Original article

Characterization of melliferous species in the tropical dry forest oriented to their conservation

Alfredo Jiménez González^{1  *} 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1768-5566

María José Cedeño Loor¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3861-8511

Laleshka Michelle Vera Salazar¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8000-114X

Sonia Rosete Blandariz¹ 
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8596-5121

¹Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí. Ecuador.

ABSTRACT

In the Quimis area of the Jipijapa Canton, an investigation was carried out related to the characterization of plant species that provide sustenance to bees in the production of honey that is used by local residents involved in the Aroma y Miel Association, among other uses, to market it. The objective of this study was based on characterizing the melliferous species of the tropical dry forest oriented to its conservation. Seven active apiaries distributed within the enclosure were selected, where four weekly samplings were made, with a total of 28 transects of 20 m x 50 m, taking as a starting point the apiaries to identify and count the number of species of apicultural use. A total of 31 species, 1,527 individuals, belonging to 16 families were determined. The botanical family with the highest abundance was Fabaceae with 290 individuals, and the most abundant species were Ceiba trichistandra (A. Gray) Bakh and Prosopis pallida (Willd.) Kunth, due to the greater beekeeping use and commercialization. The most frequent biological types were trees, followed by shrubs, herbaceous and lianas, respectively. The months of greatest flowering are from March to the beginning of October.

Palabras clave: Trees; Dry forest; Bee flora; Flowers.

INTRODUCTION

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ^{(FAO, 2018)}, forests are home to more than three quarters of the world's terrestrial biodiversity and constitute an invaluable resource for the socio-economic development of hundreds of millions of people, mainly in rural areas. Among the main causes of forest loss are conversion to other land uses, mostly agriculture, deforestation, degradation and illegal logging practices.

Additionally, the recovery of forested areas, the reduction of logging and proper forest management have become priority activities to restore forests, the biodiversity they harbor and the environmental services they provide, as a strategy to cope with the effects of climate change ^{(Miranda 2019)}.

Ecuador is a country rich in natural resources, with a climatic and biological diversity such as tropical and Andean forests ^{(Vivanco, Rosillo and Macias, 2020)}. Beekeeping enterprises at the level of the country and the province of Manabi, are generally at a medium level with techniques oriented for sustainable management in order to obtain a good production ^{(Guallpa, Guilcapi and Espinoza, 2019)}.

Bee flora or melliferous flora is known as the set of plant species in a region that produce substances or elements that bees collect for their benefit, generally nectar and pollen ^{(Tejeda et al., 2019)}.

Other authors such as ^{May and Rodríguez (2012)}, state that, in order to know possible conservation and restoration needs of ecosystems and to be able to adapt apiary management to changes in natural potential, it is important to have a good knowledge of the plants whose flowers the bees use to obtain honey and pollen, in their flowering seasons, and of the landscape components in which they are present. Such knowledge can also be used to assess the potential for producing honeys of a particular floral origin, which is important for marketing in international markets.

According to the ^{Agencia Ecuatoriana Aseguramiento de la Calidad del Agro [AGROCALIDAD] (2017)}, Ecuadorian beekeeping is distributed in 902 beekeeping farms, of which 63 % are located in the highlands, 27 % in the coast, and 4 % in the Amazon. The land registry operation registered 12,188 hives, distributed with 46 % in two-story hives, 27 % in one-story hives, and 14 % in three-story hives.

The present investigation has been elaborated in the framework of the projects, "Components of the biological diversity used by the families of Manabí in the natural and traditional medicine", by the majoring on forest engineering, and "Biodiversity and Tourism in the coastal region of Ecuador", of the majoring on tourism, financed by the State University of the South of Manabí and has as objective to characterize the melliferous species that are in the Quimis enclosure, canton Jipijapa, oriented to its conservation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Location of the area

The Quimis area belongs to the Jipijapa canton, it is located to the south of the Province of Manabí, it limits to the North with the parroquia La Pila; to the South with the Sancán community; to the East with the Cerrito la Asunción area and to the West, with the Membrillal parroquia.

Methodology

To characterize the melliferous species found in the Quimis enclosure, seven apiaries located in areas of the tropical dry forest described by the Ministry of Environment ^{(MAE 2013)} were investigated (Figure 1).

