El legado de la urbanización europea en el cono sur sudamericano: Una aproximación a la historia de las teleconexiones sobre la ecología del territorio

Abstract

We analyzed the potential historical influence of cities in the South American Southern Cone. To do so, we described temporal patterns of cities´ foundations; we built maps of potential influence of urban centers and characterized ecoregions according to their history of ‘influential’ cities. In Chile, Paraguay and Argentina, cities were mostly founded prior to 1650 (early Spanish colonization) and after 1850 (consolidation of national states). In Uruguay and Brazil, colonization occurred mostly between 1650 and 1850. The bimodal pattern observed in the western side of the study area is also reflected in the Monte, Arid Chaco and Humid Chaco ecoregions. The center-west and northwest of the area include ecoregions which are environmentally very different (Puna, Yungas, Chilean matorral), but have a common early history of cities´ influence during the 16th century. In contrast, the ecoregions of the Patagonia show low and late urban influence, starting in the 19th century. The ecoregions of the east (Pampas and Atlantic forest) are characterized by intermediate colonization dates. Among the ecological processes potentially associated with these patterns of cities foundation, we identify the following: 1) history of agriculture and, most importantly, livestock herbivory and its ecological consequences, 2) short term perturbations with longlasting effects (e.g., pulses of fire activity, human diseases), 3) the delayed effect of early cities foundations as cause of current urban size, which in turns influences ecological transitions and exotic species invasions, and 4) the emergence of novel ‘social-ecological’ niches in areas of late colonization (e.g., Mennonites in the Chaco). This study provides an integrative and promising methodological approach to analyze the ecological history of land-based teleconnections, a key for the functioning of the Anthropocene.