Angel Raimundo Benítez Chavez

• PhD
• Docente-Investigador at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja

Phytoplankton has an essential role as a primary producer in lakes, providing information on environmental conditions and water quality. The objective of this research was to inventory, characterize, and assess the diversity of microalgae in the Quimsacocha lake system in Azuay, Ecuador. Water samples were collected from the two most important Quim...

Epiphytic macrolichen as indicators of environmental changes in a montane forest of Panama Introduction: Corticolous lichens are organisms that respond to habitat modifications, which is why they are considered model organisms to evaluate environmental changes in different ecosystems. Objectives: To determine the species richness and community comp...

La Reserva es uno de los principales destinos turísticos del cantón de Paltas, sin embargo, aún existe una carencia de información detallada sobre flora. Esta situación representa una oportunidad para desarrollar nuevas líneas de investigación, y de esta manera, contribuir a la protección de la rica biodiversidad. Los briófitos y líquenes son eleme...

Los briófitos y líquenes presentan una alta diversidad a nivel global con un aproximado de 20000 especies y para Ecuador con 1700 y 2500 especies, respectivamente. Estos dos grupos son conocidos como bioindicadores de cambios ambientales, debido a que son organismos poiquilohídricos, ya que dependen de condiciones externas de humedad y temperatura....

Epiphytic bryophytes are an important component in terms of the diversity and functioning of montane forests known as biodiversity hotspots. Bryophytes are highly dependent on their external environments because they are sensitive to environmental changes related to disturbance, fragmentation, air pollution, and climate change. The richness and com...

Los bosques secos están caracterizados por poseer una alta diversidad y una extraordinaria cantidad de especies endémicas de diferentes grupos taxonómicos donde se incluyen los líquenes, sin embargo, la fragmentación, ganadería, agricultura y extracción intensiva de madera son sus principales amenazas. El objetivo de la investigación fue describir...

Lathyrus odoratus L., commonly known as sweet pea, is a plant with a distinctive aroma that can develop in various habitats. An analysis of the aromatic profile of the species was conducted using the HS-SPME (solid-phase microextraction headspace) technique. This study aimed to explore the composition of and variation in the floral scent emissions...

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 lic...

Air pollution is the most important environmental problem in urban areas related to vehicular traffic and industrial activities. The widespread presence of common urban trees, such as Salix humboldtiana, and their ability to tolerate diverse environmental conditions make this species an especially promising candidate for assessing environmental met...

Background: Epiphytic mosses are one of the most common groups in forest environments but among the most neglected by researchers in Mexico. Questions: What is the epiphytic mosses diversity, measured in richness, turnover, and community composition in Mexican forests? Species of study: Epiphytic mosses. Study site and years: Humid mountain fore...

The dry forests of southern Ecuador are characterized by a great floristic variety and high endemism rates in different taxonomic groups; however, these forests are disappearing at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic disturbances. Epiphytic cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) are important in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) and, due to th...

The volatile components emitted by fresh aromatic flowers of Plumeria rubra L., harvested in southern Ecuador during three different months were determined to evaluate the fluctuation of secondary metabolites. The volatile compounds were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography coupled to mass sp...

Air pollution is a global problem in urban and rural areas, mainly related to vehicular traffic and industrial activities. Bromeliads have been widely used globally for active and passive air quality monitoring. However, a systematic review to facilitate the access and analysis of this information is yet to be made available. The objective of this...

This study examines the convergence between traditional and scientific knowledge regarding the use of fire and its potential to trigger wildfires, with possible impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. The research encompasses three distinct natural regions of Ecuador: the coast, the highlands, and the Amazon. Data on traditional fire use were c...

Our research focuses on exploring the chemical composition and some biological properties of the essential oil derived from Syzygiella rubricaulis (Nees) Stephani, a bryophyte species. To conduct a comprehensive analysis, we utilized a DB5MS capillary column along with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization (GC...

El capítulo presenta algunos elementos de análisis y juicio relevantes sobre la situación, tendencias y dinámica de la diversidad biológica y las contribuciones de la naturaleza para las personas, aunque no se dispone de suficiente información para un análisis profundo sobre el estado de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos de la Región A...

El capítulo presenta algunos elementos de análisis y juicio relevantes sobre la situación, tendencias y dinámica de la diversidad biológica y las contribuciones de la naturaleza para las personas, aunque no se dispone de suficiente información para un análisis profundo sobre el estado de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos de la Región A...