Fig. 1.  - Location of the transects carried out in the area of influence of the seven selected active apiaries in the tropical dry forest of the Quimis area 

The collected species were grouped by families, analyzing aspects of each taxa such as biological type, texture, and leaf size; then the chorological types were classified according to ^{Borhidi (1996)}; the biological types of ^{Raunkiaer (1905)} determined according to the key of ^{Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois (1966}, ^{Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois 1967)}; as well as the morphological characteristics and texture of the leaves ^{(Valdés and Paneque 2008}; ^{Aguirre 2012)}.

As a reference to the classification of pollen and nectar obtained from the species found in the study, the criteria of ^{Insuasty, Martinez and Jurado (2016)} were taken into account.

In order to know the threat status of the melliferous species found in the Quimis area the Red List of the flora of Ecuador (International Union for Conservation of Nature) was reviewed ^{(IUCN 2020)}. In the identification and taxonomic classification of the bee flora, the criteria of ^{Insuasty, Martínez, and Jurado (2016)} were taken into account.

The nomenclature of the melliferous species cited in the Quimis area was determined by reviewing the Tropics database of the Botanical Information System at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Catalogue of Life ^{(Roskov et al., 2019)}, as for the Quimis area (Tropics 2020) and the Catalogue of Life ^{(Roskov et al., 2019)}, while common names were provided by local guides ^{(Jiménez 2012)}; ^{(Jiménez, 2012)}; ^{(Jiménez, Pionce, Sotolongo, & Ramos, 2016)}. On the other hand, the categories of cultivated, wild, endemic or introduced flora species were determined by reviewing the Red Book of the Flora of Ecuador ^{(León et al., 2011)} and the Encyclopedia of Useful Plants of Ecuador ^{(De la Torre et al., 2008)}.

To carry out the transects, the methodology described by ^{Aguilar et al., (2019)} was used, in which, after selecting the active apiaries, four weekly samples were taken per apiary using transects of 20 x 50 m, thus the apiaries were taken as a starting point to identify and count the number of beekeeping species. During the tours and visits to the site, an invitation was received to attend a honey harvest in the apiary of Mr. Mario Rivera.

Data analysis

Shannon's index and the reciprocal of Simpson's index were calculated, with the objective of determining the species with the highest diversity in the forest that supports the life of the studied apiaries; according to what was reported by ^{Jiménez et al. (2021)}, beekeepers have knowledge about the existing vegetation in the Quimis area, however, they do not know the totality of the melliferous species that exist around their apiaries and at the same time it was confirmed that Apis mellifera bees obtain food from several species which were not mentioned by the interviewees in that study.

RESULTS

Characterization of melliferous species found in the Quimis area, Jipijapa canton

A total of 31 species were inventoried distributed in the seven apiaries established in Quimis (Table 1) with a total of 1527 individuals.

Table 1.  - Species identified in the Tropical Dry Forest of the Quimis site 

Scientific name	Families
Prosopis pallida (Willd.) Kunth	Fabaceae
Bonellia sprucei (Mez) B. Ståhl & Källersjö	Primulaceae
Caesalpinia paipai Ruiz & Pav.	Fabaceae
Ceiba trischistandra (A. Gray) Bakh.	Malvaceae
Trema micrantha (L.) Bl.	Cannabaceae
Croton rivinifolius Kunth	Euphorbiaceae
Acnitus arborencens (L.) Schltdl.	Solanaceae
Pithecellobium arboreum (L.) Urb.	Fabaceae
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus (Benth.) Hauenschild.	Rhamnaceae
Convolvulus arvensis L.	Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth	Convolvulaceae
Xenostegia medium(L.) D. F. Austin & G. W. Staples	Convolvulaceae
Vachellia macracantha (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Seigler & Ebinger	Fabaceae
Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.	Malvaceae
Eriotheca ruizii (K. Schum.) A. Robyns	Malvaceae
Leucaena trichodes (Jacq.) Benth.	Fabaceae
Coccoloba ruiziana Lindau	Polygonaceae
Mimosa acantholoba (Willd.) Poir.	Fabaceae
Cordia lutea Lam.	Ehretiaceae
Muntingia calabura L.	Muntingiaceae
Bursera graveolens (Kunth) Triana & Planch.	Burseraceae
Guapira floribunda (Hook. fil.) Lundell.	Nyctaginaceae
Erythrina velutina Willd.	Fabaceae
Vallesia glabra (Cav.) Link	Apocynaceae
Jatropha curcas L.	Euphorbiaceae
Pithecellobium excelsum (Kunth) Mart.	Fabaceae
Cynophalla flexuosa (L.) J. Presl	Capparaceae
Capparicordis crotonoides (Kunth) Iltis & Cornejo	Capparaceae
Geoffroea spinosa Jacq.	Fabaceae
Pisonia aculeata L.	Nyctaginaceae
Colicodendron scabridum (Kunth) Hutchinson	Capparaceae

