Naturalized exotic plants with invasive potential in peri-urban areas of the high Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract

Invasive alien species are the second cause of
biodiversity loss on the planet. Additionally,
globalization and climate change are favoring its entry
into areas that have not been humanized in the past, such
as the Ecuadorian Amazon. The cantonal capital of Puyo
has numerous exotic plants already reported in other parts
of the world as invaders, which here have been observed
and identified to provide listings and information about
which naturalized species in the future can become
invasive under the scenarios of climate change. , and
also propose among them four exotic species with the
greatest potential to behave as invasive with the current
climate. The fieldwork was carried out in the periurban
environment of Puyo, identifying the species
with herbarium samples, also through bibliographic and
online consultations, reporting numerous naturalized
exotic species that were organized hierarchically and
selected for their attributes to be potential invaders or
current, identifying 15 naturalized exotic species with
the potential to be invasive under the climate change
scenarios highlighting 4 plant species that are already
or can become in the future a serious problem for
biodiversity and the Ecuadorian Amazonian economy.
With this work it is expected that the environmental
authorities and the inhabitants become aware of their
presence and apply measures for their early eradication.