Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

Preferred name

Main Affiliation

Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático

Quito

noraoleas@uti.edu.ec

ORCID

0000-0002-1948-4119

Scopus Author ID

12645534600

Now showing 1 - 10 of 37

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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>
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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.
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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.
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Invasion Status, Distribution, and Environmental Preferences of Non-Native Ornamental Thunbergia Species (Acanthaceae) in Ecuador: An Emerging Threat to Tropical Montane Forests
(2026)
Ana Reyes-Hernández
;
Ileana Herrera
;
Anahí Vargas
;
Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
;
Josue Alvarez
Species of the genus Thunbergia, native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, are widely cultivated as ornamental plants; however, their ability to escape cultivation and establish themselves in novel environments poses a growing threat to tropical forests. Here, we provide the first nationwide assessment of Thunbergia species occurring in Ecuador, integrating data from citizen science platforms, herbarium collections, and field surveys. We analyzed spatiotemporal patterns of occurrence, evaluated invasion status based on wild persistence and spread, and assessed environmental preferences using climatic niche analyses. Species distributions were further examined across land-cover types, conservation areas, and forest–non-forest interfaces. We confirmed the presence of five Thunbergia species in Ecuador, two of which also occur in the Galapagos Islands. All species were recorded both in cultivation and in the wild, indicating ornamental horticulture as the main introduction pathway for the genus, and occurrences were documented within 24 conservation areas. Thunbergia alata, T. fragrans, and T. grandiflora were categorized as invasive in Ecuador. Among them, T. fragrans exhibited broad environmental tolerance across bioregions. Wild occurrences were predominantly associated with human-modified landscapes but frequently occurred near forest edges, indicating ongoing encroachment into natural forests. These findings highlight the urgent need for preventive and targeted management strategies, particularly against T. alata, which represents an emerging threat to Andean forest ecosystems.
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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.
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Phylogeny of Weinmannia (Cunoniaceae) reveals the contribution of the southern extratropics to tropical Andean biodiversity
(2025)
Ricardo A. Segovia
;
Eduardo Aguirre-Mazzi
;
Christine E. Edwards
;
Alexander G. Linan
;
Alfredo Fuentes
The Andes are a relatively young mountain range with impressive biodiversity, but the biogeographic processes underlying its hyperdiversity are still being unraveled. Novel mid- to high-elevation climates may have served as a biological corridor for the immigration of temperate-adapted lineages to more equatorial latitudes, contributing unknown levels of diversity to this region. We tested the hypothesis that Weinmannia is a lineage of extratropical origin that recently reached and then diversified extensively in the tropical Andes. Using a 2bRAD seq approach to generate a time-calibrated phylogeny for the genus, we found that extratropical species were placed as sister to the rest of Weinmannia and that younger clades were distributed towards more equatorial latitudes. Although Weinmannia exhibited low niche conservatism in elevation and latitude, trait reconstructions of climatic variables showed that the common ancestor of Weinmannia occupied cool climates, with high conservatism of thermal and water availability niche across the phylogeny. Thus, Andean uplift likely created habitats with suitable environmental conditions, providing a dispersal route for extant Weinmannia to colonize the tropical Andes from the southern extratropics. These southern lineages likely converged with those originating in other tropical and extratropical centers of diversification, providing multiple origins for the hyperdiversity in the modern montane forests of the tropical Andes.
35
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Genotyping‐by‐sequencing informs conservation of Andean palms sources of non‐timber forest products
(2024)
Nicolás Peñafiel Loaiza
;
Abigail H. Chafe
;
Mónica Moraes R
;
Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
;
Julissa Roncal
