La intervención en el territorio como una herramienta para la resiliencia ante el cambio climático

El presente documento describe la implementación de acciones en cooperación con Universidades Centroamericanas en relación con la Universidad de Alcalá, España, específicamente con lo relacionado con las actividades implementadas en el marco del PROGRAMA UNIVERSITARIO DE DESARROLLO LOCAL con la finalidad de establecer la vinculación con el territorio. Además se presenta esta metodología como un aporte de la academia ante los impactos del cambio climático, pues es de vital importancia el aporte de las escuelas de educación superior en cuanto a la innovación para promover la resiliencia como estrategia para disminuir el impacto del cambio climático. Se plantea algunas conclusiones y los pasos seguidos para impactar los territorios

Rediscovery of the Honduran Emerald Amazilia luciae in western Honduras: insights on the distribution, ecology, and conservation of a 'Critically Endangered' hummingbird

Summary The Honduran Emerald Amazilia luciae is endemic to dry forests of Honduras and currently recognised as 'Critically Endangered.' Here we present the first modern assessment of its distribution, ecology, and conservation, based partly on our rediscovery of the species in western Honduras and on our observations in three Honduran departments. We found that dry forests inhabited by the emerald differed in structure and species composition between eastern and western Honduras, where we observed emeralds in open-canopied deciduous thorn forests and closed-canopied semi-deciduous woodlands, respectively. We interpret these differences in light of the geological and anthropogenic origins of dry forests in Honduras, and discuss the implications of such origins for the conservation of dry forests. Although our findings expand the known distribution and population size of the species, its status as 'Critically Endangered' is warranted due to its restricted distribution in dry forest fragments and increasing human pressures on this habitat. Resumen El Esmeralda Hondureñ o Amazilia luciae es una especie endémica del bosque seco en Honduras que actualmente es considerada Criticamente Amenazada. Presentamos la primera evaluación moderna de su distribució n, ecología, y estado de conservació n, con base en nuestro reciente redescubrimiento de la especie en el oeste de Honduras y en nuestras observaciones en tres departamentos hondureñ os. Describrimos que A. luciae habita bosques distintos en el este y oeste de Honduras, con los bosques del este siendo espinosos de baja estatura y un dosel abierto, mientras en el oeste son más hú medos, altos, y con su dosel relativamente más cerrado. Damos una interpretació n a esas diferencias con base en el orígen geoló gico y las actividades antropogénicas, y discutimos su importancia en la conservació n del bosque seco. Aunque el redescrubriemento de A. luciae en el oeste de Honduras significa que la distribució n y tamañ o poblacional de la especie son más amplios que lo antes conocido, su estatus de amenaza como 'Criticamente Amenazada' es merecido porque la extensión del bosque seco en Honduras es compuesto por fragmentos aislados que sufren bastante presió n de actividades humanas

Setting the scene

Fungi are a keystone component of all ecosystems on earth and have shaped the structure and functioning of nature for eons. Their body is made up of an interwoven mass of threadlike filaments, individually called hyphae and altogether known as mycelium. When fungi form spore-forming structures, the so-called mushrooms, these are also built up of hyphae. The three known trophic groups of fungi have had a fundamental functional diversity in the development of life as we know it. The so-called saprotrophs use the complex dead materials of plants, animals, and microorganisms, including other fungi, as their source of energy—playing a crucial role in nutrient recycling in nature. Mycorrhizal fungi, which establish symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants, have gone hand in hand with plants in the colonization of life on land environments since more than 400 million years. Ectomycorrhizal fungi, in particular, are currently essential in maintaining forest masses worldwide since they establish mutualistic relationships with trees and shrubs mainly. According to the recently named Read’s rule, they dominate ecosystems with low mineralization rates in high-latitude regions with cold and dry climates. Furthermore, they have also been considered the earth’s natural internet, or ‘wood wide web’, because they connect plants and enable them to share nutrients, water, and signal compounds among individuals and species. These networks also help stocking carbon in organic forms from the atmosphere, contributing to climate regulation. Some fungi also establish parasitic relationships with plants and animals, working as an evolutionary force and a selection pressure factor of paramount importance in these groups of living organisms. On top of this ecological and evolutionary relevance, the reproductive structures of fungi, the mushrooms, have shapes and colours that have always fascinated humans. Since early human history, mushrooms have also been an important source of food, medicine, and ceremonial use, all around the world. They also cause death or disease, since deadly and poisonous species exist. Nowadays, they are an important source for the search of new antibiotics, enzymes with industrial use, bioremediation, biofuels, cosmetics, inks, and dyes. In this introductory chapter, we will first describe some remarkable ecological facts related to mushrooms, including members of the three trophic groups previously mentioned. Then, we will provide evidences of the ancient relationships between mushrooms and humans; and, finally, we will analyse the relationships between mushrooms, humans, and nature in different parts of the world, describing and illustrating different realities in five continents