Aquatic vascular plant species of la tembladera lagoon, El Oro province, Ecuador

Abstract

An inventory of aquatic vascular species of the La Tembladera lagoon, Santa Rosa canton, Province del Oro, Ecuador; 200 ha wetland of average area, of which, an average section of 51.94 ha was taken as the sampling area, which presents navigation facilities and better conditions for sampling, such as depth, less anthropic intervention. It is located in Littoral Sur, characterized by a dry tropical climate, with a temperature ranging between 24 and 26 ºC, and an average rainfall of 250 and 500 mm / year. In this area of life there is a marked difference between the dry and the rainy season. The first extends from May to December or until January, while the second begins in January and ends in April or May. Ten equidistant distributed sampling points on the periphery of the sample area were chosen, where the location of the sampling point with its depth and geographic coordinates, registration of floating and emerging aquatic vascular species in the rectangle area and sampling were recorded. Botanicals for identification. For sampling, a PVC rectangle of 2 inches in diameter was designed with dimensions 2m x 1m, for 2 m2 of area, placing it perpendicular to the ground-water interface at each sampling point. All species included in the rectangle were recorded and identified. The identification of the species was based on the use of taxonomic literature, consultation with specialists, in addition to the review and critical comparison of the samples collected with exsiccate deposited in the Herbarium of Guayaquil (GUAY), National Herbarium of Venezuela (VEN); Herbarium of the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Zulia (HERZU). Ten (10) aquatic vascular species were censored during the May-October 2018 period, grouped into 8 families, two Pteridophytes (Pteridaceae and Salviniaceae) and six Angiosperms, including four monocots (Araceae, Cyperaceae, Pontederaceae and Typhaceae) and two dicotyledons (Araliaceae and Leguminosae).