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Copyright of Plants, People, Planet is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Domestic species, including equids, were introduced in the Galapagos Islands in the XIX century. Equine vector-borne diseases are circulating in South America but their occurrence in the Galapagos Island was unknown. The objective of this study was to detect the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV) and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in the four Galapagos Islands raising equids if they were present at a prevalence >1%. Serum samples were collected from 411 equids belonging to 124 owners from April to July 2019. All the results were negative to the ELISA tests used suggesting that WNV, USUV and EIAV are not circulating in the equine population of the Galapagos Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Revista CIENCIA UNEMI is the property of Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Patient: Female, 40-year-old Final Diagnosis: Hepatic hydatid cyst * Presence of Entamoeba histolytica Symptoms: Discomfort * pain in the hypochondrium upper right * palpable mass * jaundice and fever of several days of evolution Clinical Procedure: Abdominal computed tomography (CT) * abdominal ultrasound * association of cases (epidemiology) * clinical finding * coproparasitic and blood tests * surgery * treatment Specialty: Laboratory Diagnostics * Infectious Diseases * General and Internal Medicine * Public Health * Surgery * Tropical Medicine Objective: Rare disease Background: Hepatic hydatidosis, or echinococcosis, is a zoonosis with worldwide prevalence and is potentially lethal in humans. This report presents a case of hydatidosis in a 40-year-old woman that was associated with a zoonotic transmission of Echinococcus granulosus from domestic dogs in an urban-marginal area of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. This report shows how early diagnosis and awareness favored the correct treatment of the disease. Case Report: A 40-year-old woman from the aforementioned sector presented the following symptoms: malaise, pain in the upper right hypochondrium, palpable mass, jaundice, and fever. Next, the patient's fecal samples were analyzed by direct coproparasitic methods, flotation, and sedimentation with centrifugation using saline solution, whereby the presence of Entamoeba histolytica eggs was determined. Likewise, she underwent an ultrasound, in which hepatic hydatid cysts were observed. Subsequently, the cysts were treated and surgically removed, and parasitic forms of E. granulosus were identified. Later, coproparasitic analysis of her 2 domestic dogs for coproantigen ELISA were performed, by which the presence of this cestode was also identified and confirmed. Conclusions: Hydatidosis is a zoonosis that can affect the population, especially in endemic areas of developed and underdeveloped countries. In this case, hepatic hydatidosis was identified in a 40-year-old woman. Additionally, the presence of E. granulosus eggs was determined in the fecal matter of her dogs, which indicated that the patient's relatives and other people around them were exposed to this zoonosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación is the property of Instituto Corporativo Edwards Deming and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Here, we propose the first useful energy balance of Ecuadorian transport. Then we model the energy demand up to 2050 through three prospective scenarios developed in LEAP to assess significant sector decarbonization. The aim is to determine the reduction of final energy by replacing fossil fuels with electricity and applying sustainable policies in the whole sector. The analysis for the base year (2018) indicates that transport consumes 62 587 ± 7441 and 14 001 ± 1744 GWh for final and useful energy, respectively, corresponding to 22.37% of conversion. Therefore, by 2050 Ecuador will require between 21 783 (optimistic scenario) and 28 241 (pessimistic scenario) GWh of useful energy. The conversion in the first scenario was 30.71%, whereas it decreased to 22.02% in the second scenario, showing the beneficial effect of greener policies. The model presents a significant decarbonization of the total fleet from 0.002% to 40%, corresponding to 28 371 GWh of useful energy by 2050. To validate this finding, we evaluated the renewable electric potential of Ecuador, considering the functioning and feasible future generation projects. As a result, we calculated that this goal could be achieved with 23.9% of the total capacity. Therefore, future studies can focus on the possibility of total decarbonization of the sector employing the global efficiencies presented here. • ∼99% of Ecuadorian transport relies on fossils, and it converts 22.37% to useful work. • Private transport uses double the energy compared with the public, and it uses lower efficient engines. • Ecuador requires from 21783 to 28241 GWh of useful energy to make the sector function. • 23.9% of renewable electrical potential would decarbonize 40% of the transport