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.

Prunus serotina is divided into five subspecies. Among these, P. serotina subsp. capuli, commonly known as capuli, is native to Central and South America. Its fruits are big, sweet, and consumed by locals in various forms, with the Ecuadorian Andes region providing the best fruit forms of capuli. The objective of this study was to characterize a collection of different genotypes of capuli’s fruit, and their endocarps, found growing in the wild in the Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi provinces of Ecuador. The fruits were characterized for weight (11.7–50.3 g), diameter (12.4–21.7 mm), height (11.4–19.7 mm), and soluble solids content (SSC) (13.4–27.6 °Brix) across two years. Similarly, the endocarps’ diameters (7.5–12.2 mm) and heights (8.1–13.6 mm) were measured. Significant differences were found for all the fruit and endocarp variables studied. A multivariate analysis showed that all the fruit and endocarp size characteristics, except SSC, were positively correlated with each other within a season. No clear population differentiation was seen among the genotypes from different provinces, suggesting a lack of clear morphological differentiation. The future breeding and selection of a capuli with superior, commercial, large fruit and a high SSC shows great potential.

Ecosystem services (ES) refer to the benefits that people obtain from the ecosystem. In this sense, Prunus serotina is associated with the provision of ES; however, these services have been scarcely studied. The objective of this research was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of individuals in rural areas regarding the importance of ES, as well as the factors that influence them. Surveys were applied in three study areas (Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi) of the central Andes of Ecuador that detailed the sociodemographic and perception characteristics of ES based on the predefined ES of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). In the assessment, the interview data were analyzed to obtain the relationships between the variables using Spearman’s correlation in the R-studio software. The results showed that individuals’ level of education, age, and gender play an important role in variations in peoples’ knowledge of ES. A total of 21 ES were identified; the most representative services, according to their ecosystem category, were support (shelter for birds and insects and soil formation), provisioning (food, insecticide, wood, and firewood), regulation (improvement in the quality of air and climate regulation), and culture (scenic beauty and the maintenance of traditions). This analysis of the social perception of ES works as a strategy for the maintenance of Prunus serotina in the orchards and plots of families in the central Andes of Ecuador. The identification of ES through the social perception of their existence facilitates an understanding of the importance of ES in rural localities, which lays the foundation for strategies to be developed in the future for their conservation.

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.

Granadilla (Passiflora ligularis) is a fruit species native to the Ecuadorian Andes. This study identifies agromorphological variables of interest that allow the selection of elite individuals from native populations in the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Loja, these being the provinces where P. ligularis crops are grown. Fruits from 50 genotypes (10 fruits of each phenotype were characterized) collected from different farms were analyzed, evaluating 19 variables between fruit and seed. Fruit weight (55.5–112.5 g), polar and equatorial fruit diameter (5.60–7.52 cm, 5.61–7.18 cm), fleshy ring weight (4.9–12.3 g), seeded pulp weight (26.9–56.6 g), total seed weight (4.9–10.6 g), the number of seeds per fruit (93–307), seedless pulp weight (20.2–50.9 g), seed perimeter (1.84–2.08 cm), pH (4.28–5.28), and °Brix (10.25–16.10) differentiated the genotypes of P. ligularis. Spearman’s correlation analysis (p ≤ 0.05) among quantitative morphoagronomic variables showed that there were positive correlations among the distance of the polar diameter of the fruit (PD), the total seed weight (TSW) (r = 0.82), and the weight of the peel or epicarp (SHW) (r = 0.70). The weight of the fleshy ring (FRW) correlated with the weight of the fruit (W) (r = 0.80) and the weight of the pulp with seeds (WPWS) (r = 0.80). The weight of the pulp with seeds (WPWS) correlated with the weight of the fruit (W) (r = 0.94) and the weight of the seedless pulp (PW) (r = 0.96). The cluster analysis of the quantitative variables of the fruit classified the genotypes into four groups, without taking into account the collection area. The descriptors W, PD, ED, WPW, PW, TSW, NS, SP, pH, and °Brix allow differentiation of P. ligularis genotypes. Therefore, the superior phenotypic traits (size and weight) observed in the CAR14 and LY001 genotypes should be used as breeding options for crop improvement.