Yolepsy-Castillo Fleites’s scientific contributions

Interviews, workshops, talks and sociocultural encounters link the inhabitants of the town of Caibarién located in the municipality of the same name in the province of Villa Clara, Cuba, to the knowledge of invasive exotic species and their undesirable effects to the Cuban vulnerable ecosystems and to human health especially specimens of Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822), the Giant African Snail. Theoretical and empirical methods are used to address the multilateral study of the research object. We propose a novel way of appropriating new knowledge about the L. fulica by the inhabitants of Caibarién. From the interviews, it was found that some inhabitants had certain knowledge about the African giant snail, not about the harmful effects that this animal can cause to the vulnerable Cuban ecosystems and to human health. The proposal of the workshops, talks and sociocultural meetings were valued as relevant by the different external evaluators, which allowed applying the activities in different popular councils. Through these activities, spaces for exchange and reflection were created about the importance of knowing important aspects of this invasive species. This link of cooperation and awareness, allowed a rapprochement of the inhabitants with the researchers and the feedback of scientific knowledge with popular knowledge and it was possible to control this IAS in some areas of the city of Caibarién, with the active participation of the population.

The research presented shows a malacological survey of Cienfuegos' southern area, from “Rancho Luna” beach to the mouth of the “Arimao River”. The malacological studies ranged from January 2018 to December of the same year. During the research, eight biotopes were selected in the area to be studied, and the presence of 52 species of marine gastropods, belonging to seven orders and 16 families, where the Sorbeoconcha order has the highest number of species was found. The best represented families were Neritidae and Littorinidae, with eight species, respectively. Species present only in one of the sampling points were identified, as is the case of Bulla striata (Bruguière, 1792); Smaragdia viridis (Linnaeus 1758), Supplanaxis nucleus (Bruguière, 1789), and Bursa cubaniana (d´Orbigny, 1842). Based on their identification and classification, a systematic list was made that includes various information; as, for example, distribution of the species, biotope where it was detected, and ecological data. For the development of the research, conventional methods for collecting mollusks were put into practice in close relationship with other theoretical and empirical methods. The two malacological collections were assembled for teaching and research purposes and an illustrated dichotomous key was made. It is concluded that the subject is appropriate for the treatment of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development and that the area constitutes an excellent polygon for carrying out field practices by students of the Bachelor of Education. Biology.