sector. • ∼63% of renewable electrical potential would decarbonize the whole system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Dioecious plants generally display sexual dimorphism in male and female floral traits, potentially attracting slightly different pollinator communities. The sharing of common floral visitors between male and female flowers and their timing of visits to both sexes is of critical importance to ensure plant's reproductive success. Palm inflorescences are visited by abundant and diverse insect communities, yet the temporal patterns of insect visits on both sexes remain poorly known. We characterized the composition of a community of flower-visiting arthropods associated with the dioecious ivory palm (Phytelephas aequatorialis, Spruce) in a pre-montane forest of Ecuador. We monitored the temporal variations in insect visits along the flowering of 12 inflorescences (eight female and four male) using interception traps recovered every 4 h. We report 59 morphospecies in the arthropod community, dominated by three beetle families: Staphylinidae, Nitidulidae, and Curculionidae. Male inflorescences were more abundantly visited than female, but visitors of the later were taxonomically more diverse. Among the 16 pollinator candidates identified, nine visited both inflorescence sexes synchronously at dusk /night whereas the others did so asynchronously during the day. Our study provides new insights into the pollination mechanism of P. aequatorialis. We found evidence of differential pollinator attraction between floral sexes, which may be explained by the sexual dimorphism of both flowers. Synchronicity in dusk/ night visits of both inflorescence sexes suggests a sexual synchronization of the signal used to attract pollinators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Seed and pollen dispersal contribute to gene flow and shape the genetic patterns of plants over fine spatial scales. We inferred fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS) and estimated realized dispersal distances in Phytelephas aequatorialis, a Neotropical dioecious large-seeded palm. We aimed to explore how seed and pollen dispersal shape this genetic pattern in a focal population. For this purpose, we genotyped 138 seedlings and 99 adults with 20 newly developed microsatellite markers. We tested if rodent-mediated seed dispersal has a stronger influence than insect-mediated pollen dispersal in shaping FSGS. We also tested if pollen dispersal was influenced by the density of male palms around mother palms in order to further explore this ecological process in large-seeded plants. Rodent-mediated dispersal of these large seeds occurred mostly over short distances (mean 34.76 ± 34.06 m) while pollen dispersal distances were two times higher (mean 67.91 ± 38.29 m). The spatial extent of FSGS up to 35 m and the fact that seed dispersal did not increase the distance at which male alleles disperse suggest that spatially limited seed dispersal is the main factor shaping FSGS and contributes only marginally to gene flow within the population. Pollen dispersal distances depended on the density of male palms, decreasing when individuals show a clumped distribution and increasing when they are scattered. Our results show that limited seed dispersal mediated by rodents shapes FSGS in P. aequatorialis, while more extensive pollen dispersal accounts for a larger contribution to gene flow and may maintain high genetic diversity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

SARS-CoV-2 reinfection is defined as a new infection with a different virus variant in an individual who has already recovered from a previous episode of COVID-19. The first case of reinfection in the world was described in August 2020, since then, reinfections have increased over time and their incidence has fluctuated with specific SARS-CoV-2 variant waves. Initially, reinfections were estimated to represent less than 1% of total COVID-19 infections. With the advent of the Omicron variant, reinfections became more frequent, representing up to 10% of cases (based on data from developed countries). The frequency of reinfections in Latin America has been scarcely reported. The current study shows that in Ecuador, the frequency of reinfections has increased 10-fold following the introduction of Omicron, after 22 months of surveillance in a single center of COVID-19 diagnostics. Suspected reinfections were identified retrospectively from a database of RT-qPCR-positive patients. Cases were confirmed by sequencing viral genomes from the first and second infections using the ONT MinION platform. Monthly surveillance showed that the main incidence peaks of reinfections were reached within four to five months, coinciding with the increase of COVID-19 cases in the country, suggesting that the emergence of reinfections is related to higher exposure to the virus during outbreaks. This study performed the longest monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, showing an occurrence at regular intervals of 4-5 months and confirming a greater propensity of Omicron to