Evolution and growth

Abstract

Evolution is a constant process. Living beings, human societies, people, countries, and knowledge evolve, among many other aspects. Mammalia æquatorialis is no stranger to this process of change. Starting with this issue, we have adopted English as the official language: first in our digital magazine, but over the course of the next year, we will translate our website. This does not mean that we will stop publishing articles or scientific notes in our mother tongue. Submissions in Spanish will be welcome for all those who wish to publish in this language; however, starting with this issue, we will prefer to receive submissions in the language of science, which will allow the scientific material that we publish to reach a wider audience. Issue 4 of Mammalia æquatorialis opens with two articles that document the richness of mammals in two regions of the country. The first one focuses on a camera-trap study carried out in the Cerro Blanco Protected Forest, a natural area a few kilometers from the city of Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. This proximity means that the wildlife present there faces several threats due to the pressure that the large urban center exerts on the small nature reserve. Despite this, the study recorded 16 species of native mammals, among them two primates (Alouatta palliata and Cebus aequatorialis) that are critically endangered in the country. The second study was carried out in small fragments of Andean forest south of the city of Quito. The study used pitfall traps to record eight species of small mammals. Among them, the mouse Thomasomys vulcani stands out as the most abundant species, despite being categorized as Vulnerable according to the Lista Roja de los mamíferos del Ecuador (Tirira, 2021). The abundance of T. vulcani is perhaps an indicator that its conservation status is better than suspected, and it would be worthwhile to carry out complementary studies in other locations to confirm it. Issue 4 of Mammalia æquatorialis continues with two other articles based on geographic distribution models for other threatened species. The first deals with the Ecuadorian Brown-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps), a species categorized as Critically Endangered and considered one of the 25 most threatened primate species in the world. The study confirms that this primate has lost an important area of its natural habitat (the forests of the northern coast of Ecuador), and its projected conservation for 2050 is not encouraging, since the effects of climate change and fragmentation will further reduce the scarce natural forests that it occupies. The second article investigates the availability of habitat for the Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles), a species of deer categorized as Endangered on the Lista Roja de los mamíferos del Ecuador (Tirira, 2021). The distribution model generated was based on data from the northern population, which covers the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and the extreme north of Peru, north of the Huancabamba Depression. The study updates its distribution in Colombia, confirming that the species is likely only present in the Cordillera Central of the Andes, since the records in the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Oriental have not been confirmed. Also, the model indicates that the most suitable habitats for Pudu mephistophiles (northern population) are in the high parts of the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador and that temperature is the main climatic variable that influences its distribution. The last article of number 4 of Mammalia æquatorialis offers an analysis of the socioeconomic impact of the whale-watching industry in Puerto López, a small village in southern Manabí, due to the attraction of the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). As a result, tourism services and employment opportunities have increased, bringing development and a better lifestyle to the region. Unlike the endangered species in the previous articles, the Humpback Whale is one of the few mammals to have been removed from conservation categories in the latest edition of the Lista Roja de los mamíferos del Ecuador (Tirira, 2021), as it is now treated as a Least Concern species. One of the reasons for this change in category is the recovery of their populations, apparently supported in part by the increase in whale tourism in various regions of the planet. This is the fourth issue of Mammalia æquatorialis. We are evolving and growing. Thanks for being with us.