Among the most represented are the Fabaceae family with nine species, followed by the families Malvaceae, Capparaceae, Convolvulaceae with three species each one.

In Figure 2, the results of the abundance by families are presented, reaching the highest value Fabaceae, with 290 individuals, while the family Apocynaceae has only one individual (Figure 2).

Fig. 2.  - Most represented families according to the number of individuals in the Tropical Dry Forest of the Quimis site 

Conservation status according to IUCN

As mentioned in Table 2, the Red List Category, for the most part, the species found in the Tropical Dry Forest of the Quimis area are in a conservation status of least concern (LC) or species with insufficient data (DD). On the other hand, the species Pithecellobium arboreum is the only species in the fourth category called "Vulnerable (VU), likewise Croton rivinifolius is the only species that is "Endangered (EN)" (Table 2).

Table 2.  - Conservation status of melliferous species of the tropical dry forest in the Quimis área 

	IUCN Category
Scientific name	DD	LC	NT	VU	EN	CR	EW	EX
Mimosa acantholoba		X
Pythecellobium arboreum				X
Caesalpinia paipai		X
Pithecellobium excelsum		X
Geoffroea spinosa		X
Erythrina velutina
Prosopis pallida
Vachellia macracantha
Leucaena trichodes
Jatropha curcas		X
Croton rivinifolius					X
Pisonia aculeata		X
Guapira floribunda		X
Bursera graveolens		X
Muntingia calabura
Trema micrantha
Ceiba trichistandra		X
Eriotheca ruizii
Guazuma ulmifolia		X
Cordia lutea		X
Xenostegia médium
Convolvulus arvensis
Ipomoea purpurea
Acnitus arborencens
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus
Coccoloba ruiziana
Vallesia glabra		X
Cynophalla flexuosa		X
Colicodendron scabridum		X
Capparicordis crotonoides
Bonellia sprucei

Note: DD= data deficient; LC= Least Concern; NT= Near Threatened; VU= Vulnerable; EN= Endangered; CR= Critically Endangered; EW=Extinct in the Wild; EX=Extinct from the Wild.

Chorological classification

The results of the chorology are presented in (Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5).

Table 3.  - Biological types and forest types of the melliferous species inventoried in the Quimis área 

Scientific name	Biological type	Forest type
Mimosa acantholoba	Mcp	Bsp
Pithecellobium arboreum	Msp	Bsp
Caesalpinia paipai	McMsp	Bsp
Pithecellobium excelsum	M-Mcp	Bsp
Geoffroea spinosa	Msp	Bsp/Bsa
Erythrina velutina	Msp	Bsp
Prosopis pallida	McMsp	Bsp/Bsa
Vachellia macracantha	McMsp	Bsp/Bsa
Leucaena trichodes	M-Mcp	Bsp
Jatropha curcas	M-Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Croton rivinifolius	Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Pisonia aculeata	Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Guapira floribunda	Msp	Bsp
Bursera graveolens	Msp	Bsp/Bsa
Eriotheca ruizii	Msp	Bsp
Muntingia calabura	Msp	Bsp/Bsa/Bsap
Trema micrantha	Mcp	Bsp/Bsa/BsvtbC
Ceiba trichistandra	Mgp	Bsp/Bsa
Guazuma ulmifolia	McMsp	Bsp/Bsa
Cordia lutea	Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Xenostegia médium	P	Bsp/Bsa
Convolvulus arvensis	H	Bsp/Bsa
Ipomoea purpurea	H	Bsp/Bsa
Acnitus arborencens	Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus	Msp	Bsp
Coccoloba ruiziana	Mcp	Bsp
Vallesia glabra	M-Mcp	Bsp/Bsa
Cynophalla flexuosa	McMsp	Bsp/Bsa
Colicodendron scabridum	Msp	Bsp/Bsa
Capparicordis crotonoides	M-Mcp	Bsp
Bonellia sprucei	McMsp	Bsp

