Rodrigo Cisneros

The Ecuadorian Mountain Viscacha (Lagidium ahuacaense) is an endemic rodent known only from its type locality in south-western Ecuador. Between 2017 and 2023, we conducted surveys guided by Geographic Information Systems and targeted field searches to update its known distribution and conservation context. Using a radiating search strategy from the first colony confirmed outside the type locality, combined with remote observations, camera trapping, and diagnostic signs, such as latrines, browsed vegetation, and vocalizations, we documented 16 colonies distributed across five municipalities in Loja Province. All confirmed colonies were associated with small, spatially isolated rocky outcrops. Most confirmed sites occur outside formally protected areas and are exposed to multiple overlapping threats, including wildfires, free-ranging dogs, livestock, tourism, and infrastructure-related activities. Our findings indicate that L. ahuacaense is an endemic species with a highly restricted distribution, whose persistence depends on a small number of vulnerable rocky refuges embedded within a heavily modified landscape. We briefly summarize conservation measures already underway, including the creation of municipal conservation areas and targeted fire-management actions, and outline priorities for future research and management. To minimize additional risks, we report localities at a coarse spatial scale.

Background: Human-wildlife conflict, which motivates retaliatory killings, is a major driver of species decline globally. Addressing an open question in human–wildlife conflict, we test whether evolutionary-rooted human attitudes, independent of economic losses, better predict retaliatory responses. Methods: We examined human attitudes toward spectacled bears ( Tremarctos ornatus ) and other wild carnivores in a wildlife conflict-zone in southern Ecuador by conducting interviews in rural communities. We measured both established variables - such as education levels, age, and gender - and novel psychometric variables to identify predictors of human-wildlife conflict responses. Results: Perceptions of animals emerged as the strongest predictor of conflict responses. Communities exhibiting high levels of vengefulness, particularly within an animal-directed Culture of Honor, where individuals, especially men, are expected to respond strongly or violently to perceived threats, were more likely to support lethal interventions. Conversely, individuals with strong environmental education backgrounds demonstrated more positive perceptions of wildlife, highlighting education’s potential role in conflict mitigation. Conclusion: Evolutionary-derived attitudes, rather than economic factors, primarily drive human responses to wildlife conflict. Effective strategies to reduce violence against wildlife should incorporate human perceptions and culturally rooted values to address the underlying social and psychological drivers of conflict.

Background: Human–Wildlife Conflict is emerging as one of the most critical conservation and socio-economic challenges in the Ecuadorian Andes, where both rural livelihoods and native fauna are under increasing pressure. Small-scale livestock producers in the region depend almost entirely on a limited number of cattle, meaning that the loss of even a single animal can lead to severe economic hardship. In response, antagonistic actions against wildlife are frequent, further threatening vulnerable species. At the same time, the recent proliferation of feral dogs adds a new dimension to conflict, posing risks to both livestock and native fauna. Despite the growing severity of this conflict, little is known of its drivers, spatial patterns, and socio-ecological consequences. This study seeks to fill that gap by generating insights to inform targeted conservation strategies for community-based mitigation of conflict with spectacled bears and feral dogs. Methods: To assess the drivers and dynamics of HWC in southern Ecuador, we conducted structured interviews with livestock owners, quantifying the frequency and intensity of conflicts across multiple species and evaluating whether farm composition and management practices predict conflict patterns. Results: Our results reveal that large carnivores cause significantly higher economic losses than smaller predators; furthermore, feral dogs have emerged as the primary source of financial damage over the past five years. Farms with a greater proportion of forest edge were associated with a higher probability of severe conflict, particularly with large carnivores. Conclusions: These findings underscore the urgent need for proactive strategies to promote coexistence. Identifying predictive variables of conflict risk is crucial for vulnerability assessments and the design of effective mitigation policies. Controlling feral dog populations is likely to be a critical step in safeguarding both rural human livelihoods and native biodiversity in the Andean landscape.

