Here we present a multi-taxa inventory of naturalized alien species recorded on continental Chile and adjacent marine habitats, including eight taxonomic groups. We identified 1,122 species. These comprise 790 vascular plants (terrestrial and aquatic); 31 nonvascular plants [Bryophyta (mosses), Marchantiophyta (liverworts) and Anthocerotophyta (hornworts)]; 18 marine and freshwater macro and micro algae; 71 fungi; 39 terrestrial vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds); 108 insects; 37 marine and freshwater invertebrates and vertebrates (6 polychaetes, 3 mollusks and 28 Pisces); and 28 terrestrial gastropods. For all taxonomic groups, naturalized species were found to mainly be distributed in regions with Mediterranean and temperate climates, with few at either extreme of the country. The invasion curves show that naturalized species first underwent a positive increment, followed by an apparent plateau phase, mainly in vascular plants, insects and vertebrates. In fungi, marine and freshwater macro and microalgae, vertebrates and invertebrates, the cumulative number of naturalized species increased sharply starting in the early 20^th century; the lack of collections before 1900 is also evident. When considering naturalized species as a whole, this inventory highlights that the rate of new naturalizations consistently increased after 1950, especially for some taxonomic groups such as insects, fungi, and vascular plants. This multi-taxa inventory of naturalized species provides a platform for national reporting on biodiversity indicators and highlights areas where Chile must invest resources to manage biological invasions.

In Chile, 49.1% of the national territory is affected by soil degradation (including erosion and loss of soil organic matter), whereby of the 51.7 Mha that have been historically associated with agricultural-livestock and forestry activities, only 35.5 Mha are being used at the present. Consequently, soil degradation has resulted in the release of about 11.8 Gg yr⁻¹ of carbon (C) equivalent (CO_2eq) to the atmosphere. Silvopastoral systems (SPS), however, can increase soil organic C (SOC) through sequestration (C→SOC), improve ecosystem services, and have been internationally recommended for sustainable land use. Therefore, it was proposed to determine the effects of SPS on soils, over five years, in degraded sites that were located in the Ranchillo Alto (SPS-RA) (37°04′52″ S, 71°39′14″ W), Ñuble region. The sites were rated according to previous canopy disturbance levels (+) as follows: open (O_p)+++, semi open (SO_p)++, and semi closed (SC)+. The analysis was performed on different physical and chemical soil properties (0–5 and 5–20 cm depths), that were expressed as soil indicators (S_IND) for chemical and physical properties, which were used to calculate a soil quality (SQ) index (SQI). The results indicated overall SQI values of 37.6 (SC) > 29.8 (O_p) > 28.8 (SO_p), but there were no significant variations (p < 0.05) in physical SQ, whereas chemical SQ varied in all conditions, mostly at 0–5 cm in O_p and SO_p. Increases of SOC were also observed (2015–2018 period) of 22.5, 14.5, and 4.8 Mg ha⁻¹ for SO_p, O_p, and SC, respectively, showing that SPS promote the reclamation of Ranchillo Alto soils.