Legend: biological types: microphanerophytes (Mcp)= small between 5- 10 m; mesophanerophytes (Msp)= trees 15- 30 m; micromesophanerophytes (McMsp)= small to medium-sized trees 8- 15 m; micronano-panerophytes (M-Mcp)= woody plants between 2- 5 m; hemicryptophytes (H)= perennial herbs with buds on the soil surface; phanerophytes (P)= plants with woody stems, shrubs or herbs with stems over 50 cmtall; mega-phyanerophytes (Mgp)= large trees, over 30 m; dry forest type: Bsp= pluvio-seasonal dry forest; Bsa= Andean dry forest; Bsap= piedmont Andean evergreen forest; BsvtbC= lowland evergreen forest Chocó.

Table 4.  - Characteristics of the leaves of the species of the Tropical Dry Forest of the Quimis site 

Scientific name	Blade type	Composite sheet type	Sheet size	Leaf edge	Leaf shape	Leaf texture
Mimosa acantholoba	Hc	Cbi	Nan	Be	Fli	Car
Pithecellobium arboreum	Hc	Cbi	Lep	Be	Fli	Car
Caesalpinia paipai	Hc	Cbi	Nan	Be	Fova	Mem
Pithecellobium excelsum	Hc	Cbi	Mic	Be	Fova	Car
Geoffroea spinosa	Hc	Cbi	Lep	Be	Fli	Car
Erythrina velutina	Hc	Ctri	Not	Bl	Fe	Mem
Prosopis pallida	Hc	Cbi	Nan	Be	Fli	Mem
Vachellia macracantha	Hc	Cbi	Nan	Be	Fob	Mem
Leucaena trichodes	Hc	Cimp	Mic	Be	Fl	Car
Jatropha curcas	Hs		Not	Bl	Ft	Mem
Croton rivinifolius	Hs	Ctri	Not	Be	Fl	Car
Pisonia aculeata	Hs		Mic	Be	Fl	Mem
Guapira floribunda	Hs		Not	Be	Fe	Mem
Bursera graveolens	Hc	Cimp	Not	Bd	Fc	Mem
Eriotheca ruizii	Hs		Not	Bl	Fe	Mem
Muntingia calabura	Hs		Not	Bd	Fl	Suc
Trema micrantha	Hs		Not	Be	Fe	Mem
Ceiba trichistandra	Hc	Cpa	Mes	Be	Fe	Car
Guazuma ulmifolia	Hs		Not	Bd	Fl	Mem
Cordia lutea	Hs		Not	Bd	Fe	Cor
Xenostegia médium	Hs		Not	Bl	Fc	Mem
Convolvulus arvensis	Hs		Not	Bl	Ft	Suc
Ipomoea purpurea	Hs		Not	Bl	Ft	Mem
Acnitus arborencens	Hs		Not	Be	Fe	Suc
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus	Hs		Not	Bd	Fob	Car
Coccoloba ruiziana	Hs		Not	Be	Fov	Car
Vallesia glabra	Hs		Mic	Be	Fl	Suc
Cynophalla flexuosa	Hc	Cimp	Mic	Be	Fa	Cor
Capparicordis crotonoides	Hs		Not	Be	Fl	Cor
Colicodendron scabridum	Hs		Not	Be	Fz	Cor
Bonellia sprucei	Hc	Cimp	Mes	Be	Fo	Cor

