DIVERSIDAD DE PLANTAS Y CARACTERIZACIÓN DE JARDINES DEL CANTÓN PORTOVIEJO, MANABÍ

Abstract

SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, PLANTS HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT FOR THE SUBSISTENCE OF HUMAN BEINGS, COVERING SOME BASIC NEEDS SUCH AS FOOD, HEALTH, RECREATION, AMONG OTHERS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO ANALYZE THE DOMINANCE OF SPECIES AND CATEGORIES OF GREEN AREAS THAT EXIST IN THE CANTON OF PORTOVIEJO, ECUADOR. TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON THE DOMINANT SPECIES, THE METHODOLOGY PROPOSED BY BRAUN BLANQUET WAS ADAPTED TO DETERMINE DOMINANT, CHARACTERISTIC, COMPANION OR ACCIDENTAL SPECIES. FOR THIS PURPOSE, 337 CENSUSES WERE CARRIED OUT IN GREEN AREAS AND GARDENS OF PORTOVIEJO. ADDITIONALLY, IN EACH CENSUS INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED ON SPECIES CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS: POTENTIAL USE VALUE, GROWTH HABIT, PROPAGATION METHODS, ASSOCIATED CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS AND THE NATURE OF THE AREA. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT 23% OF THE CENSUSES CARRIED OUT WERE LOCATED IN PRIVATE AREAS AND 77% IN PUBLIC AREAS. IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THAT, IN THE GREEN AREAS AND GARDENS OF THE CITY OF PORTOVIEJO, AT LEAST 192 SPECIES BELONGING TO 170 GENERA AND 72 FAMILIES ARE USED, AMONG WHICH THOSE OF ARBOREAL (43.75%), HERBACEOUS (29.17%) AND SHRUBBY (26.56%) HABIT PREDOMINATE.