This work would not be possible without the help many people who have contributed in a variety of ways. I am especially thankful to my wife Andrea Bravo who has helped unconditionally from the contrasting (harsh/nice) conditions of fieldwork through project managing, to specimen handling and preparation in the lab. I also thank to the continuous trust, support, advice and mentorship of Andrew Hendry and Martin Thiel.

I thank my field assistants Andrea Bravo, Cristián Cortéz, Gabiel Orellana, Sebastián Vasquez, and those who helped in more specific sites such as Francine Durot, Mike and Andrew Hendry, Paula Ortiz, Carlos Serrano, Danilo Cayun, Josefina Hudson, Juan José Ortiz, Victor Peralta, Brian Reid, Manuel Tagle, Juan José Santa Cruz, and others. Thanks to Jack Guan, Camille Hausheer and Catherine Velghe for help in the lab.

Irene Gregory Eaves provides advice and support for my paleolimnology work—a window to a buried universe of knowledge. I acknowledge the help or constructive discussions with Daniel Berner, Guangjie Chen, Tariq Gardezi, Tony Ricciardi, Xavier Thibert-Plante, Jesse Vermaire.

Thanks to my supervisory committee members Irene Gregory Eaves, Tony Ricciardi and co-suppervisor in Chile for the NEO program Martin Thiel.

I appreciate the openness and spirit of cooperation to increase our knowledge and awareness about freshwater ecosystems in Chile that several scientists have demonstrated including Fernando Balbontín, Brian Dyer , Gonzalo Gajardo, Carlos García De Leaniz, Claudio Meier, and staff members of the Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP).

I am very thankful to all the people and families scattered across the landscape in the region of Aysén. These people provided access to their lands, were helpful and extremely welcoming. [In the photo galleries and here I reserve their names to protect their privacy until I get their approval.]

Thanks to Michael Kinnison for his generosity lending his electrofisher, Freshwater Illustrated for lending an underwater camera with which most of the 2007 pictures were taken, and David Green for lending his compound microscope.

Finally, I thank our granting agencies: CONICYT, National Geographic Society, Canadian Association of Universities, McGill School of Environment.