Legend: leaf type: Hs= simple leaf; Hc= compound leaf; compound leaf type: Cbi= compound bifolate leaves; Cimp= compound imparipinnate leaves; Ctri= compound trifolate leaves; Cpa= compound palmate leaves; leaf size: nanophyllous (Nan)= area up to 0.25 cm² and length 0.5 - 1cm; notophyllous (Not)= area up to 12.5 cm² and length 6-23cm; microphyllous (Mic)= area 1.75 cm² and length 1- 6 cm; leptophyllous. (Lep)= small leaves with an area of less than 0.25 cm² and length of 1-5 mm; mesophilic (Mes)= area up to 2.5 cm² and length of 13- 20 cmapophyllous. (Af)= leafless; leaf margin: Be= entire margin; Bl= lobed margin; Bd= serrated margin; leaf shape: Fli= linear shape; Fe= elliptic shape; Fl= lanceolate shape; Fova= ovate shape; Fob= oblong shape; Ft= triangular shape; Fc= cordate shape; Fo= oblanceolate shape; Fz= tendril shape; Fov= ovate shape; Fa= acicular shape; leaf texture: cartaceous (Car)= like cardboard or paper; membranous (Mem)= extremely soft in texture; coriaceous (Cor)= leather-like hard; succulent (Suc)= fleshy.

Table 5.  - Characteristics of the trunks of the species of the Tropical Dry Forest of the Quimis site 

Scientific name	Stem type	Texture of the crust
Mimosa acantholoba	Tl	Tr
Pithecellobium arboretum	Tl	Tr
Caesalpinia paipai	Tl	Tli
Pithecellobium excelsum	Tl	Tr
Geoffroea spinosa	Tl	Tr
Erythrina velutina	Tl	Tli
Prosopis pallida	Tl	Tr
Vachellia macracantha	Tl	Tr
Leucaena trichodes	Tl	Tli
Jatropha curcas	Tl	Tli
Croton rivinifolius	Tl	Tli
Pisonia aculeata	Tl	Tli
Guapira floribunda	Tl	Tli
Bursera graveolens	Tl	Tli
Eriotheca ruizii	Tl	Tli
Muntingia calabura	Tl	Tli
Trema micrantha	Tl	Tr
Ceiba trichistandra	Tl	Tli
Guazuma ulmifolia	Tl	Tr
Cordia lutea	Tl	Tr
Xenostegia medium	Th	Tli
Convolvulus arvensis	Th	Tli
Ipomoea purpurea	Lia	Tli
Acnitus arborencens	Tl	Tli
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus	Tl	Tli
Coccoloba ruiziana	Tl	Tli
Vallesia glabra	Tl	Tr
Cynophalla flexuosa	Tl	Tr
Capparicordis crotonoides	Tl	Tr
Colicodendron scabridum	Tl	Tr
Bonellia sprucei	Tl	Tr

Legend: stem type: Tl=woody stem; Th=herbaceous stem; Lia= liana; stem texture: Tli=smooth stem; Tr= rough stem.

The results of melliferous species according to pollen supply, nectar supply or both (Table 6).

Table 6v - Distribution of melliferous species according to their contribution of pollen and nectar to bees in honey production 

Melliferous species	Pollen	Nectar	Pollen/Nectar
Acnitus arborencens		X
Vachellia macracantha			X
Pithecellobium excelsum			X
Ceiba trichistandra			X
Guazuma ulmifolia			X
Capparicordis crotonoides			X
Colicodendron scabridum			X
Prosopis pallida			X
Eriotheca ruizii			X
Convolvulus arvensis		X
Bursera graveolens
Guapira floribunda			X
Erythrina velutina			X
Pithecellobium arboreum			X
Mutingia calabura			X
Xenostegia médium		X
Cordia lutea		X
Cynophalla flexuosa		X

Table 7 shows the categories of flora species according to whether they are cultivated, native, endemic, introduced or wild (Table 7).

Table 7.  - Plants categorized according to their management category 

Scientific name	C	N	E	I	S
Mimosa acantholoba
Pithecellobium arboreum		X
Caesalpinia paipai		X
Pithecellobium excelsum		X
Geoffroea spinosa		X
Erythrina velutina		X
Prosopis pallida		X
Vachellia macracantha		X
Leucaena trichodes		X
Jatropha curcas	X			X
Croton rivinifolius		X	X
Pisonia aculeata		X
Guapira floribunda
Bursera graveolens		X
Muntingia calabura		X
Trema micrantha		X
Ceiba trichistandra		X
Eriotheca ruizii		X
Guazuma ulmifolia		X
Cordia lutea		X
Xenostegia médium	X	X
Convolvulus arvensis				X
Ipomoea purpurea
Acnitus arborencens
Sarcomphalus thyrsiflorus		X
Coccoloba ruiziana		X			X
Vallesia glabra		X
Cynophalla flexuosa
Colicodendron scabridum
Capparicordis crotonoides
Bonellia sprucei		X

Note: C (cultivated); S (wild); E (endemic); I (introduced); N (native).