cause reinfections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Tagua (Phytelephas aequatorialis Spruce) is a dioecious palm endemic to the forests and pastures of western Ecuador. Ethnobotanical studies from the early 20th century have described the market–based ecosystem services derived from its seed, known as vegetable ivory, but little is known about its non–market ecosystem services. In this paper, we investigate the local knowledge associated with all ecosystem services provided by the palm through focus group discussions within three communities in the Manabí Province of western Ecuador. We used a computer–assisted qualitative analysis to transcribe, analyze, and classify the transcripts using reports of use types. Participants identified a total of 28 ecosystem services: 13 provisioning, 7 regulating, 6 cultural, and 2 supporting services. The use type with the most frequent reports by respondents were plant–animal interactions (36), thatch roofs (19), and cultural identity (17). Generally, the results reveal that local people value tagua for its role as a key species supporting local fauna, the uses of their leaves in the traditional architecture, and as a natural resource that allows them to identify with their traditions. We discuss concerns reported by participants regarding the tagua trade, harvest hazards, and the loss of traditions associated with tagua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The analysis of domestic pig movements has become useful to understand the disease spread patterns and epidemiology, which facilitates the development of more effective animal diseases control strategies. The aim of this work was to analyse the static and spatial characteristics of the pig network, to identify its trading communities and to study the contribution of the network to the transmission of classical swine fever. In this regard, we used the pig movement records from the National Veterinary Service of Ecuador (2017–2019), using social network analysis and spatial analysis to construct a network with registered premises as nodes and their movements as edges. Furthermore, we also created a network of parishes as its nodes by aggregating their premises movements as edges. The annual network metrics showed an average diameter of 20.33, a number of neighbours of 2.61, a shortest path length of 4.39 and a clustering coefficient of 0.38 (small‐world structure). The most frequent movements were to or from markets (55%). Backyard producers made up 89% of the network premises, and the top 2% of parishes (highest degree) contributed to 50% of the movements. The highest frequencies of movements between parishes were in the centre of the country, while the highest frequency of movements to abattoirs was in the south‐west. Finally, the pattern of classical swine fever (CSF) disease outbreaks within the Ecuador network was likely the result of network transmission processes. In conclusion, our results represented the first exploratory analysis of domestic pig movements at premise and parish levels. The surveillance system could consider these results to improve its procedures and update the disease control and management policy, and allow the implementation of targeted or risk‐based surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Aim: Pleistocene (2.58 Ma–11.7 ka) climatic fluctuations have shaped intraspecific genetic patterns worldwide; however, their impact on species in many regions remains unknown. In order to determine the impact of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations on the tropical rain forests of western Ecuador, we explored the evolutionary history of the endemic palm Phytelephas aequatorialis. Location: Western Ecuador, north‐western South America. Taxon: Phytelephas aequatorialis (Arecaceae). Methods: One hundred and seventy‐six nuclear genes were sequenced in 91 individuals for phylogenomic and population structure analyses. The time of divergence between identified genetic lineages was estimated using a coalescent phylogenomic analysis. Palaeoecological niche modelling analyses were performed to determine areas of historical climatic suitability since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 22 ka) that potentially acted as forest refugia during the Pleistocene. A Wilcoxon test and Pearson correlations were used to explore how current levels of genetic diversity, in terms of expected heterozygosity (Hs), have been shaped by several palaeoclimatic and geographic factors. Results: Phylogenomic and population structure analyses revealed two main genetic lineages with a north–south distribution, which diverged 1.14 Ma during the Pleistocene. Two potential Pleistocene refugia were identified, one along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and one in the Andean foothills of south‐western Ecuador. The location of these refugia agrees with the spatial location of the two genetic lineages. Within the Andean foothills, Hs was lower for the southern lineage than for the northern lineage. Hs significantly increased with decreasing latitude across the species as a