Hypersaline Lagoons from Chile, the Southern Edge of the World

Hypersaline lagoons distributed in arid and semiarid regions are unique ecosystems with unique value stemming from their extremophile biodiversity, limnological properties and services, like mining and waterbird habitat. They are natural laboratories to understand how life evolved in extreme environments and how simple ecosystems function to provide waterbird habitat, an essential noneconomic service. Policymakers need this knowledge to protect these ecosystems increasingly affected by climatic change and human-driven perturbations. Hypersaline lagoons from contrasting latitudinal conditions in Chile provide a study case to evaluate how such conditions affect their microscopic and macroscopic diversities. Those in the hyperarid Atacama Desert in northern Chile are an integral part of mineral-rich salars, whereas Patagonian lagoons are unique among freshwater lakes of glacier origin. Despite latitudinal differences, prokaryotic diversity tends to be similar in both extremes. However, genetically distant brine shrimp ( Artemia ) species, A. franciscana (north) and A. persimilis (Patagonia), inhabit them. This crustacean is a keystone taxon in the food web, and its abundance indicates ecosystem quality and attracts waterbirds. This chapter stresses the need to systematically monitoring Artemia abundance and all factors affecting its fitness (gut microbiota, parasites, environmental conditions). Finally, the need to conserve these unique and extreme ecosystems is highlighted.