Ecuador es un país Megadiverso en Flora, Fauna y Funga, a más de ecosistemas únicos como el Bosque Petrificado de Puyango. Este bosque no ha sido investigado en cuanto a su diversidad fúngica. En el presente trabajo se registra preliminarmente por primera vez una lista y guía visual rápida de macrohongos principalmente descomponedores de madera para el Bosque Petrificado de Puyango. Los resultados sugieren una gran diversidad de hongos para este bosque, donde 28 observaciones corresponden a 28 morfoespecies. Esta información marca la línea base para futuros proyectos investigativos que permitan mostrar y valorizar la diversidad de hongos neotropicales en esta zona protegida declarada Patrimonio Nacional de Ecuador.

Agaricus subrufescens (Agaricales, Basidiomycota), an edible species with attributed medicinal properties, has been reported from several countries of the world. This study presents the first record for Ecuador, based on morphological and molecular (ITS-5.8S of DNArn) characterization for one wild specimen collected outside the Puyango Petrified Forest (PPF). This information marks the baseline for future research projects in areas such as the Puyango Petrified Forest, declared National Heritage of Ecuador, to valorise neotropical fungi with commercial potential.

Trichoderma is a fungus with important applications in agriculture, as a biocontrol agent for pathogenic fungi or other pests that cause various diseases in crops. The pathogenic fungus Mycena citricolor causes "ojo de gallo" or "Rooster Eye" in coffee crops, mainly in areas above 1000 m.a.s.l. Therefore, its management of coffee crops, which is an economically important product for Ecuador, is vital. In this sense, this study sought to evaluate the percentage inhibition of mycelial growth using dual antagonist/pathogen in vitro cultures, to assess the mycoparasitic activity of Trichoderma spp., and to test its crude extract as a biocontroller of Mycena citricolor. The evaluated strains were molecularly characterized with the ITS-5.8S DNArn marker. The results determined four different Trichoderma species: T. asperellum, T. harzianum, T. sp1, and T. sp2. It was determined that three of the four Trichoderma species evaluated were effective, with inhibition values exceeding 40% and significantly different (p < 0.05) between treatments. These Trichoderma species show promise as mycoparasitic biocontrol agents against the pathogen M. citricolor. The crude extract from T. harzianum alone was ineffective in controlling the growth of M. citricolor, suggesting the need for further analysis of solvent-extracted extracts.

Fungi are a diverse and essential group that play crucial ecological roles. However, they remain understudied in tropical countries like Ecuador in terms of their forest or protected areas, particularly across diverse ecosystem zones such as seasonal forests and salt flats. This study aimed to inventory fungal diversity in two specific zones: the dry forest (DF) and the salt flat (SF) within the Reserva Ecologica Arenillas (REAR), located in El Oro, Ecuador. The results recorded 162 specimens representing 47 species belonging to 34 genera, identified morphologically. Although statistically significant, the difference in species richness and abundance between the dry forest and the salt flat was minimal, with the dry forest showing slightly higher values. Nonetheless, certain species were prevalent in both ecosystems, such as Cerrena hydnoides, Pycnoporus sanguineus, Hexagonia tenuis, and Chondrostereum sp., alongside four species with resupinate habit, all of them growing on decayed wood. The Shannon and Simpson indices were calculated to assess alpha diversity, revealing higher diversity in the DF. To evaluate differences in community composition between habitats, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) were applied, indicating greater species turnover and dominance of specific taxa in the DF compared to the SF. These findings highlight the importance of the fungal diversity found in the REAR while also pointing to the need for more exhaustive monitoring and comparative studies with other wild or protected areas to fully understand and conserve this biodiversity.

The organoleptic profile of coffee is modulated by microbially mediated fermentation processes; thus, characterizing the coffee microbiome is essential for the specialty coffee industry. This research investigated three coffee farms in Loja, Ecuador, to determine the cultivable bacterial diversity in coffee cherries (Coffea arabica var. Geisha) subjected to different post-harvest processing methods. Bacteria were isolated on Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA), Blood Agar Base, and MacConkey Agar after a broth enrichment step. Isolates were initially grouped into 14 morphotypes (MT) based on colony morphology and Gram staining. Molecular identification was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analysis and Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) delimitation at a 99% identity threshold. Although 45 purified strains (19 Gram-positive and 26 Gram-negative) were initially clustered, morphological characterization showed significant taxonomic limitations compared with molecular tools. Molecular analysis identified nine genera and 19 bacterial genotypes, with Lactococcus lactis and Enterobacter spp. being the most frequently recovered and resilient taxa across all treatments. Statistical analyses (PERMANOVA and PCA) revealed no significant differences in bacterial community composition among post-harvest processes (Natural or Carbonic Maceration) or among farms, indicating that the predominant cultivable isolates remained consistent under the conditions evaluated, as presented here. According to the literature, several of the recovered species have functional roles in coffee fermentation, providing a baseline for the future development of starter cultures to optimize and standardize coffee sensory quality in southern Ecuador.