El capítulo presenta algunos elementos de análisis y juicio relevantes sobre la situación, tendencias y dinámica de la diversidad biológica y las contribuciones de la naturaleza para las personas, aunque no se dispone de suficiente información para un análisis profundo sobre el estado de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistémicos de la Región A...

Air pollution in urban areas due to automotive and industrial emissions is a global problem, including the city of Quito- Ecuador. In this context, previous studies have pointed out the effective use of bioindicators of air quality using epiphytic cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens), which are pollutant-sensitive organisms because they absorb water...

The páramos have a great diversity of flora, including terricolous non-tracheophyte photoautotrophs (bryophytes and lichens). Bryophytes and lichens are very sensitive to environmental changes related to anthropogenic fires, livestock, and agricultural activities. We determined for the first time in Ecuador the effects of prescribed fires on the py...

Citation: Carrión-Paladines, V.; Fries, A.; Hinojosa, M.B.; Oña, A.; Álvarez, L.J.; Benítez, Á.; Rodríguez, F.L.; García-Ruiz, R. Effects of Low-Severity Fire on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties in an Andean Páramo in Southern Ecuador. Fire 2023, 6, 447. https://doi. Abstract: The high Andean páramos (AnP) are unique ecosystems that harbor high bio...

Bryophytes are one of the main resources for bird nest construction; however, studies are limited and have been oriented to preliminary species lists. We evaluated for the first time in Ecuador the changes in the richness and composition of bryophytes in 17 nests of the species Myadestes ralloides and Catharus fuscater, of the family Turdidae. The...

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 , orig...

En la amazonia del Ecuador los productos forestales no maderables que brindan las especies forestales como Caryodendron orinocense cumplen un papel importante en la vida diaria de las comunidades ancestrales que han contribuido a la conservación de estos ecosistemas. Por ello, para un manejo y conservación adecuados de las especies un primer paso e...

Coffee (Coffea arabica), produced and marketed in Ecuador and worldwide, can be organoleptically improved by means of microorganisms such as well-characterized yeasts. This study aimed to isolate and characterize yeasts from three postharvest fermentation processes (i.e., Natural aerobic at room temperature; Carbonic maceration with a CO2 atmospher...

Orchids comprise one of the largest families of flowering plants and have important roles in the total biomass, water balance, and nutrient cycling of tropical ecosystems; however, they are also one of the most endangered plant taxa. Because their diversity is strongly coupled to environmental factors, we hypothesize that local elevation can affect...

Tropical dry forests are considered priority for conservation, due to high number of endemic and endangered species of fora and fauna, being simultaneously one of the most threatened habitats in the world related anthropic activities. In these forests, communities make use of non-timber forest products provided by forest species such as Bursera gra...

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 c...

En la actualidad las actividades antrópicas han provocado un incremento en la disponibilidad de nutrientes en bosques tropicales, con efectos negativos sobre la diversidad y funcionamiento de estos ecosistemas. Se analizó los efectos de la adición en el suelo de nitrógeno (N), fósforo (P), nitrógeno más fósforo (N+P) y un tratamiento control sin fe...

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious public health problem that needs new antibacterial compounds for control. Fungi, including resupinated fungi, are a potential source to discover new bioactive compounds efficient again to bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The inhibitory capacity against the bacterial species was statistically evalua...

Background Andean montane forests (AMF) are biodiversity hotspots that provide fundamental hydrological services as well as carbon storage and sequestration. In recent decades, southern Ecuador AMFs have been seriously threatened by increased logging and conversion to forest plantations with exotic species. In this context, our main objective was t...

The species of the genus Ceroxylon have narrow geographical ranges, and subsequently, their populations are subjected to a high degree of fragmentation due to deforestation and land conversion. Ceroxylon parvifrons (Engel) H. Wendl is a representative floristic species of the Andean rainforest; however, little information related to its natural his...

La dispersión es un elemento ecológico clave que posibilita a las plantas colonizar nuevos ambientes, existiendo varios componentes morfológicos en las semillas que tienen incidencia en los patrones de dispersión. En el presente estudio se analizó la relación del tamaño de la sámara en el comportamiento de dispersión de Gallesia integrifolia, distr...

