Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático

Parent Organisation

Universidad Indoamérica

Now showing 1 - 10 of 218

Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Compiling and analyzing the non-native flora of a megadiverse Neotropical country: a new catalogue for continental Ecuador
(2025)
Ileana Herrera
;
Anahí Vargas
;
Kimberly Rizzo
;
Zhofre Aguirre
;
Isabella Dillon
In this study, we provide a comprehensive and updated inventory of the non-native vascular flora of continental Ecuador and analyze its key biogeographic and ecological attributes to inform biological invasion management. We recorded 486 non-native wild plant taxa, 52% of which are naturalized and 48% casual. This inventory was primarily based on secondary data (published literature, scientific reports, and online databases) and enriched through fieldwork and expert consultations. It includes information on taxonomy, life form, lifespan, origin, first year of record, and spatial-temporal distribution. The most represented families were Poaceae (16%), Asteraceae (10%), and Fabaceae (9%). About 60% of the taxa originated from Asia and/or Africa, and 67% are herbs. The earliest introductions date back to the late 18<jats:sup>th</jats:sup> century, with an exponential increase beginning in ca. 1915. Only 13% of the taxa have a minimum residence time exceeding 125 years. The Andes accounted for the highest number of taxa (93%, including taxa shared with other regions). Nearly 80% of the non-native taxa have documented uses, most commonly ornamental (42%) and medicinal (38%). Naturalized taxa tended to have longer residence times and more frequently reported uses than casual ones, suggesting these traits may influence naturalization likelihood. Due to limited systematic sampling across the country, particularly outside the Central Andes, some spatial bias may exist. However, the integration of citizen science-derived data, a methodological innovation in our study, proved to be a promising approach for addressing knowledge gaps and improving detection efforts in regions with limited research capacity. Our findings offer a foundation for advancing the management of biological invasions in Ecuador through early detection, rapid response (EDRR), and species prioritization. Finally, we provide a practical, adaptable and replicable framework, based on citizen science and appropriate statistical analyses, for developing national inventories of non-native plant species in data-deficient countries.</jats:p>
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Performance Evaluation of sCO2–Hydrocarbon Mixtures in SBC-PTES Systems: A Parametric Thermo-Economic Study
(MDPI AG, 2026-04-22)
Tafur-Escanta, Paul
;
Garzón-Pérez, Luis
;
Barrera-Cifuentes, Lizbeth
;
Coco-Enriquez, Luis
;
Valencia-Chapi, Robert
The development of efficient and economically viable energy storage technologies is key to the integration of renewable energies. This study evaluates the thermo-economic performance of hydrocarbons as working fluids in PTES systems based on a simple Brayton cycle (SBC). Different hydrocarbon mixtures are analyzed to determine their impact on efficiency and costs, identifying optimal operating conditions and combinations that improve system performance and viability. The objective is to identify the optimal candidate and operating conditions for enhanced cost-effectiveness. A multivariable optimization was performed using a validated thermodynamic model, integrated with an economic evaluation framework. Key decision variables included pressure ratios, turbine inlet temperatures, and heat exchanger performance parameters, while several sCO2–hydrocarbon mixtures were evaluated as working fluids. Energy and exergy analyses were coupled with component-level cost correlations to determine round-trip efficiency, specific investment cost, and levelized cost of storage. The findings indicate that the CO2/C2H6 (60/40) mixture provides the best overall performance, achieving a round-trip efficiency of 54.38% and a levelized cost of storage of 137.1 $/MWh, outperforming pure CO2. Fluid selection exerts a substantial influence on both thermodynamic and economic indicators, with performance exhibiting a pronounced dependency on critical temperature, molecular complexity, and operating pressure levels. Sensitivity analyses indicate that improvements in heat exchanger effectiveness and turbomachinery efficiency yield substantial reductions in total system cost. The findings indicate that the appropriate alignment of hydrocarbon properties with system design parameters can significantly enhance the feasibility of PTES, offering a technically viable and economically competitive pathway for large-scale energy storage applications. © 2026 by the authors.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Fish ecology of the alto madre de dios river basin (Peru): Notes on electrofishing surveys, elevation, palm swamp and headwater fishes
(2021)
Tobes I.
;
Ramos-Merchante A.
;
Araujo-Flores J.
;
Pino-Del-carpio A.
;
Ortega H.