whole. Main conclusions: Pleistocene climatic fluctuations promoted intraspecific divergence in P. aequatorialis within the rain forests of western Ecuador. The Andean foothills of south‐western Ecuador could be an important area for rain forest evolution because they potentially remained climatically suitable throughout the Pleistocene. Lower genetic diversity in the southern lineage, which apparently remained isolated in the Andean foothills during glacial cycles, adds evidence to the presence of a forest refugium in south‐western Ecuador. The geographic pattern in genetic diversity suggests that P. aequatorialis colonized western Ecuador from the north. This study supports the role of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations in promoting intraspecific divergence, and for the first time, we show their impact west of the Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Clenbuterol is a steroid-type drug used in respiratory treatments in both humans and animals. However, it has a secondary effect related to the hypertrophy process in muscle and fat reduction. The illegal or bad use of clenbuterol has been reported in several countries, but there is scarce information in South America, where the production and consumption of meat are considerable. In this sense, the present study aimed at evaluating the occurrence of clenbuterol in bovine muscle and liver samples from a high cattle production area of Ecuador in 2015 and 2018. For this purpose, 57–58 samples were evaluated in 2015 and 20 samples in 2018 using the Enzyme-Linked Inmuno Sorbent Assay and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed complained results for clenbuterol in meat samples from both years and 23% (2015) and 85% (2018) of the samples of meat complied the maximum residue level defined by CODEX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Archivos Venezolanos de Farmacología y Terapéutica is the property of Archivos Venezolanos de Farmacologia y Terapeutica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) have both been reported in mainland Ecuador, but their occurrence was unknown in the Galapagos Islands, an Ecuadorian province. We aimed to detect BTV or EHDV in cattle from the 3 main cattle-producing Galapagos Islands at a between-herd design prevalence of 20% and a within-herd design prevalence of 15%. Blood samples were collected from 410 cattle in 33 farms and tested for antibodies against BTV and EHDV by competitive ELISAs. All results were negative, suggesting that BTV and EHDV are not present in the Galapagos Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

It was diagnosed the pest and diseases in Tectona grandis L.F (Teak) plantations in the area of Balzar, Guayas province. The objectives were to collect and to identify the insects plagues and the causal agents of illnesses that are present in the Teak plantations, to determine the level of incidence and severity of the fitosanitary problems. They were carried out samplings at random by means of journeys in transepts and parcels of 500 m2 distributed according to the surfaces of the country properties settled down. The insects were collected in dry and rainy season during six months. The pest and diseases of more incidence and severity were: Hyadaphis erysimi and Hortensia similis (Homoptera); and Colletotrichum sp., Olivea tectonae and Ceratocystis sp. in rainy season. Atta sp. (Hymenoptera), Hemileuca maia Drury and Scolytus sp. (Coleoptera); and Olivea tectonae in dry season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

We used cattle movement data in Ecuador for 2017 and 2018 to build two types of cattle networks: a network including all cattle movements accounting for a disease of rapid spread like foot and mouth disease and a network including only the cows accounting for brucellosis, a disease of slow evolution occurring mainly in adult females. Parishes (the smallest geographical units) were considered as nodes and cattle movements between parishes as links. Network indicators calculated at the annual and monthly levels were close for both types of networks. For both networks, the largest strong component at the annual level included > 90% of nodes and the largest weak component included all nodes indicating a very low fragmentation. A percolation analysis indicated that most of the parishes needed to be removed to eliminate the largest strong components. Based on some network characteristics we established that a highly transmissible disease could spread rapidly and that an infection of slower transmission such as brucellosis could spread within local clusters. These features should be taken into account when considering preventing measures in Ecuador in the case of an emerging disease like foot and mouth disease or control measures for an endemic disease like brucellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The sea-level rise has intensified the erosion of coastal zones, whereby the coastal management requires tools to evaluate and predict the dynamics of shoreline. In this paper we evaluate the impact of erosion in a coastal zone of the active