Air and water pollution are global environmental problems; thus, bioindicators have become important tools for monitoring various pollutants, including metals and metalloids. Parmotrema arnoldii (Du Rietz) Hale and Tillandsia usneoides L. were evaluated as indicators of heavy metals in the air and Platyhypnidium aquaticum A. Jaeger and Marchantia p...

Deforestation is the most important cause of biodiversity loss in tropical ecosystems. Epiphytic species, lichens and bryophytes, are very sensitive to environmental changes, including those produced by conversion of primary forests into secondary vegetation. However, little is known about the differences between different secondary forests and pla...

Background The deforestation caused by road construction is one of the main drivers for both biodiversity and function loss in tropical ecosystems. Terricolous cryptogams are pioneers in colonizing roadside and they are limited by environmental and edaphic factors, thus, cryptogams may act as pioneers for ecosystem rehabilitation at roadside. Meth...

Los bosques andinos del Ecuador son considerados como puntos calientes de biodiversidad, aquí la familia Podocarpaceae representados por Podocarpus oleifolius y Podocarpus sprucei son elementos característicos de estos ecosistemas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar su dinámica de crecimiento en un periodo de 14 años. Se midió DAP y a...

Roadsides are common ecosystems worldwide, with specific environmental characteristics and multiple effects on plant diversity. As such, they represent examples of highly dynamic anthropogenic ecosystems. Our objective was to assess patterns of vascular species diversity in response to elevation and soil characteristics on a roadside in the Andean...

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 d...

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 i...

La producción agrícola y pecuaria en las comunidades rurales contribuyen de manera relevante en el crecimiento económico y la seguridad alimentaria de un país. Los huertos son espacios clave para la producción como para el aporte a la recuperación de los recursos naturales, cuando se trabaja con un enfoque agroecológico. Se evaluó los cambios en la...

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in developed and developing countries. Epiphytic cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) are proposed as a reliable indicator to detect environmental changes, given to their sensitivity to pollutants. In this study we evaluated air quality in the city of Ambato using bryophytes and epiphytic liche...

Air pollution is one of the main global environmental problems, where bryophytes, due to their high capacity to retain metals and other pollutants, have been widely used in active air quality monitoring studies in temperate and tropical zones. Thus, in this study, we analyzed for the first time the concentrations of eight metals (cadmium, copper, n...

International Association for Lichenology 9th Symposium

The Amazonian rain forests of Yasuni National Park, Ecuador (YNP), count among the world's forests regions with highest biodiversity, but are strongly threatened by deforestation. Cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) are common and characteristic organisms in these forests, are sensitive to environmental changes, and are considered effective ecologi...

Chemical compositions of plants are affected by the initial nutrient contents in the soil and climatic conditions; thus, we analyzed for the first time the effects of soil and leaf nutrients on the compositions of the essential oils (EOs) of Siparuna muricata in four different localities in Ecuador. EOs were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyz...

Neotropical montane forests are considered biodiversity hotspots, where epiphytic bryophytes are an important component of the diversity, biomass and functioning of these ecosystems. We evaluated the richness and composition of bryophytes in secondary successional forests and mixed plantations of Juglans neotropica. In each forest type, the presenc...

Las criptógamas terrestres (briófitos y líquenes) son de los primeros colonizadores de zonas alteradas, por lo que pueden ser considerados como una alternativa de restauración de áreas de compleja regeneración como los taludes de las carreteras.

We report Pyrenula hirsuta for the first time in South American from neotropical lowland rain forest of Yasuní National Park. P. hirsuta is characterized by ascospores with many hyaline cilia and 5–7 septate. This specie grow as epiphyte in smooth bark of trees. Here, we provide information about ecology, distribution, and a morphological descripti...

La presente investigación analizó la efectividad de manejo de 20 áreas bajo Acuerdos de Uso Sustentable y Custodia de Manglar (AUSCM). Para ello se utilizó la Evaluación de Desempeño 360º con 17 indicadores distribuidos en cuatro categorías. Los resultados indicaron que la efectividad de manejo de las 20 áreas se encuentra entre el 46,7% y 93,5%, p...

Mushrooms feed on organic matter, many of them with high nutritional value and poorly used. Large-scale crops require a strong economic investment to control temperature and humidity variables. The overall aim of this study is to cultivate Pleurotus ostreatus by hand without further automated control of temperature and humidity, optimizing the use...