Our study analyzes the distribution of fish communities related to the environmental variables of the Alto Madre de Dios River, an Andean-Amazon watershed of southern Peru, between 300 and 2811 m a.s.l. within the Manu Biosphere Reserve. We provide new ecological and diversity data on fishes for these poorly studied rivers and new data for palm swamp habitats. With electric fishing techniques, we collected a total of 1934 fish specimens belonging to 78 species, 42 genera and 15 families. To assess main patterns of diversity we combined SIMPER and ANOSIM with canonical correspondence analysis to obtain an overview of the community structure of fish and their distribution related to aquatic habitats. Our results show an important shift on fish diversity at 700 m a.s.l. separating headwater and middle-lowland communities. Electrofishing was a hindrance due to the depth, flow and low conductivity of the rivers, but also allowed us to capture fish not observed with other techniques. We also compared the use of elevation with slope as an alternative variable for statistical analysis. Our results show that slope offers a solid and equivalent explanation for fish distribution variability, avoids redundance, and instead of giving geographical data offers ecologically solid information. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
7
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Upcycling the Banana Industry in Ecuador: A Methodology to Estimate Biowaste and Catalogue of Bioproducts
(2023)
Jiménez M.P.S.
;
Tobes, Ibon
Ecuador is the leading exporter of bananas globally. This industry generates a large amount of organic waste since the plant is cut down for every crop, but only the fruit bunch is used. These residues can be converted into sustainable environmental products that could replace polluting materials. This investigation presents a GIS-based methodology used to estimate the biomass of the residues of banana agriculture in Ecuador and to determine how much organic waste could be used as raw materials to manufacture new biodegradable products. We estimated that more than forty million metric tons of waste are produced every nine months. Our methodology can be a low-cost quantitative complement to the survey-based estimations conducted by the Ecuadorian government to evaluate banana production. Additionally, our work presents five products that could be manufactured with organic waste, like disposable plates, bioplastics for food utensils, cardboard covers, fibers for hydraulic cement, and wallpaper. Finally, we offer a product catalog developed as a technical guide for future bio-enterprises to elaborate biodegradable products inspired by a circular economy scheme. In light of the estimated amount of banana waste generated in the country, we consider that Ecuador has the potential to develop an industry based on this raw material to generate products such as those proposed in our review, shifting the banana industry to a more sustainable, profitable process, and generating new incomes and sources of employment. © 2023,. All Rights Reserved.
72
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: <i>Atelopus ignescens</i>) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador
(2024)
Mateo A. Vega-Yánez
;
Amanda B. Quezada-Riera
;
Blanca Rios-Touma
;
María del Carmen Vizcaíno-Barba
;
William Millingalli
The Jambato Harlequin toad (<jats:italic>Atelopus ignescens</jats:italic>), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we present findings from an investigation conducted in the Angamarca parish, focusing on distribution, abundance, habitat preferences, ecology, disease susceptibility, and dietary habits of the species. In one year we identified 71 individuals at different stages of development in various habitats, with a significant presence in agricultural mosaic areas and locations near water sources used for crop irrigation, demonstrating the persistence of the species in a complex landscape, with considerable human intervention. The dietary analysis based on fecal samples indicated a diverse prey selection, primarily comprising arthropods such as Acari, Coleoptera, and ants. Amphibian declines have been associated with diseases and climate change; notably, our study confirmed the presence of the pathogen <jats:italic>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>Bd</jats:italic>), but, surprisingly, none of the infected Jambatos displayed visible signs of illness. When analyzing climatic patterns, we found that there are climatic differences between historical localities and Angamarca; the temporal analysis also exposes a generalized warming trend. Finally, in collaboration with the local community, we developed a series of management recommendations for terrestrial and aquatic environments occupied by the Jambato.
30
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
The Natural History, Distribution, and Conservation of Lonely Rainfrogs, Pristimantis eremitus
(2016)
Hutter C.R.
;
Liu V.
;
Kell T.
;
Lyons J.A.
;
Guayasamin, Juan M.
Natural history and behavioral information for species of the genus Pristimantis is scarce. We conducted an extensive study of Pristimantis eremitus, a vulnerable species for which there is scant biological information. We monitored 17 individuals for movements and intraspecific interactions for 13 mo. We describe the species' variation in dorsal color and pattern, which we used to uniquely identify individuals during the study. We also present results on the habitat utilization and home range of this species, providing evidence that this species shows a preference toward the bromeliad microhabitat when compared with other microhabitat types. We also describe the advertisement call and associated behaviors of the species. We update the known distribution of the species. Our data provide a baseline for future researchers to survey and identify individuals of P. eremitus, and which could be applied comparatively to other species where little of their natural history is known. We also show how an in-depth in situ study can provide useful information for species conservation. © 2016 by The Herpetologists' League, Inc.