Agroforestry systems (AFSs) have gained recognition as a land use strategy to address food security and climate change. They involve intentionally cultivating trees alongside crops and/or animals. AFSs cover approximately 5% of the global forest area and promote sustainable soil conservation, including soil organic carbon (C) sequestration (C_SEQ). In some areas of Chile, AFSs are used to preserve the ecological value of native forests. This study evaluates the effects of two AFSs, namely, an agroforest for fodder production (A_GROF_RST) and Silvopastoral (SPS), within a degraded native forest (Nothofagus obliqua sp.). The evaluation focuses on their impact on C_SEQ capacity and soil quality (SQ), using soil quality indexes (SQIs) derived from 30 soil quality indicators (SI_NDs) related to physical, chemical, and microbiological properties at two depths (0–5 and 5–20 cm). The results for the total depth analyzed (0–20 cm) indicate an average C_SEQ of 6.88 and 4.83 Mg C yr⁻¹ and a global SQI of 37.8% and 31.0% for A_GROF_RST and SPS, respectively. Among the thirteen SI_NDs that demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05), five were associated with the considered depths (P⁺, Ca²⁺, S, ECEC, and Al_SAT), three differed between A_GROF_RST and SPS (BD, NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻), while SOC, K⁺, and Mg²⁺ varied across all conditions (e.g., combinations of systems and depths), and β-_GLU and N_MIN differed in a single condition. However, almost all 30 SI_NDs analyzed showed higher values at the 0–5 cm depth, indicating the positive effects of soil organic matter (SOM)/SOC additions. Significant interactions (Pearson’s correlation) revealed that SOC correlated with most SI_NDs (e.g., N, NH₄⁺, P⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, S, ECEC, N_MIN). These findings suggest that both A_GROF_RST and SPS systems have similar capabilities in restoring the ecological value of native Nothofagus forests while providing conditions for productive and complementary use. This sustainable option offers opportunities for cattle production alongside ecological restoration efforts and provides a possible strategy to generate public policies related to the ecosystem services of agroforestry systems.

Chile holds ~50% of temperate forests in the Southern Hemisphere, thus constituting a genetic–ecological heritage. However, intense anthropogenic pressures have been inducing distinct forest structural-regeneration patterns. Accordingly, we evaluated 22 soil properties at 0–5 and 5–20 cm depths in two protected sites, with similar perturbation records but contrasting post-disturbance regeneration stages: long-term secondary forest (~50 y) (SEC_FORST) (dominated by Chusquea sp.-understory) and a short-term forest after disturbance (~5 y) (FAD_IST) within a Nothofagus spp. forest to determine the potential of these soils to promote nutrient availability, water cycling, soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration (CO₂→SOC), and microbiome. Results detected 93 correlations (r ≥ 0.80); however, no significant differences (p < 0.05) in physical or chemical properties, except for infiltration velocity (+27.97%), penetration resistance (−23%), SOC (+5.64%), and % Al saturation (+5.64%) relative to SEC_FORST, and a consistent trend of suitable values 0–5 > 5–20 cm were estimated. The SOC→CO₂ capacity reached 4.2 ± 0.5 (FAD_IST) and 2.7 ± 0.2 Mg C y⁻¹ (SEC_FORST) and only microbial abundance shifts were observed. These findings provide relevant insights on belowground resilience, evidenced by similar ecosystem services provision capacities over time, which may be influenced progressively by opportunistic Chusquea sp.

Geographic variation of the fox Lycalopex culpaeus (Mammalia, Canidae) in Chile: taxonomic implications

Agroforestry contributes to slowing deforestation, favoring ecosystem regeneration and improving land use sustainability. This study evaluated the impact of silvopastoral systems on soil recovery and their capacity to sequester and stabilize carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in degraded soils of a native Nothofagus obliqua forest in Ranchillo Alto (37°04′52″ S, 71°39′14″ W), Ñuble Region, Chile. Three open (Op), semi-open (SOp), and semi-closed (SC) silvopastoral systems were analyzed and compared with a control (Ctr) without silvopastoral management across four soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–60 cm). Physical, chemical, and biological analyses were performed, along with soil physical organic matter (SOM) fractionation. The highest C levels were found in the 0–10 cm depth (13.9, 11.8, 11.5, and 8.5% for Op > SC > SOp and Ctr, respectively). Despite its higher degradation, Op presented the highest levels of C, N, and non-oxidizable C (Cnox), possibly due to pyrogenic carbon from old potato burns. Furthermore, the same trend was observed for mineral associated organic matter (MAOM) fraction and C stocks in all silvopastoral systems compared to the control. These results underline the potential of silvopastoral practices to improve soil quality and increase long-term carbon sequestration, contributing to sustainable soil restoration strategies.