As detailed in the table above, most of the species are native to the Tropical Dry Forest, on the other hand, the species Croton rivinifolius is endemic to the Quimis area.

Shannon and Simpson Index (D)

According to the results, the diversity of species according to the Shannon index is classified as a high diversity in the area of the Quimis area, evidenced by the result obtained H=4.2656. In this same sense, Cordia Lutea species stand out; while Pithecellobium arboreum and Vallesia glabra present low dominance in the study area.

The results of the reciprocal of Simpson's Dominance (λ) = 0.06 and Simpson's (1-λ) = 0.93 show a high expectation for a random selection of two or more individuals of the same species in the established research area.

DISCUSSION

According to the results of the diversity of species inventoried in the Quimis enclosure through sampling it was found that these results differ with those obtained by ^{Aguilar et al., (2019)}, who reported 89 species, 39 families, and 2 394 individuals. Likewise, the results of the botanical species mentioned coincide with those reported by ^{(MAE 2013)}.

On the other hand, the IUCN reported the species Croton rivinifolius as endangered (EN), i.e. it has a high risk of extinction in the wild, which agrees with the reports of ^{Astudillo-Sánchez et al., (2019)}, while the species Pithecellobium arboreum is considered vulnerable (VU), being evaluated in 2020, as presented in the IUCN Red Book ^{(IUCN 2020)}. In this sense, both species face a risk of extinction or population decline in the medium term.

The species Colicodendron scabridum and Bursera graveolens, according to the IUCN Red Book, are categorized as LC (least concern), i.e. they are not critically endangered. On the other hand, ^{Carrillo (2015)} does not agree with the threat status of those two species, as he considers them to be categorized as critically endangered (CR).

According to the chorological classification of each species mentioned in the Quimis area, which was carried out with the aim of obtaining data on the structural characteristics of individuals, ie: root, stem, leaves, fruits, it was found that this coincides with that reported in other studies, such as those of ^{REDMIC (2019)}, which briefly ensure the concept of chorology as a study that occupies the area of distribution of organisms associated with the date of sampling or observation, in addition to introducing the species with the date of sampling in the locality indicated, other data of interest is incorporated, i.e., the depth, degree of uncertainty of the coordinates, reliability of the identification and location, author of the collection or observation, number of specimens and a field of notes where it can be commented on relevant information associated with the data. Other works with different results mention the elaboration and chorological classification from a single specimen ^{(Salas and Déniz, 2019)}.

The polliniferous and nectariferous species observed in the Quimis area, that in effect there are about 23 species of plants visited by the bees and that not only focus on the most common such as; the Ceiba trichistandra and Prosopis pallida that are the most used by the beekeepers, if not that these travel around the other species that are in the forest; such as the rastrearas and the shrubs managing to obtain their own food.

On the other hand, ^{Insuasty, Martínez and Jurado (2016)}, indicated that certain species can be used by Apis mellifera as alternative polliniferous resources, when there is a low availability of pollen contributing species around the apiaries, which coincides with this study.

Likewise, the species with the highest number of individuals was Cordia lutea, while Vallesia glabra presented the lowest number of individuals in relation to the data cited by ^{Jiménez et al. (2017)}, who mentioned that these species have flowers useful for the production of pollen and honey due to their long flowering, aroma or chemical properties, among them: Acacia macracantha, Terminalia valverdeae, Tabebuia chrysantha, Cordia lutea and Eriotheca ruizii.

For continuity, it should be added that the Shannon index obtained with the data collected in Quimis reflects a high diversity of 4.26; differing from the analysis conducted by ^{Muñoz, Erazo and Armijos (2014)}, in southwestern Ecuador who reported a value of 2.51 indicating a medium diversity. Similarly, Simpson's index showed a high dominance (S=0.93); similar to that reported by a study of the floristic composition and structure of the dry forests of the Province of Loja, Ecuador ^{Aguirre et al., (2013)}, who reported a high dominance (S= 0.89).

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Received: April 07, 2021; Accepted: July 14, 2021