Checklist, diversity and distribution of testate amoebae in Chile.
Bringing together more than 170 years of data, this study represents the first attempt to construct a species checklist and analyze the diversity and distribution of testate amoebae in Chile, a country that encompasses the southwestern region of South America, countless islands and part of the Antarctic. In Chile, known diversity includes 416 testate amoeba taxa (64 genera, 352 infrageneric taxa), 24 of which are here reported for the first time. Species-accumulation plots show that in Chile, the number of testate amoeba species reported has been continually increasing since the mid-19th century without leveling off. Testate amoebae have been recorded in 37 different habitats, though they are more diverse in peatlands and rainforest soils. Only 11% of species are widespread in continental Chile, while the remaining 89% of the species exhibit medium or short latitudinal distribution ranges. Also, species composition of insular Chile and the Chilean Antarctic territory is a depauperated subset of that found in continental Chile. Nearly, the 10% of the species reported here are endemic to Chile and many of them are distributed only within the so-called Chilean biodiversity hotspot (ca. 25° S-47° S). These findings are here thoroughly discussed in a biogeographical and evolutionary context.
Laboratory of Soil Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Filoinformática, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Barrio Universitario s/n, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile; Centro de Estudios en Biodiversidad (CEBCH), Magallanes 1979, Osorno, Chile. Electronic address: limnoleo@gmail.com.
Leonardo D
LD
Fernández
Laboratory of Soil Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Enrique
E
Lara
Laboratory of Soil Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Botanical Garden of Neuchâtel, Chemin du Perthuis-du-Sault 58, CH-2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Edward A D
EA
Mitchell
D000656:Amoeba / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D044822:Biodiversity; D057189:Checklist; D002677:Chile; D017753:Ecosystem; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Amoebozoa; Biogeography; Ecology; SAR supergroup; South America; The Antarctic