In tropical montane forests, bryophytes are important in terms of diversity and functioning, in which epiphyllous species grow on tree leaves of trees and shrubs, and they are particularly abundant. The objective of this article was to evaluate epiphyllous bryophyte species richness and community composition in three canopy zones (low, medium, high...

Ceratolejeunea panamensis is described from Chiriquí province, Panama. The new species is distinguished from other species of the genus Ceratolejeunea by its numerous, scattered ocelli (6-20) in the leaf lobes and the very shortly bifid, reniform underleaves.

Water contamination is a major environmental problem in many cities of the world. Most water contamination results from industry and human activities that generate toxic substances (e.g., metals). Rheophilic and aquatic mosses are found in lotic ecosystems, and their morphological and physiological traits are responsive to ecological and pollution...

Los briófitos cumplen un papel clave en la diversidad, biomasa y funcionamiento de ecosistemas; sin embargo, la deforestación amenaza el estado de conservación de las especies. Los modelos de distribución potencial son una herramienta que permiten la protección y conservación de especies amenazadas. Se determinó la distribución potencial y áreas pr...

Introducción: Los bosques montanos tropicales se caracterizan por una alta riqueza y endemismo de briófitos. Sin embargo, la diversidad es altamente sensible a cambios microclimáticos relacionados con alteraciones antrópicas. Objetivo: En este estudio, se evaluó la riqueza y composición de briófitos epífitos en los troncos de árboles de bosques mo...

Bryophytes on tree trunks as indicators of montane forest disturbance in Panama. Introduction: Tropical montane forests are characterized by high species richness and endemism of bryophytes. However, this diversity is highly sensitive to microclimatic changes related to anthropogenic disturbance. Objective: In this study, we assessed the richness a...

Volatile metabolites from Frullania brasiliensis Raddi, Herbertus juniperoideus (Sw.) Grolle, Leptoscyphus hexagonus (Nees) Grolle, and Syzygiella anomala (Lindenb. & Gottsche) Steph collected in the south of Ecuador were investigated. Volatile secondary metabolites were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography/flame ioniza...

El Parque Nacional Podocarpus (PNP) se encuentra ubicado en los Andes australes del Ecuador y el Oriente Amazónico, entre las provincias de Loja y Zamora Chincipe, en un rango altitudinal de 960 a 3.800 m y una superficie de 146.280 ha. El Parque es considerado una de las tres zonas núcleo de la Reserva Podocarpus-El Cóndor, siendo clave para la co...

Bryophytes are an important component of paramo in terms of diversity and biomass as well as the functioning of paramo ecosystems. These poikilohydric organisms are very sensitive to microclimate changes related to humidity and light availability. We studied the influence of climate and topography on the diversity of terrestrial bryophytes in three...

Guía de líquenes de la Reserva Ecológica Arenillas

We analyze the structure of diameter, richness, and diversity of the forests in the upper limit of the great Amazon basin located in the Ecuadorian territory of the Cordilleras del Cóndor and Cutucú. Our hypothesis was that the forests of the eastern mountain ranges are not homogeneous, but rather present differences in their structure, richness, a...

Tropical dry forests have been recognized as one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to deforestation. These ecosystems harbour a high endemicity of epiphytes, which play a major role in the functioning of the forests. Lichens constitute an important fraction of the epiphytes. These poikilohydric organisms respond drastically to dist...

1) Background: We analyzed the size structure, richness and diversity in eight permanent forest plots in the upper limit of the great Amazon basin located in the Ecuadorian parts of Cordilleras del Cóndor and Cutucú. Our hypothesis was that not all the forests of the eastern mountain ranges are homogeneous in characteristics, but rather present dif...

ECOLOGÍA Comunidades de briófitos terrestres relacionados con factores climáticos y topográficos en un páramo del sur de Ecuador Terrestrial bryophyte communities in relation to climatic and topographic factors in a paramo of southern Ecuador Citación: Benítez A, Gradstein SR, Cevallos P, Medina J, Aguirre N. 2019. Comunidades de briófitos terrestr...

The transformation of natural ecosystems due to anthropogenic land use is considered one of the main causes of biodiversity loss. Lichens, due to their poikilohydric nature, are very sensitive to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Therefore, lichen communities have been widely used as bioindicators of climatic and environmental changes. In thi...

Aquatic and rheophilous bryophytes can indicate water pollution as they bioaccumulate toxic water elements. We evaluated (1) bioaccumulation of eight heavy metals and arsenic by Marchantia polymorpha L., and (2) changes in bryophyte community structure, as responses to urban pollution in southern Ecuador. To this end, we registered presence/absence...

