Marlon Vega

Land-use change related with anthropogenic activities is considered one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss in tropical montane forests. Riparian zones provide essential ecosystem functions, offers a variety of ecosystem services and contributes to high diversity of different taxa, including bryophytes. We analyzed the richness and composition of epiphytic bryophyte communities in respond to land use intensity in riparian vegetation in southern Ecuador. We selected four land-use intensities (forest, forest-pasture, pasture and urban), where the presence/absence and cover of epiphytic bryophytes was recorded in 10 trees distributed in 12 sites with a total of 120 trees. Generalized Mixed Linear Models (GLMMs), Linear mixed-effect models (LMMs) and multivariate analyses were used to assess changes in the richness, diversity and composition of epiphytic bryophyte communities in different land uses. A total of 44 bryophyte species were recorded, with high richness in forest sites with 40 species, decreasing to 23 species in urban sites and 16 species in forest-pasture and pasture, respectively. The composition of bryophyte communities responded to land use intensity, with marked differences in forest assemblages compared to other land uses. The results confirmed the important role of riparian forests in maintaining drought-sensitive species of bryophytes, for example, species of the Plagiochilaceae family that were the best indicators of forests. Alpha and beta diversity of epiphytic bryophytes can be effectively used as indicators of the effects of land use change on riparian vegetation in tropical regions.

Herein, we report a new record of predation by the red-headed basilisk (Basiliscus galeritus) on the Palmar tree frog (Boana pellucens) in the Manduriacu river basin, Imbabura province, Ecuador. This event was documented during nocturnal monitoring. Predator-prey interactions in the wild are often difficult to detect; therefore, this observation provides key information to better understand the natural history and trophic ecology of amphibians and reptiles in the Andean Chocó biome.

In this study, we report the first documented case of predation by Leptodeira approximans on Hyloscirtus dispersus, a hylid anuran with an Andean-Amazonian distribution, recorded in southeastern Ecuador. Leptodeira approximans was observed capturing and attempting to ingest an individual of H. dispersus while perched on a low shrub. Although the snake ultimately released the frog—presumably due to the presence of observers—the anuran exhibited signs of hemorrhaging, possibly caused by the colubrid’s venom.

We evaluated the global distribution of Anolis sagrei based on bibliographic records, GBIF, and iNaturalist data. Native to Cuba and the Bahamas, this lizard has spread across mainland America, particularly in the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of the U.S. It has also been introduced in Asia, and according to iNaturalist observations, it has been recorded in Israel, Canada, and northern South America. This species is especially abundant in the Caribbean and southeastern U.S., with high concentrations of records indicating a significant range expansion. In Ecuador, A. sagrei has been recorded along the coast and in the Amazon, with occurrences in Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, Francisco de Orellana, and for the first time in Zamora Chinchipe (southern Amazon), specifically in El Pangui. The capture of 10 individuals confirmed their morphology, showing similarities with populations from Honduras and Cuba but differences in scalation and body size. In Ecuador, the fourth toe lamellae range from 29 to 33, consistent with those populations, while dorsal and ventral scales show variation (dorsal: 11–22, ventral: 10–25). Climate change favors its spread by enabling the colonization of new habitats. As an invasive species, it threatens local biodiversity, highlighting the need for monitoring and control in Amazonian Ecuador. An expanded abstract in Spanish is available, intended for local decision-makers.

The study of lichens in Neotropical regions has uncovered a remarkable diversity, much of which remains largely unexplored. Within this context, several species of Sarcographa, including the common and widespread S. labyrinthica (Ach.) Müll. Arg., S. fissurinoides, and S. feei had not been documented in Ecuador until now. This study expands the known geographical range of the species and provides new insights into the ecology and morphology of the genus Sarcographa.

While lichens are vital for ecosystem processes and serve as useful bioindicators, lichen diversity remains understudied, particularly in southern Ecuador. Here, we report the first inventory of corticolous (on tree bark) lichens in the Pachicutza watershed, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, in the Amazonian region. We conducted a random survey across the understory of the forest, without predefined sampling units (40 trees were sampled within a 2500 m² area). A total of 30 lichen species from 19 families were recorded, with the most frequent species in the Parmeliaceae and Roccellaceae. Additional noteworthy species were identified in the Graphidaceae, Trypetheliaceae, and Pyrenulaceae. This small sampling revealed a diversity of lichens in the Pachicutza watershed, which should be protected as a reservoir of biodiversity. Although the area is currently well-preserved, the increasing pressures of mining and deforestation in the region underscore the need for monitoring ecological integrity. Future research should explore new molecular approaches for characterizing lichen diversity, which have implications for assessing the impact of anthropogenic activities on these ecosystems.

The mangrove biome is a highly productive system globally, with flora and fauna adapted to significant saline influence, where salt flats coexist alongside these systems, emerging over sands and muds with high salinity and sparse vegetation. The objective of this research is to describe, for the first time in Ecuador, the diversity of epiphytic lichens in salt flats in the southern region of Ecuador. Two salt flats were selected where Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa were the dominant trees with the shrub Batis maritima. A total of 30 species of epiphytic lichens were recorded, with the families Arthoniaceae, Graphidaceae, and Ramalinaceae having the highest number of species, and crustose lichens with photobiont type Trentepohlia showed high richness. The salt flats in the southern region of Ecuador have a high richness of epiphytic lichen species, and the species composition is similar to mangroves, highlighting the importance of their conservation as biodiversity refuges for lichens and consequently other flora and fauna groups. Therefore, epiphytic lichens in salt flats can be used as model organisms to assess their conservation in tropical areas.

