RESUMEN
The evergreen forests of the Ecuadorian Amazon Region are altered by anthropogenic and natural factors. This provokes the need to look for tools that facilitate decision-making in support of restoration. We characterized the ecological structure and distribution of an evergreen Amazonian-Andean forest in the upper Puyo River micro-basin as a base for establishing an ecological quality index. The inventory was assessed using transects 0.1 ha (10 m × 100 m), registering the species with diameters at 1.30 m height ≥10 cm. We encountered a high degree of richness (30 families, 65 species and 322 individuals). The structural parameters indicated the predominance of a heterogeneous forest, with characteristics belonging to disturbed forests. A non-continuous vertical distribution pattern was found, determined by 78% of the species in a single stratum. The mixing ratio resulted in a higher proportion (1:5) for the lower class. The species Wettinia maynensis, Alchornea glandulosa, Miconia splendens, Piptocoma discolor and Inga velutina had the highest ecological value. The principal components analysis distinguished the abundance of species that had a high correlation with the sites and a distinct pattern was found in transect three. We developed the Structural Ecological Quality Index, which considers the social position of various species as well as their ecological importance, to reflect alterations in structural parameters. Abundance was concentrated in the 10-20 m strata (10-20 cm diameter class), which showed the presence of disturbance indicator species and a low ecological value. This indicated the real value of the historical succession of the forest, thus we recommend carrying out a restoration of this important reservoir.
RESUMEN
In this study, spatiotemporal dynamics of macrofaunal assemblages and their associations with environmental conditions were examined in Jinhae Bay (10 sites), where the obvious sources of pollution including industries, oyster farms (hanging cultures), and municipal discharges has surrounded. The survey had performed over five consecutive seasons in 2013-2014. Target sedimentary variables included grain size, organic content, C/N ratio, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, and some heavy metals. Five ecological quality indices (EcoQ) were calculated from the benthic community data to evaluate ecological qualities in site-specific manner. Jinhae Bay is a shallow (depths range, 11-24 m) and typical semi-enclosed bay. The benthic environments represented mud dominated bottoms (>70%) with fairly substantial organic content levels (>2%) over all five seasons. Seasonal patterns were observed with peak abundances in the spring and distinctive macrozoobenthos species shifts in the summer. The spring bloom could be explained by drastic increases of some polychaetes, mainly Capitella sp., at certain site, particularly near the shore. The oyster farms situated in the innermost locations seem to provide organic-rich bottoms being dominated by opportunistic species and/or organic pollution indicator species, such as Lumbrineris longifolia, Capitella sp., and Paraprionospio patiens. In general, the EcoQ indicators indicated that Jinhae Bay was moderately polluted, with exceptionally poor EcoQ in a few locations during the specific season(s). Overall, adverse effects on benthic community was broadly attributable to contaminations of heavy metals and nearby aquatic farm activities in Jinhae Bay, which requires a prompt action toward ecosystem-based management practice in the given area.