Epiphytic richness is continuously declining due to forest fragmentation, logging, burning, agriculture, and livestock. The rate of species loss caused by habitat degradation and loss is more pronounced in Central and South America. Considering the extreme difficulty and time required to identify the more inconspicuous species, rapid diversity asse...

1) Background: Neotropical montane forests represent one of the most diverse world ecosystems; however, they are also among the most threatened ones mostly due to deforestation. Our main goal is to classify and clarify the forest types based on the changes in basal area (BA), tree density, and species composition of montane forests in Southern Ecua...

We evaluated heavy metal deposition in Parmotrema arnoldii and Tillandsia usneoides in response to air pollution in Loja city, Ecuador. We assessed heavy metal (cadmium, copper, manganese, lead and zinc) content in these organisms at nine study sites inside Loja city and three control sites in nearby forests. Concentrations of all studied heavy met...

Esta investigación trata sobre la Lógica poética formulada por Giambattista Vico en la Ciencia nueva. Se trata de una teoría de la génesis, desarrollo y constitución del λóγος humano, no en cuanto intelecto, sino en cuanto expresión lingüística. Trata pues del origen del lenguaje. Esta investigación se desarrolla en dos partes (sincrónica y diacrón...

Phyllopeltula steppae and Reimnitzia santensis from dry forest of southern Ecuador were collected for the first time in Ecuador. The collections constitute the first records of the genera Phyllopeltula and Reimnitzia in the country. We provide information about ecology and distribution of the species.

1) Background: Neotropical montane forests represent one of the most diverse ecosystems; however, they are also the most threatened for deforestation. Our main goal is to evaluate the change in Basal Area (BA), Density and Species Composition of montane forests in the southern Ecuador and to determine the influence on some critical ecological and g...

Phyllopeltula steppae and Reimnitzia santensis from dry forest of southern Ecuador were collected for the first time in Ecuador. The collections constitute the first records of the genera Phyllopeltula and Reimnitzia in the country. We provide information about ecology and distribution of the species.

Epiphytic lichens are good ecological indicators of climatic and environmental changes. The physiology of lichens is related with their morphology and anatomy (traits) and thus the response to changes in the environment could be related with these traits. In this study we evaluate lichen functional traits to understand the mechanisms of community a...

Breutelia tomentosa (Sw. ex Brid.) A. Jaeger, Leptodontium viticulosoides (P. Beauv.) Wijk & Margad., Macromitrium perreflexum Steere, Campylopus richardii Brid., Rhacocarpus purpurascens (Brid.) Paris., and Thuidium peruvianum Mitt. essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation. Using gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and G...

POTENCIALES ORGANISMOS BIOINDICADORES (LÍQUENES, BRIÓFITOS Y BROMELIAS) DE LA CALIDAD AMBIENTAL (AIRE Y AGUA) EN LA CIUDAD DE LOJA

Knowledge of fungal root-associates is essential for effective conservation of tropical epiphytic orchids. We investigated the diversity of root-associated fungi of Cyrtochilum myanthum, Scaphyglottis punctulata and Stelis superbiens from a tropical mountain rainforest in southern Ecuador, using a culture dependent approach. We identified 115 funga...

Based on our ongoing studies of the bryophyte flora of Ecuador we report fifteen liverwort species new to the country: Cheilolejeunea ornata, Drepanolejeunea integribracteata, Frullania lindenbergii, Kymatocalyx rhizomatica, Lejeunea corynantha, Leptoscyphus cleefii, L. spectabilis, Plagiochila bicuspidata, P. cuatrecasii, P. priceana, Radula xalap...

Altitudinal gradients involve macroclimatic changes that can affect the diversity of several organisms. We tested the effects of elevation and small-scale variables on the diversity and composition of terricolous communities (lichens and bryophytes) in five páramos in southern Ecuador. The altitudinal range considered (from 2700 to 4000 m a.s.l.) i...

62 contributors report on 55 bryophyte species, collected in Europe, Central and South America, Antarctica, Central and East Asia. Most of taxa are reported for different European countries: Denmark (14 species), Italy (3), Spain (2), Lithuania (2), Hungary (2 ones); the other countries (Portugal, Croatia, Ukraine, Greece, etc) are represented by o...