11
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
A striking, critically endangered, new species of hillstar (Trochilidae: Oreotrochilus) from the southwestern Andes of Ecuador
(2018)
Sornoza-Molina F.
;
Freile J.F.
;
Nilsson J.
;
Krabbe N.
;
Bonaccorso, Elisa
We describe a new species of the genus Oreotrochilus from the southwestern Andes of Ecuador. The new species is most similar in adult male plumage to O. stolzmanni and O. chimborazo. However, male and female show unique combinations of plumage characters that are likely to act as social signals. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA indicate that this new taxon is closely related to O. stolzmanni and O. melanogaster, whereas genetic distances and preliminary comparisons of vocalizations suggest a sister relationship with O. stolzmanni. The geographic distribution of the new species seems to be restricted to cordillera Chilla-Tioloma-Fierro Urcu, in the southwestern highlands of Ecuador, an area historically poorly explored by ornithologists. Thus, based on its restricted distribution, apparently low population size, and lack of protection of its habitat, we evaluate it as critically endangered. © 2018 American Ornithological Society.
31
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES: A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics
(2023)
Tobes, Ibon
The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. © 2022 The Ecological Society of America.
31
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Systematics of south american snail-eating snakes (Serpentes, dipsadini), with the description of five new species from ecuador and peru
(2018)
Arteaga A.
;
Salazar Valenzuela, David
;
Mebert K.
;
Peñafiel N.
;
Aguiar G.
A molecular phylogeny of the Neotropical snail-eating snakes (tribe Dipsadini) is presented including 43 (24 for the first time) of the 77 species, sampled for both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Morphological and phylogenetic support was found for four new species of Dipsas and one of Sibon, which are described here based on their unique combination of molecular, meristic, and color pattern characteristics. Sibynomorphus is designated as a junior subjective synonym of Dipsas. Dipsas latifrontalis and D. palmeri are resurrected from the synonymy of D. peruana. Dipsas latifasciata is transferred from the synonymy of D. peruana to the synonymy of D. palmeri. A new name, D. jamespetersi, is erected for the taxon currently known as Sibynomorphus petersi. Re-descriptions of D. latifrontalis and D. peruana are presented, as well as the first photographic voucher of an adult specimen of D. latifrontalis, along with photographs of all known Ecuadorian Dipsadini species. The first country record of D. variegata in Ecuador is provided and D. oligozonata removed from the list of Peruvian herpetofauna. With these changes, the number of Dipsadini reported in Ecuador increases to 22, 18 species of Dipsas and four of Sibon. © 2018, Pensoft Publishers. All rights reserved.
29
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) threaten Andean amphibians
(2016)
Martín-Torrijos L.
;
Sandoval-Sierra J.V.
;
Muñoz J.
;
Diéguez-Uribeondo J.
;
Bosch J.
Amphibian populations are declining due to a myriad of abiotic and biotic factors, including invasive species and pathogens. In temperate freshwater ecosystems, for example, amphibian populations are threatened by the predation of introduced salmonids. Salmonids not only directly predate upon amphibian eggs and larvae but may also transport deadly pathogens into freshwater systems. Though most research has focused on temperate systems, much less is known about the effects of introduced species in Neotropical streams. We conducted two experiments to investigate the impacts of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in two Neotropical anurans. First, we assessed the effect of the rainbow trout on tadpole survivorship and morphology in Nymphargus grandisonae, a glassfrog species endemic of the Andes. Tadpoles of N. grandisonae were subjected to three treatments involving the absence of rainbow trout (control) and its presence with different types of chemical cues–kairomones (from rainbow trout) and cue alarms (from tadpole prey); the results show that the presence of rainbow trout affects the larval morphology of this glassfrog. In the second experiment, to test whether rainbow trout is a vector of the pathogenic freshwater mold Saprolegnia diclina (Oomycetes), eggs of Engystomops petersi were placed with infected and uninfected rainbow trout. There was a high mortality rate in the embryos of E. petersi exposed to trout infected with S. diclina. This represents the first evidence that rainbow trout may have a direct negative effect on Neotropical amphibian populations, and thus should be considered a threat. Management programs should be implemented to eradicate trout from Andean rivers, especially in areas with high number of endangered amphibians. © 2016, © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis.
6

Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático

Filters

Settings

Sort By

Results per page