Parochlus steinenii Gerke

• Main Authors: Contador, Tamara, Gañan, Melisa, Bizama, Gustavo, Fuentes-Jaque, Guillermo, Morales, Luis, Rendoll, Javier, Simoes, Felipe, Kennedy, James, Rozzi, Ricardo, Convey, Peter
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2020
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Chironomidae; Parochlus; Parochlus steinenii; Austral; King George Island; South Shetland Islands; Escudero
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15047668; https://zenodo.org/records/15047668; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E587C2F212541C2F8411EC12271175

Parochlus steinenii present-day distribution and ecophysiology. To characterize the present-day distribution of P. steinenii across the South Shetland Islands, we conducted intensive surveys through the ice-free areas accessed (Fig. 6, Phase 1) and sourced all available information from the existing literature 30, 35 – 37. All accessible sites were searched for a period of 4 to 6 h, defined by climatic conditions and the availability of logistic support. The fieldwork took place during the active season of the adult flies (austral summer), and we also searched for larvae and pupae in water and around the margins of the lakes accessed. We geo-referenced each location examined with a GPSmap 78sc Garmin© unit. To evaluate the thermal environment in which P. steinenii develops from egg to adult, we installed temperature data loggers (HOBO° U22 Water Temp Pro V2) in three lakes located on King George Island. These were installed on 8 February 2014 and continue to operate to the present day. These lakes were selected as they host a high abundance of P. steinenii and are easily accessible from the Chilean Estación Professor Julio Escudero. To better understand the present-day distribution, we analyzed the data obtained using spatial point pattern analyses. Spatial point processes are stochastic models that serve as good tools for the analysis of patterns in populations and communities 38. We conducted a large-scale spatial analysis of the distribution of P. steinenii using univariate spatial point process analyses using PAST software 39. To evaluate the spatial distribution of P. steinenii, we used a Complete Spatial Randomness (CSR) model (Ho: P. steinenii has a random spatial distribution in the South Shetland Islands). In this model, spatial points are stochastic and independent, and ‘intensity’ is interpreted as the average density of points per unit area 40. We used Ripley’s K univariate analysis, with the total area of the islands explored. Results were analyzed using the L(r) – r function, which is a ...