At first glance, one might think that the Andes at Punta Arenas, in Chile, and the Scandinavian Alps, in Sweden, have no relation at all. But after planting ten species of invasive plants in both places and seeing how they proliferated, that perception changes completely after a study carried out by an international group of scientists. This coincidence within the differences is what ecology is using to understand phenomena that are now global.
Although comparative ecology has been developing for decades, technology and the global way of doing science have promoted this form of study that provides data that could not be obtained by observing a single particular site. “To address complex questions about biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems, we need interhemispheric studies that bring together researchers and ecosystems from around the world,” says Aníbal Pauchard, director of the Laboratory of Biological Invasions, academic at the University of Concepción and co-author of the study.