Conservation and sustainable management of lineages providing non‐timber forest products are imperative under the current global biodiversity loss. Most non‐timber forest species, however, lack genomic studies that characterize their intraspecific variation and evolutionary history, which inform species' conservation practices. Contrary to many lineages in the Andean biodiversity hotspot that exhibit high diversification, the genus <jats:italic>Parajubaea</jats:italic> (Arecaceae) has only three species despite the genus' origin 22 million years ago. Two of the three palm species, <jats:italic>P. torallyi</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>P. sunkha</jats:italic>, are non‐timber forest species endemic to the Andes of Bolivia and are listed as IUCN endangered. The third species, <jats:italic>P. cocoides</jats:italic>, is a vulnerable species with unknown wild populations. We investigated the evolutionary relationships of <jats:italic>Parajubaea</jats:italic> species and the genetic diversity and structure of wild Bolivian populations. Sequencing of five low‐copy nuclear genes (3753 bp) challenged the hypothesis that <jats:italic>P. cocoides</jats:italic> is a cultigen that originated from the wild Bolivian species. We further obtained up to 15,134 de novo single‐nucleotide polymorphism markers by genotyping‐by‐sequencing of 194 wild <jats:italic>Parajubaea</jats:italic> individuals. Our total DNA sequencing effort rejected the taxonomic separation of the two Bolivian species. As expected for narrow endemic species, we observed low genetic diversity, but no inbreeding signal. We found three genetic clusters shaped by geographic distance, which we use to propose three management units. Different percentages of missing genotypic data did not impact the genetic structure of populations. We use the management units to recommend in situ conservation by creating new protected areas, and ex situ conservation through seed collection.
18
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Miscellaneous chorological, nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from South America, including the description of three new species
(2026)
P. Muñoz-Schüler
;
J. I. Márquez-Corro
;
A. Cano
;
A. Camilo
;
M. Corvalán-Favereau
Despite the ongoing intensive efforts on disentangling the diversity of the genus Carex (Cyperaceae) in South America, there is much still to be accomplished. In this note we studied collections from some of the main South American and North American herbaria, new field collections, and observations from the citizen platform iNaturalist, to report chorological, nomenclatural, and taxonomic notes for 16 South American Carex species. These include comments on invasive species, novel national reports for five species, including the first report of Carex echinata to the continent, the clarification of the use of the name Carex peruviana and the exclusion of Carex vixdentata from the Peruvian flora, and the description of three new species from the Northern Andes and the Peruvian desert: Carex guaguarum Jim.Mejías & Muñoz-Schüler, Carex ros-desertum Jim.Mejías & Muñoz-Schüler (subg. Vignea, sect. Bracteosellae), and Carex via-montana A.Mor.Alons. & Jim.Mejías (subg. Psyllophorae, sect. Junciformes). © The Author(s) 2026.
2
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Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation
(2018)
Thomson S.A.
;
Pyle R.L.
;
Ahyong S.T.
;
Alonso-Zarazaga M.
;
Ammirati J.
[No abstract available]
Scopus© Citations 170 34
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Alkaloid Profiling and Anti-Cholinesterase Potential of Three Different Genera of Amaryllidaceae Collected in Ecuador: Urceolina Rchb., Clinanthus Herb. and Stenomesson Herb.
(2024)
Luciana R. Tallini
;
Karen Acosta León
;
Raúl Chamorro
;
Edison H. Osorio
;
Jaume Bastida
Ecuador is an important center of biodiversity for the plant subfamily Amaryllidoideae, known for its important bioactive molecules. This study aimed to assess the chemical and biological potential of four different Amaryllidoideae species collected in Ecuador: Urceolina formosa, Urceolina ruthiana, Clinanthus incarnatus, and Stenomesson aurantiacum. Twenty-six alkaloids were identified in the bulb extracts of these species using GC-MS. The extract of S. aurantiacum exhibited the greatest structural diversity and contained the highest amounts of alkaloids, particularly lycorine and galanthamine. Only for this species, identification of all the alkaloids belonging to this chemical profile was not possible. Six of them remain unidentified. The potential of these three Amaryllidoideae genera against Alzheimer’s disease was then evaluated by measuring their AChE and BuChE inhibitory activity, revealing that C. incarnatus and U. formosa (from Sucumbíos province) showed the best results with IC50 values of 1.73 ± 0.25 and 30.56 ± 1.56 µg·mL−1, respectively. Molecular dynamic assays were conducted to characterize the possible interactions that occurs among 2-hydroxyanhydrolycorine and the AChE enzyme, concluded that it is stabilized in the pocket in a similar way to galanthamine. This study expands our understanding of the biodiversity of Amaryllidoideae species from Ecuador, highlighting their potential as source of chemical compounds with pharmaceutical applications.
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Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

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