Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo
The successful establishment of an exotic plant depends primarily on the type and quantity of interactions that these develop with a variety of organisms such as predators, competitors and parasitoids. Since Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit is the result of intervention processes led by humans in the Galápagos islands, it is important to understand, in addition to the interactions established with other species, the way in which inhabitants from the islands (San Cristóbal, Floreana and Isabela) perceive, know, and use this plant. Informal interviews and 20 questionnaire surveys were conducted per island. Furthermore, arthropod richness and abundance data was collected in two different land covers per island to determine alfa and beta diversity as well as the structure of ecological networks. A new species of Acanthoscelides nov sp. (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) was found and Eupelmus cushmani, Pteromalus Moprhotype 1 and Pteromalus Morphotype 2 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) had never been registered in the Galápagos. Overall species and interaction diversity were highest for San Cristóbal (H=1.62, H=1.82, respectively). San Cristóbal and Floreana are more similar (BC= 0.59) in terms of arthropod composition than to Isabela (BC=0.45). A high degree of niche overlap was evidenced between arthropod communities of San Cristóbal (0.91) and Floreana (0.94). Survey results had a high variation response in Floreana compared to the other two islands. Invasive species are a human issue, with a human cause and a human solution, therefore, an integrated approach using community ecology frameworks and social perception analysis is needed to tackle management strategies and ecological success of invasive plants in the Galápagos islands.
Ecólogo (a)
Pregrado