margin of Ecuador, where the subduction causes vertical movements of coast. The area chosen to develop this study Playa Bruja and Libertador Bolivar beaches in which activities such as tourism, fisheries, agriculture and gastronomy are the main sources of income. This study analyzes the shoreline retreatment from 1986 to 2019, by using aerial images (remote sensing), along to selected beaches to validate a computational numerical model as MIKE Zero. This calibrated model permitted us to evaluate possible scenarios and hazards until 2025 (with or without coastal protection such as offshore breakwaters), to promote integrated coastal management for decision-makers, especially considering the possible collapse of one of the main coastal highways (E15) of Ecuador country. The result from remote sensing suggests a mean rate of erosion of 0.64 m/yr, which well-correlate with the outputs from the numerical model (between 0.4 and 0.7 m/yr). The net transport, influenced by waves, was calculated in 470m3/day (1.71 E+5 m3/yr), predominant to the north. These results allowed us to categorize three levels of erosion threat such as high (45%), medium (46%), and low (9%) and this classification allows to observe which areas are more exposed or have a higher threat and then propose alternatives to protect. Future scenarios under natural conditions show a continuous retreat of the coast that put in risk the community and hypothetic scenario under an arrangement of 5 breakwaters generates accretion next to Playa Bruja Beach but a deficient supply at the north side at Libertador Bolivar. • Aerial photographs and numerical models allows to assessment shoreline change. • Multi-temporal analysis of aerial photographs allows to estimate coastal erosion rate. • Limited data over the area require to apply different tools to sediment dynamics study. • Coast model results can be calibrated with field data measured and aerial photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Small-scale food animal production has been celebrated as a means of economic mobility and improved food security but the use of veterinary antibiotics among these producers may be contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance in animals and humans. In order to improve antibiotic stewardship in this sector, it is critical to identify the drivers of producers' antibiotic use. This study assessed the determinants of antibiotic use in small-scale food animal production through simulated client visits to veterinary supply stores and surveys with households that owned food animals (n = 117) in Ecuador. Eighty percent of households with food animals owned chickens and 78% of those with chickens owned fewer than 10 birds. Among the households with small-scale food animals, 21% reported giving antibiotics to their food animals within the last six months. Simulated client visits indicated that veterinary sales agents frequently recommended inappropriate antibiotic use, as 66% of sales agents recommended growth promoting antibiotics, and 48% of sales agents recommended an antibiotic that was an inappropriate class for disease treatment. In contrast, few sales agents (3%) were willing to sell colistin, an antibiotic banned for veterinary use in Ecuador as of January 2020, which supports the effectiveness of government regulation in antibiotic stewardship. The cumulative evidence provided by this study indicates that veterinary sales agents play an active role in promoting indiscriminate and inappropriate use of antibiotics in small-scale food animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: As concerns about agrodiversity loss and its impact on food security increase, interest in seed-saving practices and motivations has risen, especially in regions characterized by ancestral farming. Agroecology practitioners in the northern Andes of Ecuador (n = 65) participated in this study to describe (1) the dynamics of intergenerational agrodiversity, (2) perceptions of relevance of the crops they grow, (3) criteria for characterizing the differences between conventional and non-conventional seeds, and (4) their seed-saving practices. Methods: This exploratory study incorporated a community-based participatory research approach using mixed methods. We conducted (1) a timeline mapping for exploring the dynamics of intergenerational agrodiversity and (2) structured interviews to explore the perception of relevance of crops grown to identify criteria for characterizing conventional and non-conventional seeds and for identifying seed-saving practices. We computed ranks and frequencies from free listing data derived from the interviews to detect the most salient patterns for crop diversity and seed-saving practices. A principal component analysis was performed to illustrate crops distribution within the study area. Results and discussion: Based on the timeline-mapping tool, we found that participants perceive an intergenerational loss of agrodiversity. Data derived from free listing determined that salient crops differ in each location of the study area, mostly due to geographic (altitude, climate), market factors, and crop management limitations. Responses from open-ended interview questions revealed that farmers discriminate conventional from non-conventional seeds using yield, adaptation to local conditions, pest tolerance, taste, and crop management as criteria. Analysis of free listing data determined that the most salient reported practices related to seed saving were soil fertility management, seed selection, safe seed storage, tilling and rowing, and weeding. Conclusions: This study contributes to raising awareness of intergenerational agrodiversity loss and replacement with modern crops. We found the relevance of crops and practices is subject to cultural and environmental context, and few agricultural practices are exclusively used for seed saving. Further, farmers clearly discriminate conventional from non-conventional seeds based on advantages and disadvantages, cultural motivation, and produce destination. The community-based participatory approach resulted in positive engagement from participants and promoted commitment from farmers to preserve agrodiversity and support practices at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

This research project shows the effect of altitude on the emissions of polluting gases from a spark ignition engine (SI engine), considering that in Ecuador and in Latin America, there are topographic variations that affect the conditions of vehicle operation. This work analyzes the emissions of polluting gases generated by a SI engine operating at different heights above sea level. Altitude is a very important factor in the performance of SI engine and in the emissions that it produces. Measurements were developed in three cities with different height above sea level (0, 2.200 and 3.000 masl), at four engine revolutions (idle, 2.000, 3.500 and 4.500 rpm) and at the same hour of the day. The emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) were measured. The results showed that the engine revolutions are the most important factor in the emission of CO and UHC; as the rpm increase, the percentage of CO is higher and the amount of UHC is reduced; however, in CO2 emissions, altitude has a more significant effect, decreasing as atmospheric pressure drops. Consequently, it is expected that the results achieved will promote future works to reduce harmful emissions to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Phytelephas aequatorialis is the commercially exploited ivory palm in western Ecuador, where less than 25% of the natural forest remains. To determine the conservation status of this palm, we visited 15 populations, growing under different degrees of human disturbance in both the lowlands and the lower Andean slopes. We collected leaf material for genetic analyses, which we hope will provide valuable information that can help the conservation and management of this important species. For a first view, populations growing outside forests in pastures appeared to be threatened because they did not reproduce naturally. The species per se, however, is not threatened because of its wide distribution and large populations. Conserving its populations could secure the species' genetic and phenotypic diversity, which, in turn, is the raw material for its domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Abstract: To conserve tropical forests, it is crucial to characterise the disturbance threshold beyond which populations of tropical trees are no longer resilient. This approach is still not widely employed, especially with respect to the effects of moderate disturbances. Compensation effects, such as positive interactions among plants, are addressed even more rarely. We attempt to identify the extents to which the distribution of the keystone palm tree Ceroxylon echinulatum is regulated by various regimes of deforestation in a threatened tropical montane cloud forest in the North-West Andes of Ecuador. The demographic structure of this palm tree was examined in three habitats: old-growth forest, forest disturbed by selective logging, and deforested pasture. Patterns were related to stand structure, microclimate, and soil composition. Seedling desiccation owing to severe aboveground water stress led to the absence of juvenile palms in pastures, and thus was predictive of a near extinction of the species in this habitat. However, shade provided by dominant bunchgrass in pastures considerably reduced above- and belowground water stress by diminishing light intensity. Selective logging resulted in a higher density of individuals in disturbed forests than in old-growth forests, but was associated with a spoiled spatial structure. Therefore, the protection of residual old-growth forests is a prerequisite for the conservation of C. echinulatum, although secondary forests might act as provisional refuges that promote its resilience. The reduction of water stress by nurse grasses in pastures represents a promising approach to promote the resilience of tropical tree species and their associated communities after deforestation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...