterns generated by human harvesting on Chilean shores: a review

• Published in: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
• Main Author: Moreno, Carlos A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2001
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.430; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faqc.430; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.430

Abstract 1. The Chilean rocky coast has been exploited for food by coastal gatherers for at least 8500 years BP and probably was an important factor in how prehistoric people were able to colonize the South Americas Pacific Rim. The main species targeted in the past were the same as those today except that now the gatherers are resident and the fishing activity is more intense and persistent. 2. With many pertinent studies from around the world having been published on this topic, mostly conducted in Marine Reserves, this review tries to identify the main patterns that can help us recognize, in the Chilean intertidal, the degree of exploitation on wave exposed and wave protected rocky shore habitats. 3. Three clear patterns were identified depending on the trophic level adopted by the human gatherers in the food chain of the intertidal zone. First, when the humans act as herbivores, collecting the large laminarian Durvillaea antarctica , adult plants disappear from the accessible sites, especially the midlittoral, semi‐exposed and exposed habitats. 4. Second, when humans harvest the ecologically important herbivorous archeogastropoda Fissurella spp., this results in the red alga Mazzaella laminarioides covering almost 100% of the midlittoral rocks. Third, when humans become top predators by collecting the muricid carnivore Concholepas concholepas , then bivalves, mainly Perumytilus purpuratus , cover the rocks in multiple layers. 5. These patterns contribute to the evaluation of the state of conservation of the Chilean rocky intertidal shores, especially because the north and the south are beginning to be connected by a new coastal road. Thus it is necessary to evaluate urgently, on a large spatial scale, the state of conservation of these communities, in order to help select the appropriate places for establishing Marine Reserves. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.