The mission of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) is to conduct basic and applied research relevant to the environment, train graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and engage in outreach. IEB believes that basic science, ecological theory and the interface between the biological and social sciences are fundamental for advancing in the management of the environment.

Humans are rapidly altering the world's biological communities. These changes are affecting ecosystem functioning and the goods and services that biodiversity provides to humanity. They are potentially influencing climatic stability and socio-economic development, while simultaneously provoking extinctions and the spread of invasive species, and hence causing ethical concerns. Despite these considerations, a deep understanding of the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss/gain is still lacking, such that measures to conserve biodiversity often lack strong scientific underpinning. Moreover, given that biodiversity is distributed widely, spatial coverage as well as the participation of land-owners, developers and local people have been insufficient when it comes to conservation measures.

Spanning 38 degrees of latitude and two major global biodiversity hotspots, Chile exhibits outstanding ecosystem and taxonomic diversity. The latter, summed to the dominant Andean chain, - and on the doorstep of Antarctica - key determinants of large-scale South American biogeographical and circulation patterns, makes Chile an unparalleled natural research laboratory and an important southern hemisphere HUB for ecological, global change and biodiversity research. Southern South America and the northern Chilean Andes are key areas for understanding the causes and consequences of Quaternary climatic and biotic change at multiple spatial scales and for determining the effects of global climatic change in an area distant from the main driving sources. The high Andean vegetation belt in the South American Andes, extending continuously from equatorial to subpolar latitudes within a narrow longitudinal band, is an ideal model for sorting out hypotheses on latitudinal species gradients, a fundamental question in biogeography. Southern South American forests, the southernmost in the world, are characterized by high endemism levels, and many tree species are biotically pollinated and/or biotically dispersed. The mediterranean-climate area of central Chile, a global biodiversity hotspot, provides an ideal setting for developing conservation strategies. The winter rainfall deserts of Chile are a natural laboratory for understanding ecosystem responses to ENSO. Chile's biodiversity is still a largely untapped resource for the tourism industry and sustainable use. Understanding and saving that biodiversity are worthwhile endeavors, as is projecting Chilean science through the study of the country´s unique natural heritage.

Research

The overarching questions driving IEB’s research program are: how will biodiversity per se and processes generating biodiversity respond under environmental change, considering:

1) time scales ranging from the millennial, decadal and seasonal; 2) context, as expressed by abiotic versus biotic drivers, including humans? For historical reasons, the fundamental scientific disciplines required to answer these questions have tended to develop separately.

Research at IEB is organized around an explicit conceptual framework comprising three hierarchical levels:

(1) above level, that constrains and controls the lower levels affording context, role and/or significance

(2) target level, consisting of the entity affected

(3) below level, corresponding to the processes and mechanisms that explain the behavior of the target level

Research takes place in temperate and subantarctic rainforests, high elevation ecosystems, mediterranean-type climate ecosystems, winter and summer rainfall deserts and on Antarctica.

Specific research foci and crossing-cutting themes

Focus 1. Biogeography and palaeoecology: Understanding large-scale phenomena over major regions and large temporal scales, which set the scenarios (the level above) Focus 2.  Ecosystems ecology: Characterizing the main factors influencing structure and functioning of ecosystems (the target level) Focus 3.  Microevolutionary processes: Evaluating the microevolutionary forces that provide raw material for community assemblage and allow evolutionary responses to climate change (the level below)

These three main foci are overlain by the Cross-cutting themes: Global change impacts and Conservation and society. The cross-cutting themes explicitly consider the immediate impact of man's activities on biodiversity (e.g. invasive species) and concrete measures to conserve it (e.g. development of the new Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, regional-level conservation planning). Much of the research here has immediate applications.

Research activities at IEB are accompanied by a permanent Millennium Seminar series, organization of regional and international graduate courses on a rotational basis, and of regional and international symposia. IEB plans to host the international "Santiago Conference", every five years.

Research teams associated with each focus and cross-cutting theme may be found in the Research section. Brief CVs and a full listing of the publications of each scientist may be found by clicking on the scientist's name.

Training

IEB engages in Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral-level training. Around 40-50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are usually attached to the laboratories of IEB scientists. While IEB primarily trains Chilean students, foreign students are more than welcome. IEB's graduate students are formally attached to three well-established doctoral programs with a long history of interaction at the course level, and co-direction of theses: "Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program (EBE)" at the University of Chile; "Ecology Program" at the Catholic University of Chile; and the "Botany Program" at the University of Concepción. There are two younger programs: the "Ecology Masters Program" at the University of La Serena and the "Conservation and Management of Natural Resources in the Subantarctic" at the Magallanes University. IEB regularly provides a number of graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. Support is available from time to time for interested undergraduate students and for summer field assistantships. The institute encourages its graduate students to visit foreign laboratories, and foreign scientists and students attached to other universities who are undertaking research on southern South America biota or ecosystems to make contact with IEB.

Outreach

IEB strongly believes that scientists have a responsibility to transfer their knowledge into the public arena and encourages all students and postdoctoral fellows attached to IEB to make a contribution in this area. The IEB outreach program relies heavily on our two collaborating non-profit private foundations, Senda Darwin Foundation on the Island of Chiloé, founded and directed by Deputy Director, Dr. Juan Armesto, and the Omora Foundation on Navarino Island at the extreme southern end of Chile, founded and directed by Dr. Ricardo Rozzi, our CEAZA scientists in the IV Region, and Santiago scientists. The two private foundations have histories dating back to 5-15 years and have trained teams of students to act as monitors of education workshops. They have membership in the "Latin American Network for teaching ecology in the schoolyard. IEB's outreach progam is run by three national coordinators. IEB also participates actively in national policy-making committees and has a close working relationship with such initiatives as the Chagual Botanical Garden project and the Chilean chapter of the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). IEB scientists have long-standing working relationships for biodiversity conservation with some major industries in Chile.