Q'EUÑA

Bioindicators of Wild Flora and Fauna as Ecosystem Services in a Forest Concession, Madre de Dios

Julio Enrique Magán Roeder — 2025-06-27

This study was carried out in the Loretillo forest concession (No. 17-TAM/C-OPB-A-026-07), located in the Las Piedras River conservation corridor in Tambopata, Madre de Dios. The main objective was to conduct an inventory of wildlife species, focusing on their use as bioindicators of the ecosystems within the concession. The study considered variables such as the species composition of flora, birds, and mammals, as well as the ecosystem services they provide (ESS). To this end, eight Permanent Sampling Plots (PSPs) and linear transects were established, distributed across two predominant ecosystem types: alluvial flooded forest (B-ai) and lowland hill forest (B-cb). The analyses included alpha and beta diversity indices, ecological importance values (IVI), and parameters related to threatened species. The B-ai ecosystem was found to have greater biological richness and diversity. The assessment was based on criteria such as species richness (S), dominance (D), IVI, distribution breadth, conservation objectives, and threat categories. 48 bioindicator species were identified: 20 plant species, 17 bird species, and 11 mammal species, for both ecosystem types. From these species, the main ecosystem services they provide were determined, highlighting the regulation service (including climate regulation, pollination, seed dispersal, and biological control). Likewise, the ecological functionality of bioindicators was characterized in relation to their role within the trophic structure. The identification of these bioindicators and their ecosystem services provides a fundamental basis for establishing strategies for conservation, monitoring, and sustainable forest management. Furthermore, it promotes alternatives such as ecosystem service compensation mechanisms, contributing to the maintenance of biodiversity in the region.

Long-Term Effects of Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Kindling Seizures on Neuroinflammation: Immunohistochemical and EEG Analysis in Rats

Yessenia Yauri Huamán — 2025-06-27

The present experimental study examines the effects of PTZ-induced kindling, a well-established and widely used animal model for studying epileptogenesis through the progressive induction of seizures. The novelty of this research lies in its descriptive analysis of the post-kindling phase, focusing on both brain activity and molecular changes. Twelve rats were subjected to a three-phase protocol: habituation, challenge (60 mg/kg), and kindling, which involved repeated administration of subconvulsive doses of PTZ (35 mg/kg). The control group received only saline injections. In the first month following kindling, a subset of animals was implanted with epidural electrodes to record brain activity through electroencephalograph (EEG). In the second month, another subset was used for molecular analyses using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF), with GFAP and NeuN serving as markers for astrocytes and mature neurons, respectively. These molecular assessments were repeated in the third month post-kindling. EEG recordings revealed interictal events during the first post-kindling month. In the second and third months, a significant increase in GFAP expression was observed in hippocampal regions (CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus), while NeuN expression remained unchanged. These findings contribute to the characterization of the post-kindling phase and enhance the understanding of the PTZ model's underlying mechanisms and temporal progression.

Effect of Irrigation Water on the Salinity of Agricultural Soils in the District of Pisac, Cusco 2023

Erick Ronaldo Rojas Manotupa — 2025-06-27

The district of Pisac in the Cusco region, due to its climate, has vast expanses dedicated to agricultural activities, which do not have studies regarding the salinity of its agricultural soils. One issue is that the quality of their agricultural products may be due to soil salinization, where farmers have observed problems in the development of their crops. The physicochemical characteristics, salinity, RAS, and PSI of the irrigation water and agricultural soils have been evaluated during the dry and rainy periods. The soils have shown low salinity and sodium in both periods, ranging for EC from 0.419 to 2.140 dS/m, pH from 7.2 to 7.9, and PSI from 0.57 to 1.47%. Likewise, the soils have shown low fertility, low water retention, and high alkalinity. The irrigation water has shown an EC of 285 to 486 μS/cm and an SAR of 0.36 to 0.65 meq/L, being classified as C2S1, which would affect the corn crops grown in the district of Pisac, with a greater impact during the dry period; and according to the ECA, it is classified as water of quality for irrigation. It has been concluded that the reported problems are being caused by other factors such as inadequate water management, as well as low fertility and slight alkalinity that agricultural soils have shown.

Influence of Cereus vargasianus Cárdenas and Brasiliopuntia sp. (Cactaceae: Arborescent) on the Composition of the BTEs in the Pampas - Apurímac Riparian Corridor, Ayacucho Region

Efrain Suclli Montañez — 2025-06-27

The floristic composition of seasonally dry tropical forests BTEs in Peruvian territory is very varied, given the particularity of the biotic and abiotic components that make up the northern coast, the south-central Andean area and the eastern Amazonian slope. These attributes determine a clearly dissimilar composition and structure in reference to the forest species. This is the case of the dry forest that makes up the Pampas – Apurímac riparian corridor located on the northeastern departmental border of the Ayacucho and Cusco regions; the presence of Cereus vargasianus and Brasiliopuntia sp., cacti with a tree-like habit and new records for the region, would reinforce the particularity of a type of composition and structure unique in flora species of the BTEs of the inter-Andean type and the tropical area in general. The evaluation on 1000 m2 plots resulted in interaction with 13 woody species: Anadenanthera colubrina, Eriotheca vargasii, Ceiba aff. boliviana, Pseudobombax aff. marginatum, Tabebuia roseoalba, Handroanthus chrysanthus, Morisonia flexuosa, Juanulloa parasítica, Curatella americana, Erythroxylum squamatum, Ipomoea pauciflora, Luehea paniculata and Croton sp1. which reaffirms the uniqueness and conservation value of this plant formation.