A checklist of Lichen-forming, Lichenicolous and Allied Fungi of Ecuador is presented with a total of 2599 species, of which 39 are reported for the first time from the country. The names of three species, Hypotrachyna montufariensis, H. subpartita and Sticta hypoglabra, previously not validly published, are validated. Pertusaria oahuensis, originally introduced by Magnusson as ‘ad interim’, is validated as Lepra oahuensis. The form Leucodermia leucomelos f. albociliata is validated. Two new combinations, Fissurina tectigera and F. timida, are made, and Physcia mobergii is introduced as a replacement name for the illegitimate P. lobulata Moberg non (Flörke) Arnold. In an initial step, the checklist was compiled by reviewing literature records of Ecuadorian lichen biota spanning from the late 19th century to the present day. Subsequently, records were added based on vouchers from 56 collections participating in the Consortium of Lichen Herbaria, a Symbiota-based biodiversity platform with particular focus on, but not exclusive to, North and South America. Symbiota provides sophisticated tools to manage biodiversity data, such as occurrence records, a taxonomic thesaurus, and checklists. The thesaurus keeps track of frequently changing names, distinguishing taxa currently accepted from ones considered synonyms. The software also provides tools to create and manage checklists, with an emphasis on selecting vouchers based on occurrence records that can be verified for identification accuracy. Advantages and limitations of creating checklists in Symbiota versus traditional ways of compiling these lists are discussed. Traditional checklists are well suited to document current knowledge as a ‘snapshot in time’. They are important baselines, frequently used by ecologists and conservation scientists as an established naming convention for citing species reported from a country. Compiling these lists, however, requires an immense effort, only to inadequately address the dynamic nature of scientific discovery. Traditional checklists are thus quickly out of date, particularly in groups with rapidly changing taxonomy, such as lichenized fungi. Especially in megadiverse countries, where new species and new occurrences continue to be discovered, traditional checklists are not easily updated; these lists necessarily fall short of efficiently managing immense data sets, and they rely primarily on secondary evidence (i.e. literature records rather than specimens). Ideally, best practices make use of dynamic database platforms such as Symbiota to assess occurrence records based both on literature citations and voucher specimens. Using modern data management tools comes with a learning curve. Systems like Symbiota are not necessarily intuitive and their functionality can still be improved, especially when handling literature records. However, online biodiversity data platforms have much potential in more efficiently managing and assessing large biodiversity data sets, particularly when investigating the lichen biota of megadiverse countries such as Ecuador.

The montane shrublands of southern Ecuador represent one of the least studied ecosystems, which in the last decade have been seriously threatened by increasing wildfires, deforestation, overgrazing, and conversion to forest plantations. Our main objective was to determine, at the local scale, the diversity of species composing the biological soil crust (BSC) at three elevations (2100, 2300, and 2500 m.a.s.l.) and their possible relationships with soil physical and chemical properties in montane shrublands. For this purpose, three monitoring plots of 100 m² were established at each elevation, and within each plot, 20 subplots were established (180 subplots sampled in total). In addition, composite soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 10 cm, and some physical and biochemical parameters (e.g., bulk density, texture, pH, organic matter, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and potassium) of the soil were analyzed. The results show 35 species (23 lichens, 10 bryophytes and 2 cyanobacteria) at three elevations with a bell-shaped or hump-shaped distribution pattern. This allowed us to point out that the species richness was higher at the intermediate elevations and that the composition showed significant differences in the three elevations related to soil factors. Elevation and soil drivers may help to better chose the more suitable biological soil crust (lichen-dominated and bryophyte-dominated BSC) for the management and conservation of the montane scrub of Ecuador, which is strongly threatened by human activities.

Los briófitos y hongos (liquenizados y no liquenizados) son altamente diversos en ecosistemas tropicales, y están relacionados con el funcionamiento de los mismos; sin embargo, la diversidad de estos organismos es aún poco estudiada en Ecuador. A nivel de país se ha reportado alrededor de 1700 especies de briófitos, 900 especies de líquenes y más de 2000 especies de hongos no liquenizados. Se realizó un inventario de briófitos, líquenes y hongos del Parque Universitario "Francisco Vivar Castro" en la Región Sur del Ecuador mediante colecciones al azar. Se registró un total de 152 especies, distribuidas en 74 briófitos, 40 líquenes y 38 macrohongos. Las familias con mayor número de especies de briófitos son Lejeuneaceae, Plagiochilaceae, Frullaniaceae, Radulaceae, Meterioraceae, Neckeraceae y Polytrichaceae. Para líquenes Physciaceae, Parmeliaceae, Lobariaceae y Ramalinaceae fueron las más representativas. Para hongos Polyporaceae, Physalacriaceae y Mycenaceae registraron el mayor número de especies. Concluimos que la zona del Parque Universitario "Francisco Vivar Castro" con las 152 especies alberga una alta diversidad de briofitos y hongos (líquenes y no liquenizados) siendo funcionalmente un refugio de biodiversidad en la hoya de Loja, como ya se ha documentado para plantas vasculares y algunos grupos de fauna. Bajo este contexto, la conservación del remanente de bosque de montaña, es necesario para preservar la alta diversidad de briófitos y hongos en Ecuador.