Wetlands are transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic systems that provide various ecosystem services. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change in wetlands in the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve (CR) in the period 1986–2022 using geographic information systems (GISs), multitemporal satellite data, and field data from the 16 wetlands of the reserve. Images from Landsat satellite collections (five from Thematic Mapper, seven from Enhanced Thematic Mapper, and eight from Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor) were used. Image analysis and processing was performed, and the resulting maps were evaluated in a GIS environment to determine the land cover change and growth rate of hydrophilic opportunistic vegetation (HOV) according to hillside orientation. The results show that there are negative annual anomalies in the water-covered areas, which coincide with the increase in HOV. This shows that the constancy or increase in the rate of increase in HOV, which varies between 0.0018 and 0.0028, causes the disappearance of these ecosystems. The importance of the study lies in its potential contribution to the decision-making process in the management of the CR.

The bofedales are high Andean ecosystems of great socioeconomic and ecological importance. The Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve has 15 bofedales in its jurisdiction, located in the provinces of Chimborazo, Bolívar, and Tungurahua. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between plant species composition and the physicochemical characteristics of water and soil. To determine the floristic composition, destructive sampling of species was applied, and three sampling points of 1 m² were established every 100 m per wetland. At each sampling point, physical-chemical variables were recorded in situ and in the laboratory for water and soil. The floristic analysis identified 78 riparian species of riparian plants (63 vascular, 12 bryophytes, 4 pteridophytes) and 1 lichen. In the aquatic environment, seven vascular plants, recognized as macrophytes, were recorded. The results show great heterogeneity in the soil, water, and vegetation characters because they respond to a mineralization gradient (as indicated by the high values of electrical conductivity and dissolved ions). Additionally, it was observed that the total amount of soluble solids that characterizes the Los Hieleros wetland (W11) is independent of hardness and chemical oxygen demand, which correlate with each other and, in turn, better describe the Pachancho wetland (W12). The highest degree of turbidity corresponds to the Cóndor Samana (W9) and Portal Andino (W10) wetlands. The Culebrillas (W6), Puente Ayora ANI (W14), and Pampas Salasacas (W1) wetlands are characterized by the presence of dissolved oxygen, so it is assumed that these are the wetlands with the best water quality. Consequently, it is imperative to double efforts to describe the ecology and status of these high Andean wetlands in order to promote their conservation.

La degradación ambiental global como consecuencia de las actividades antropogénicas hace necesario abrir nuevas líneas de investigación en las causas y efectos de las alteraciones en los ecosistemas. Un enfoque importante es ver cómo cambia la dinámica de nicho de las especies invasoras entre diferentes áreas geográficas. Analizamos el patrón de distribución de Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., una planta de la familia Asteraceae originaria de la región euroasiática que actualmente invade amplias zonas del mundo. Se estimaron los desplazamientos de su nicho entre continentes mediante una combinación de análisis de componentes principales (ACP) y modelización de nichos ecológicos (ENM) en un amplio conjunto de datos del Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Para ello se seleccionó un conjunto de variables bioclimáticas y la Huella Humana (HFP) con una resolución de 10 km. Nuestros resultados mostraron que la especie tiene una marcada tendencia global a expandirse hacia climas más cálidos y con menor estacionalidad, aunque en algunas regiones su invasividad parece ser menor que en otras. Los modelos tuvieron un buen comportamiento estadístico y una alta coherencia en relación a la distribución conocida de la especie y nos permitieron establecer el peso relativo de la contribución de cada variable utilizada, siendo la temperatura anual y la estacionalidad los factores determinantes en el establecimiento de la especie. La combinación de esta metodología con una adecuada selección de variables representa una herramienta muy útil a la hora de enfocar esfuerzos a la gestión de especies invasoras. Global environmental degradation as a consequence of anthropogenic activities makes it necessary to open new lines of research into the causes and effects of alterations in ecosystems. An important approach is to see how the niche dynamics of invasive species change between different geographic areas. We analyzed the distribution pattern of Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. a plant of the family Asteraceae originating from the Eurasian region that currently invades large areas of the world. Its niche shifts between continents were estimated using a combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and ecological niche modeling (ENM) on a large dataset from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). For this purpose, a set of bioclimatic variables and the Human Footprint (HFP) at a resolution of 10 km were selected. Our results showed that the species has a marked global tendency to expand towards warmer climates and with less seasonality, although in some regions its invasiveness seems to be lower than in others. The models had good statistical behavior and high consistency in relation to the known distribution of the species and allowed us to establish the relative weight of the contribution of each variable used, with annual temperature and seasonality being the determining factors in the establishment of the species. The combination of this methodology with an adequate selection of variables represents a very useful tool when focusing efforts on invasive species management.

Biological research in the low montane evergreen forests of Ecuador focuses on ecological and botanical aspects, while knowledge of the entomofauna of these areas is almost nil. In February 2022, sampling was carried out during the dry season for 15 days, using direct and indirect capture methods (tapping, sieving, and light traps) in two waterfalls of the low montane evergreen forest of the western Andean Cordillera: Chilicay and Suncamal waterfalls, with the objective of identifying the composition of the terrestrial insect fauna at the family level. Two orders and 21 families were recorded, among which the families Carabidae and Noctuidae represented the highest percentage of the total abundance. Although preliminary, this work constitutes the first contribution to the knowledge of the entomofauna of this ecosystem. Keywords: biodiversity, conservation, entomofauna, insects. Resumen Las investigaciones biológicas en los bosques siempreverdes montanos bajos de Ecuador, se centran en aspectos ecológicos y botánicos, mientras que el conocimiento de la entomofauna de estas zonas es escaso. En febrero de 2022, en la época seca y durante 15 días, utilizando métodos de captura directa e indirecta (golpeteo, tamizado y trampas de luz), se realizaron muestreos en dos cascadas del Bosque siempreverde montano bajo de la cordillera occidental de los Andes: Cascada Chilicay y Suncamal, con el objetivo de identificar la composición de la fauna de insectos terrestres a nivel de familia. Se registraron dos órdenes y 21 familias, entre las cuales, las familias Carabidae y Noctuidae representaron el mayor porcentaje de la abundancia total. Aunque en forma preliminar, este trabajo constituye el primer aporte al conocimiento de la entomofauna de este ecosistema. Palabras Clave: Biodiversidad, conservación, entomofauna, insectos.