Amphibians and Waterbirds as Bridges to Conserve Aquatic, Wetland and Terrestrial Habitats in Patagonia

Abstract

Conservation planning and management strategies have been historically focused on single realms (i.e. marine, terrestrial or freshwater). However, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems are linked by ecological processes involving species adapted to live in both environments. Among vertebrates, amphibians and waterbirds are excellent examples of such species. Patagonia is home of amphibians and waterbirds highly adapted to live under the extreme environmental conditions occurring in this region, such as the Patagonia frog, Atelognathus patagonicus, adapted to live in temporary tableland ponds; the El Rincon stream frog, Pleurodema somuncurense, only registered in hot springs of the Valcheta Stream; the hooded grebe, Podiceps gallardoi; and the torrent duck, Merganetta armata, which are inhabiting in cold lagoons and rivers in southern Patagonia, respectively. Most of these species are endangered by both direct and indirect anthropogenic threats including climate change. In this chapter, we describe some of these species and highlight their conservation status. We also show the importance of these species in supporting ecological processes that link freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and how conservation planning should integrate both realms to conserve threatened species.