Marine communities of the newly created Kawésqar National Reserve, Chile: from glaciers to the Pacific Ocean

The newly created Kawésqar National Park (KNP) and National Reserve (KNR)
in southern Chile consists of diverse terrestrial and marine habitats,
which includes the southern terminus of the Andes, the Southern Patagonia
Ice Fields, sub-Antarctic rainforests, glaciers, fjords, lakes, wetlands,
valleys, channels, and islands. The marine environment is influenced by
wide ranging hydrological factors such as glacier melt, large terrigenous
inputs, high precipitation, strong currents, and open ocean water masses.
Owing to the remoteness, rugged terrain, and harsh environmental
conditions, little is known about this vast region, particularly the
marine realm. To this end, we conducted an integrated ecological
assessment using SCUBA and remote cameras down to 600 m to examine this
unique and largely unexplored ecosystem. Kelp forests (primarily
Macrocystis pyrifera) dominate the nearshore ecosystem and provide habitat
for myriad benthic organisms. In the fjords, salinity was low and both
turbidity and nutrients from terrigenous sources were high, with benthic
communities dominated by active suspension feeders (e.g., Bivalvia,
Ascidiacea, and Bryozoans). Areas closer to the Pacific Ocean showed more
oceanic conditions with higher salinity and lower turbidity, with benthic
communities experiencing more open benthic physical space in which
predators (e.g., Malacostraca and Asteroidea) and herbivorous browsers
(e.g., Echinoidea and Gastropoda) were more conspicuous components of the
community compared to the inner fjords. Hagfish (Myxine sp.) was the most
abundant and frequently occurring fish taxa observed on deep-sea cameras
(80% of deployments), along with several taxa of sharks (e.g.,
Squaliformes, Etmopteridae, Somniosidae, Scyliorhinidae), which
collectively were also observed on 80% of deep-sea camera deployments. The
kelp forests, deep fjords, and other nearshore habitats of the KNR
represent a unique ecosystem with minimal human impacts at present. The
KNR is part of the ancestral territory of the indigenous Kawésqar people
and their traditional knowledge of this region is strongly supported by
our scientific findings.

新建立的卡韦什卡尔国家公园（Kawésqar National Park，KNP）与国家保护区（Kawésqar National Reserve，KNR）位于智利南部，涵盖多样的陆地与海洋栖息地，包括安第斯山脉南端、巴塔哥尼亚南部冰原、亚南极雨林、冰川、峡湾、湖泊、湿地、河谷、水道及岛屿。海洋环境受冰川融化、大量陆源输入、高降水量、强流及开阔海洋水体等多种水文因素影响。由于地处偏远、地形崎岖且环境条件恶劣，人们对这一广袤区域（尤其是海洋领域）的认知十分有限。为此，我们利用水肺潜水（SCUBA）与远程摄像机在水深达600米处开展综合生态评估，以研究这一独特且大部分未被探索的生态系统。海藻林（主要为巨藻Macrocystis pyrifera）主导近岸生态系统，为无数底栖生物提供栖息地。峡湾区域盐度较低，陆源输入与降水量高，底栖群落以主动滤食者（如双壳纲、海鞘纲及苔藓动物门）为主；靠近太平洋的区域则呈现更显著的海洋性特征，盐度较高、浊度较低，底栖物理空间更为开阔，捕食者（如软甲纲、海星纲）与草食性啃食者（如海胆纲、腹足纲）在群落中的占比相较于内峡湾更为突出。深海摄像机观测显示，盲鳗（Myxine sp.）是出现频率最高、数量最多的鱼类类群（占部署次数的80%）；此外，多种鲨鱼类群（如角鲨目、乌鲨科、睡鲨科、猫鲨科）的总出现频率也达80%。KNR内的海藻林、深海峡湾及其他近岸栖息地构成了一个独特的生态系统，目前人类活动影响极小。KNR属于卡韦什卡尔原住民的传统领地，其关于该区域的传统知识得到了我们科学发现的有力佐证。