The hypothesis that rates of litter turnover in mangroves are controlled by local geophysical processes such as tides has been studied at sites with mostly small tides (<1 m) and minor crab consumption of leaf litter. Our study describes litter dynamics of three riverine mangrove sites (M1, M2, M3), inhabited by the mangrove crab Ucides occidentalis, located in a macrotidal (>3 m) river-dominated tropical estuary in Ecuador (2.5°S latitude). There were statistical effects of site and depth on soil salinities, but all mean salinities were <17 g kg. Daily rates of leaf litter fall were higher in the rainy compared to the dry season, although no seasonal effects were observed for other components of litter fall. Annual total litter fall rates were significantly different among sites at 10.64, 6.47, and 7.87 Mg ha year for M1, M2, and M3, respectively. There were significant site (M3 > M2 > M1) and season (rainy > dry) effects on leaf degradation, and both effects were related to differences in the initial nitrogen content of senescent leaves. Mean leaf litter standing crop among the sites ranged from 1.53 to 9.18 g m, but amounts were strongly seasonal with peak values during September in both years of our study (no significant year effect) at all three sites. Leaf turnover rates based on leaf fall estimates and litter standing crop were 10- to 20-fold higher than estimated from rates of leaf degradation, indicating the significant effect of leaf transport by tides and crabs. Field experiments demonstrated that the mangrove crab can remove daily additions of leaf material within 1 h at all three sites, except during August-October, when the crab is inactive on the forest floor. Even though there is seasonally elevated leaf accumulation on the forest floor during this time, leaf turnover rates are much higher than expected based on leaf degradation, demonstrating the importance of tidal export. This is the first description of how crabs influence litter dynamics in the New World tropics, and results are similar to higher rates of crab transport of leaf litter in the Old World tropics. Even in riverine mangroves with high geophysical energies, patterns of litter dynamics can be influenced by ecological processes such as crab transport.

Species richness and abundance of mammals in the Valle Alto Wildlife Rescue Centre and Wildlife Refuge, province of Manabí (Ecuador) Resumen Las poblaciones de mamíferos de la Región Costa de Ecuador han sido principalmente estudiadas dentro de las áreas protegidas, y son escasos los estudios realizados fuera de sus límites. El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar la riqueza de mamíferos en el Centro de Rescate y Refugio de Vida Silvestre Valle Alto en la provincia de Manabí mediante el uso de cámaras de foto-trampeo (168 noches/trampa en dos años) y transectos a pie para observaciones directas de los animales arborícolas. Las cámaras registraron 14 especies, y otras 4 especies fueron avistadas directamente. De estas 18 especies, 5 se encuentran amenazadas de extinción en Ecuador (a nivel nacional) según criterios de la UICN, y 4 casi amenazadas. Además, algunas de las especies registradas, como el yaguarundí (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), el perro de Sechura (Lycalopex sechurae), el margay (Leopardus wiedii) o el perezoso de dos dedos (Choloepus hoffmanni) cuentan con pocos registros en la región Costa. Las especies más abundantes fueron el armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), el guatuso (Dasyprocta punctata) y el ocelote (Leopardus pardalis). Estos datos sugieren que los bosques fuera de las áreas protegidas pueden albergar una importante comunidad de mamíferos incluyendo especies catalogadas como amenazadas, y su preservación es necesaria para asegurar la conservación de la fauna silvestre a nivel nacional. Palabras clave: cámaras trampas; mamíferos terrestres; diversidad de especies; fauna silvestre. Abstract The mammals populations of the Coast Region of Ecuador have been mainly studied inside of protected areas, and very few studies have been conducted out of their limits. This work shows the mammals species richness in the Valle Alto Wildlife Rescue Centre and Wildlife Refuge located in the Manabí province using camera traps (168 nights/traps in two years) and walking transects to detect arboreal mammals by direct observations. The camera traps recorded 14 species, and others 4 species were directly observed. Of this 14 species, 5 are classified as threatened to extinction in Ecuador (at national scale) according to the IUCN criteria, and 4 of them are listed as near threatened. Moreover, some of the recorded species, such as the Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae), the jaguarondi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), the margay (Leopardus wiedii) or the brown-throated Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), have few records in the Coast Region of Ecuador. The most abundant species were the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) and the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). These results suggest that forests not included in the protected areas can harbour an important community of mammals including threatened species, and therefore its preservation is also necessary in order to conserve the wildlife species at a national scale. Keywords: camera traps; terrestrial mammals; species diversity, wildlife.

Circadian rhythms of Neotropical lizards have been poorly studied, which represents a problem when designing ecological studies or monitoring such species based on direct observations. In this work, 1000 m-long transects were established in an agroecosystem area of the Ecuadorian coast region to study the activity patterns of Stenocercus iridescens. The number of individuals (as a response variable) was correlated with local weather conditions: temperature, precipitation, and heliophany (duration of the solar brightness). We carried out the study in both dry and rainy seasons, and during different time ranges. The time range in which the transects were performed was the most important predictor, and the activity peak was established between 16:00 h and 18:00 h. Heliophany negatively affected lizard activity, but only on the days with higher heliophany during the dry season, whereas temperature was not a significant predictor. Our results suggest that in an area where temperature is relatively constant and the solar radiation is high, particularly during the dry season, the heliophany (an indirect measure of solar radiation) can affect ectotherm activity patterns more than temperature, particularly in open habitats such as agroecosystems.

The distribution range of Spectacled Bear in Ecuador has been strongly fragmented owing to human activities, thus studying the conservation status of the remaining patches in which this species inhabits is essential to ensure its conservation. We performed a descriptive analysis of the conservation status of the ecosystems that form part of the Spectacled Bear distribution range in Ecuador, using values of five indicators (fragmentation, connectivity, threat, vulnerability and fragility) provided by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment.  Moreover, we compared the conservation status between scrubland & pastures and evergreen forest ecosystem according to the five indicators. Overall, the Spectacled Bear distribution in Ecuador is covered by a greater surface area of ecosystems classified with a medium level of fragmentation (58.8%), low connectivity (45.1%), high fragility (45.6%), high (38.2%) and medium threat (39.2%), as well as high (33.7%) and medium (33.1 %) vulnerability.  Scrubland and pastures ecosystems had worse conservation status than evergreen forests, with 98% of their surface classified as having low or very low connectivity, 77.3% as high fragility and 77.4% as high threat.  These results showed the worrisome conservation status of the ecosystems shaping the distribution range of Spectacled Bear in Ecuador, particularly the scrubland and pastures, and therefore, a wider national strategy (inside and outside the limits of the bear distribution range) should be applied to ensure the preservation of these ecosystems.