Given the importance of establishing clear measures for the responsible use and management of wild mammals to ensure their welfare and that of the ecosystems they inhabit, the Bioethics Committee of the Ecuadorian Association of Mammalogy (CBeAEM) developed the "Guidelines for the use and management of wild mammals in research in Ecuador" (https://aem.mamiferosdelecuador.com/proyectos-y-congresos/cbeaem.html#dod), based on the guidelines described by Sikes and Animal Care and Use Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists (2016) and official tools used in Ecuador and Latin America. With the objective of providing a general overview of the bases and recommendations that should be considered in research involving the use and management of wild mammals, we have developed the following synopsis of the aforementioned guidelines.

We report two records of jaguars (Panthera onca) registered with camera traps at 2300 and 2660 m a.s.l. in the Ecuadorian Andes, which represent the first verifiable records of the species above 2000 m in Ecuador. As the first records of jaguars from Río Negro-Sopladora National Park and Tapichalaca Reserve, these records raise important questions about the species’ ecology and conservation in Andean montane forests. From a regional perspective, these records may indicate connectivity between jaguar populations inhabiting both sides of the Andes. Sustained monitoring of wildlife populations is necessary to discern the significance of these records and help develop strategies to ensure the conservation of this highly mobile species across the increasingly fragmented Andean-Amazonian landscapes of southern Ecuador.

Organic and conventional agriculture are vital for the development of human society; however, the use of contaminated water and the inappropriate use of organic chemical fertilizers can lead to an increase in the microbial load (potentially pathogenic) of the normal microbiota of the agricultural soil. In this context, the aim of our study was to isolate Gram-negative bacteria from the superficial soil layer and irrigation water of agricultural areas (11 organic farms and nine conventional farms) and consider their potential ecological and health risk importance. Through culture isolation using three bacterial media (TSA) trypticase soy agar (general nutritive media); MacConkey Gram-negative bacteria and (EMB) eosin methylene blue agar (selective for Enterobacteriaceae) and classical biochemical tests, we recorded a total of 12 bacterial species, most belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, such as Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella and Shigella, which can be pathogenic for humans and animals. In contrast, bacteria such as Pantoea agglomerans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and Burkholderia mallei could facultatively work as diazotrophic or plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Soil bacteria richness detected with the media applied was significantly higher than water bacteria, but we found no significant differences between organic and conventional agriculture. We conclude that the isolated bacteria in water and soil mostly belongs to enteropathogenic bacteria which could be pathogenic to animals and humans. While other bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be viewed as useful by improving nutrient availability in agricultural soil.

Klotho is an aging-related protein associated with hippocampal cognitive performance in mammals. Klotho regulates progenitor cell proliferation in non-neuronal tissues, but its role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) has not been explored. Klotho expression in the adult mouse hippocampus was examined by immunofluorescence and PCR. AHN was evaluated in the hippocampus of klotho knock-out mice (KO), klotho KO/vitamin D-receptor mutant mice, and in a model of local klotho hippocampal knockdown. The recombinant Klotho effect on proliferation was measured in mouse-derived hippocampal neural progenitor cells. Hippocampal-dependent memory was assessed by a dry-land version of the Morris water maze. Klotho was expressed in the granular cell layer of the adult Dentate Gyrus. AHN was increased in klotho KO mice, but not in klotho KO/vitamin D-receptor mutant mice. Inversely, local downregulation of hippocampal Klotho diminished AHN. Recombinant Klotho increased the proliferation rate of neural progenitors. Downregulation of hippocampal Klotho correlated with a decreased performance in hippocampal dependent memory. These results suggest that Klotho directly participates in regulating AHN. Our observations indicate that Klotho promotes proliferation, AHN and hippocampal dependent cognition. Increased neurogenesis in klotho KO mice may be secondary to the activation of other pathways altered in the model, such as vitamin D.