Hugo Cedillo

The identification of producer typologies is a crucial tool for understanding the heterogeneity of agroecosystems and designing targeted policies. Andean agroecosystems, particularly those in rapidly suburbanizing areas, have been understudied in this regard, creating a critical knowledge gap. This study addressed this void by determining the typologies of smallholder agroecosystems in the suburban periphery of Cuenca, Ecuador, by applying an unsupervised machine learning technique, Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) Clustering, to survey data from 293 farmers. Our analysis revealed three distinct typologies, highlighting a socio-economic and productive gradient defined by income sources, market access, and agrochemical use. The typologies range from economically vulnerable households to more commercially oriented and environmentally sustainable ones, underscoring the complex interplay between livelihoods strategies and environmental management. This research provides one of the first empirical typologies of suburban Andean agroecosystems, demonstrating the value of unsupervised learning for capturing farm heterogeneity in data-scarce contexts. The findings offer a robust evidence base for moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, enabling the design of differentiated agricultural and territorial policies that enhance sustainability, equity, and resilience at the rural–urban interface.

This study explores how floristic composition, diversity, and woody vegetation structure vary across floristic zones in Andean montane forests under the dominance of Aulonemia queko Goudot (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) dominance. As a culturally and ecologically significant non-timber forest product, A. queko plays a key role in shaping plant communities and requires effective propagation strategies for sustainable management. Significant differences in floristic composition were observed among zones, with indicator species identified in the lower and upper zones. However, despite environmental variability, species richness and structural attributes remained stable across the elevation gradient, suggesting resilience in woody plant communities. A. queko density was highest in the upper zone, while its basal area peaked in the lower and middle zones, probably shaping floristic composition through competitive interactions and habitat modification. Propagation experiments revealed that shoots with rhizomes exhibited higher survival and growth, particularly in mulch substrates with 1000 ppm indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), highlighting the importance of shoot type, substrate, and hormone dose. These findings suggest that A. queko is a structuring species and a potential restoration target. However, its dominance may alter forest composition, requiring adaptive management strategies that balance its ecological role with conservation and sustainable use, ensuring biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.

Aulonemia queko Goudot (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) is a species of great cultural importance that has been used as a non-timber forest product in Andean forests for centuries. Despite inhabiting montane forests vulnerable to deforestation, its distribution has not been thoroughly assessed for conservation. This study analyzes its potential distribution at the regional scale (the four countries where it is distributed) and locally (in greater detail within Ecuador), using presence records and climatic and land-use data. Maxent was identified as the best algorithm, achieving high values of AUC, TSS, sensitivity, and specificity. At a regional level, A. queko is estimated to occupy approximately 264,540 km², mostly in Peru, with small areas in Bolivia. In Ecuador, the historical scenario showed the widest distribution, while the current–near-future scenario (20–40–SSP126) presented a more stable model. Temperature and rainfall represented critical factors in defining suitable habitats, as A. queko is highly sensitive to seasonal moisture availability. Land-use changes have reduced potential habitats by more than 35%, underscoring an intensified threat of habitat loss in these biodiversity-rich regions. However, projected climate changes pose an even greater impact, significantly reducing potential distribution. Our findings highlight the compelling effects of both climate-change-driven and human-driven land-use change on the future persistence of A. queko and emphasize the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies to protect its core habitats.

Composition, diversity, and structure of trees in tropical montane forests are responsive to ecological gradients and local succession. Those parameters are a result of ecological interactions between vegetation, environment, and location. This study identified floristic groups on mainly secondary forests and evaluated how the composition, diversity, and structure of trees correlate with climate, soil, and age since abandonment. We included in our models a measurement of spatial correlation, to explore the role of dispersion. For this purpose, we measured diameter and height of all trees with DBH ≥ 10 cm, in twenty-eight 500 m² plots, in an elevation range between 2900 and 3500 m. We found 14 indicator species in three floristic groups. Group composition was explained by age since abandonment, which showed strong succession effects. Mean monthly precipitation and Manganese, but not spatial correlation, explained plant composition in these montane forests, suggesting a minor role of dispersion. Species richness and structure of the arboreal vegetation were influenced by interactions between age, precipitation, and soil nutrients concentration. We concluded that in fragmented landscapes, within the rugged region of southern Ecuador, it is possible to find different floristic groups that encompass high variation in their composition.

Los bosques y páramos andinos poseen alta riqueza de especies, pero están amenazados constantemente por deforestación. La regeneración natural arbórea de estos ecosistemas condiciona su estructura y funcionalidad en el futuro, pero ha sido escasamente evaluada. En Los Andes del sur del Ecuador, también existen plantaciones forestales de Pinus patula (pino) abandonadas, que podrían ser escenarios para promover la regeneración natural. En un gradiente altitudinal andino, se evaluó florísticamente parámetros de la regeneración arbórea en dos escenarios de estudio: ecosistemas naturales (páramos herbáceos y bosques naturales) y plantaciones de pino. Para ello la diversidad de la regeneración fue descrita mediante la riqueza de especies, índice de Shannon y composición florística. La abundancia a través del número de individuos; estos parámetros fueron comparados en ambos escenarios. También se determinó qué variables ambientales o predictoras de: cobertura de dosel, edáficas, estructura arbórea, distancia horizontal y fisiográficas, explicaron con mayor magnitud la variación en los parámetros de la regeneración. Para ello se realizó un análisis de partición de la variación. La riqueza y diversidad de especies fueron mayores en los ecosistemas naturales, la composición florística fue diferente y su abundancia fue similar. En los ecosistemas naturales, el área basal y la densidad arbórea explicaron mayormente la variación en la riqueza, diversidad y abundancia. No así en las plantaciones de pino en donde la distancia horizontal hacia los bosques nativos fue la predictora que mayormente las explicó. La mayor diversidad de regeneración en los ecosistemas naturales (bosques) está asociada con la existencia de biotipos arbóreos, arbustivos y disponibilidad de semillas, adicionando a la eficiencia en los procesos de dispersión a nivel de micro-hábitat, aspectos que son limitantes en las plantaciones de pino, en los cuales la dispersión o disponibilidad de semillas depende de la cercanía a los ecosistemas naturales.