Polarizing rhetoric and negative tone are thought to generate more attention on social media. We seek to describe and analyze how presidential candidates in Colombia’s 2022 election deployed (de)polarizing rhetoric and tone, around what topics, and with what effects. We analyze the tweets (and corresponding engagement) of the four leading candidates during the campaign. Tone behaves as expected. Negatively worded tweets receive overall more likes and retweets, though the strength of their effect varies by candidate. Polarizing rhetoric behaves differently. Using polarizing and depolarizing rhetoric proved better than neutral messages, but using depolarizing rhetoric, generated greater engagement than its polarizing counterpart. This study suggests that the visibility of a candidate does not necessarily correspond to their greater use of Twitter, an increased deployment of polarizing rhetoric, or an emphasis on negative emotions. This article provides a glimmer of hope regarding the potential usefulness of positive uniting messages on Twitter (now X).

Fine roots are specialized in nutrient and water acquisition and are critical for species performance and ecosystem functioning. Recent evidence has shown a broad root economic space determined by the orthogonal collaboration and conservation gradients related to resource acquisition and resource conservation, respectively. However, whether these gradients exist among tree species growing in degraded ecosystems where root growth is limited by soil conditions is much an open question. We measured six fine root traits (root diameter, specific root length, root dry matter content, root tissue density, branching intensity, and percentage of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization) in 11 young tree species growing in sympatry for 9 years in degraded pastures in a tropical dry forest (TDF) in Colombia to determine (1) the covariation between fine root traits and (2) the patterns of belowground niche differentiation among 11 species coexisting under the same soil conditions. The covariation between fine root traits resembled the acquisitive-conservative, but not the collaboration gradient for this degraded habitat. The percentage of mycorrhizal colonization, a critical trait associated with the collaboration gradient, was unrelated to any fine root trait. Furthermore, we found a strong belowground differentiation among species, mainly across root diameter and branching intensity. Our results suggest that compacted degraded soils in TDF landscapes may affect the collaborative association with mycorrhizae, mostly allowing species differentiation along the do-it-yourself gradient. This finding suggests a hypothesis that needs to be tested with more species and sites. We discuss the importance of using root traits to aid species selection for restoration purposes.

En este artículo se estudia la representación discursiva de las identidades no normativas en un producto paradigmático de la industria mediática colombiana, la revista SoHo. Las preguntas que guiaron esta investigación fueron: ¿Cómo la revista SoHo (1999–2014) representa a las mujeres trans y a las masculinidades no normativas, en particular al metrosexual?; ¿qué estrategias discursivas son usadas para construir dicha representación?; y, ¿cómo la revista SoHo contribuye a cuestionar o fortalecer la cisheteronormatividad? Se sostiene que en SoHo se construye discursivamente a dichos individuos desde una mirada espectacularizante, reivindicando la cisheterosexualidad como natural y normal, y la masculinidad como propia del cuerpo del hombre cisgénero. Para demostrar lo anterior, se examinaron las estrategias discursivas utilizadas para construir dichas identidades a través de un enfoque interdisciplinar que combina los estudios culturales (latinoamericanos) y de género/queer con la lingüística queer. Este trabajo es un aporte para nuevas investigaciones en torno a la representación de las identidades sexo-genéricamente marginalizadas en la industria mediática colombiana.

Understanding the distribution and habitat requirements of species is crucial for designing conservation actions, yet this information is not available for many plant species. We report the first confirmed wild populations of Porroglossum parsonsii, which, because of its horticultural value, is commercialized in national and international markets, from where it was first described to science. Our large-scale survey of 341 10 × 30 m plots spanning Andean forests, paramo habitats and pasturelands in Colombia suggests that P. parsonsii has a restricted geographical distribution in Andean forests with high forest cover (71.4–86.2%), where it occurs in low numbers (5–17 individuals per plot). Because of its market value (USD 18–20 per plant) there is a risk the species could be collected illegally, and therefore the habitat of the species in the Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Iguaque requires appropriate conservation.

Predicting coastal change depends upon our knowledge of postglacial relative sea-level variability, partly controlled by glacio-isostatic responses to ice-sheet melting. Here, we reconstruct the postglacial relative sea-level changes along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of northwestern South America by numerically solving the sea-level equation with two scenarios of mantle viscosity: global standard average and high viscosity. Our results with the standard model (applicable to the Pacific coast) agree with earlier studies by indicating a mid-Northgrippian high stand of ~2 m. The high-viscosity simulation (relevant to the Caribbean coast) shows that the transition from far- to intermediate-field influence of the Laurentide Ice Sheet occurs between Manzanillo del Mar and the Gulf of Morrosquillo. South of this location, the Colombian Caribbean coast has exhibited a still stand with a nearly constant Holocene relative sea level. By analyzing our simulations considering sea-level indicators, we argue that tectonics is more prominent than previously assumed, especially along the Caribbean coast. This influence prevents a simplified view of regional relative sea-level changes on the northwestern South American coast.

Antioquia Brushfinch Atlapetes blancae is a recently rediscovered Colombian microendemic species with a restricted distribution. Although the species might use a variety of habitats, current information suggests that it is a shrubland specialist. It is categorised as “Critically Endangered” because due to habitat loss its population has been estimated to be smaller than 50 individuals. Such estimates are based on indirect measurements of its population and assumptions regarding its restricted range/habitat. We provide the first direct population estimates and adult sex ratio for seven localities, using mark-resighting techniques. Individuals were captured using mist-nets, bled, and colour banded. Subsequently, we performed censuses along transects to record banded and non-banded individuals. Population estimates were obtained using the classic closed population mark-resighting model. In addition, we used the abundance–area relationship to estimate population size at other sites where the species has been previously recorded. Finally, individuals were sexed by amplifying the Z and W-linked Chromo-Helicase DNA-binding gene (CHD) genes. In total, we banded 55 individuals at four locations. Summarising across the seven sampled localities, we found that the population is most likely composed of 109 individuals in the 122 ha sampled. Based on the abundance–area relationship, we estimated that the population of Antioquia Brushfinch could be as large as 405 individuals in 322 ha of suitable habitat. We found that male/female sex ratio was 0.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32–0.6) and that it was not significantly biased. Our results suggest that the population of Antioquia Brushfinch is at least eight times larger than suggested by secondary information. We found that populations are properly structured at least regarding sex ratio, although we caution for further research on sex biases of immature and juvenile individuals. We recommend that future studies should focus on population trends and the impact of habitat transformation on the demography of this iconic species.

This article explores the constitutional regulation of birthright ius soli citizenship in two Latin American countries which restrict access to citizenship for the children of foreigners deemed to be passing through the countries. Access to citizenship is a significant marker of membership, setting the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion within and across States. Choosing the cases of Chile and Colombia, this article uses historical, institutional and comparative analysis in order to excavate the evolving conceptions of citizenship in those two countries, with particular reference to the concepts of the ‘transient foreigner’ and of ‘domicile’. The case studies provide an excellent laboratory within which to examine the evolution of constitutional ideas of citizenship and ‘the people’. In Colombia, the outcome of the investigation shows that there is unlikely to be significant long-term change in the citizenship regime towards a more generalised acceptance of unconditional ius soli, notwithstanding the substantial shorter-term measures taken to accommodate the children of undocumented migrants from Venezuela and to respond to international pressure. In Chile, combined with other ongoing constitutional work in the citizenship space as part of a wider reform process, there may be a slow journey towards a different constitutional future for so-called ‘transient foreigners’ and others excluded within the State, but this is currently stalled. Chile has, however, introduced legislation cementing a more limited concept of ‘transient foreigner’, linking this work on citizenship to the wider domain of migration governance.

In Latin America, Colombia stands out for its more significant and persistent rural–urban educational performance gaps. This paper studies the evolution of this under-performance of Colombian rural areas by conducting a long-term descriptive analysis of a new dataset. The results suggest that the role of the national government is a source of these educational inequalities because rural education was introduced late and deficiently. That is, the national government delayed the provision of education to rural areas. Moreover, even when implemented, these rural educational initiatives proved deficient due to their lack of funds, lower quality, curricula detached from the rural context and a design that amplified regional disparities, thus producing and maintaining significant and persistent rural–urban gaps in education.

How do peacebuilding institutions affect political behavior? This article studies the historic victory of the Colombian left in the 2022 presidential elections in light of the implementation of local peacebuilding programs through the 2016 Peace Accords. Using a quasi-experimental design, we show that the Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET), a central component of the 2016 Peace Accords between the government and the FARC, increased the vote share for the leftist coalition, Pacto Histórico, in the 2022 elections by increasing voter turnout in PDET regions. In a departure from existing literature, we find that the explanatory effect of violence on vote share is significantly reduced when we include an indicator for PDET implementation and additional covariates. While there is a substantial body of work examining the effects of conflict violence and the presence of armed actors on elections, there has been relatively little focus on how the peacebuilding has affected vote choice and political behavior. We see our project as a bridge to fill this gap in the literature.