Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Reseñamos por este medio la primera iteración del Glosario de Humanidades Digitales @ UPR Caribe Digital, un recurso educativo digital de acceso abierto publicado en el 2023 por el Proyecto UPR Caribe Digital en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras.

This article examines the impact of new technologies on society in Latin America and the Caribbean, addressing issues such as the digital divide, unequal access to technology, and challenges in education. Through an analysis of studies from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it explores the challenges faced by marginalized and rural communities, as well as innovative solutions for integrating technology into areas such as education and economic development. Digital inclusion is key to reducing inequalities and ensuring equitable participation in the emerging digital economy.

Background and Aims: The mutualism between leaf-cutting ants and the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus is a remarkable instance of insect-fungus symbiosis. In this study, we aimed to make a molecular identification of the L. gongylophorus strain obtained from the fungal garden of Atta mexicana, to compare the mycelial growth of the strain in several culture media and PDA medium enriched with foliar material from several plants and perform a cost analysis for the in vitro maintenance of the symbiont fungus.Methods: Seven solid culture media were compared for the in vitro growth of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus isolated from an Atta mexicana nest. In addition, we compared the fungal growth on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium enriched with selected foliar material from the leaves of six plants previously known to be either well-foraged or avoided by Atta mexicana.Key results: Higher mycelial growth percentages were obtained on compost extract added with a mineral mixture (CE) (27.3±12.7 mm) and PDA media (25.3±1.15 mm) at 28 days of growth. Furthermore, this is the first study reporting the growth of a fungal symbiont of Atta mexicana on CE, complete basic medium (CBM), Pagnocca A, and B media. PDA media enriched with some plants did not show advantages for fungus growth. Lower mycelial growth percentages were obtained on PDA media enriched with Rosa alba (0.0±0.0 mm), Coffea arabica (5.3±0.66 mm), Citrus reticulata (3.0±1.0 mm), and Psidium guajava (2.0±1.15 mm) leaves, in comparison with the control treatment (PDA medium).Conclusions: The use of culture media like CE and CBM might be a cost-effective alternative for in vitro culture of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, even in the absence of ants. Leaves of some plant species inhibit in vitro growth of this fungus, in line with their status as plants avoided by Atta mexicana. The strong inhibition of the extract of Rosa alba, the best-foraged plant by Atta mexicana, suggests the existence of particularly effective detoxification mechanisms in natural conditions.

Background and Aims: Graffenrieda is a Neotropical genus with more than 70 species, mainly distributed in the Guiana Shield and the Andes. This work describes a new species of Graffenrieda and provides a key to identify all species with calyptrate flowers in the genus.Methods: The description of this new species was made from collections deposited in the Colombian herbaria JBB and COAH. Measurements of vegetative parts and inflorescence were made from dried material, while floral structures and fruits were measured from fresh material preserved in alcohol. Their conservation status was assessed according to IUCN guidelines. A key for the recognition of all species of the genus with calyptrate flowers, including the new species and Centronia species to be transferred to Graffenrieda is also provided here, for which lists of species in Neotropical countries, collection databases, and literature on both genera were consulted.Key results: Graffenrieda cardenasii sp. nov. is endemic to the southern Cordillera Oriental of Colombia and is characterized by its indumentum of irregular lepidote trichomes on the vegetative parts, leaves with incomplete lateral anisophylly, leafy bracteoles as large as the flower buds, 5-merous flowers, calyptrate calyx and 2-locular ovary. It is categorized as Endangered in view of its endemicity and habitat specificity. A key is provided for 30 species of the genus Graffenrieda that share the character of calyptrate flowers.Conclusions: This species is named in honor of the Colombian botanist Dairon Cárdenas López, a great collector and connoisseur of the Colombian Amazonian flora. It is so far known only from the type localities. The key to the species with calyptrate flowers included in this article allows 43% of the species in the genus Graffenrieda to be recognized, including four Centronia species.

Background and Aims: The Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve in Morelos, Mexico, is one of the 232 federally protected natural areas, and represents an important part of the plant diversity of the state of Morelos. The objective of this work is to know the current state of the native flora and vegetation of the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve, as well as its new records, life forms, risk categories, and phenology.Methods: Specimens from the study area were searched and reviewed in the HUMO and MEXU herbaria. In addition, a compilation of the databases of the projects related to this study and financed by CONABIO was made, and additional botanical collections were carried out in poorly explored sites in the Sierra de Huautla.Key results: In the Reserve, 131 families, 551 genera, and 1124 species of vascular plants were found, of wich 378 are new records. The Eudicotyledons and Monocotyledons are the groups with the greatest floristic richness with 888 and 176 species, respectively. The Reserve has four types of vegetation. The tropical deciduous forest is the most diverse with 864 species and the largest surface area within the Reserve. Herbs are the most abundant life form (631 species). Thirty-five species have some degree of threat according to the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 and the IUCN Red List version 2024-1. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of the floristic richness of the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve in Morelos. It represents with its 1124 species of vascular plants one third (32.19%) of the flora of the state, thus highlighting the relevance of this study and the value of the Reserve as a representative area of the floristic richness of Morelos.

Background and Aims: The maguey pulquero (Agave salmiana) of the Mexican central plateau represents history, culture and wealth. In Tlaxcala four cultivars of Agave salmiana subsp. salmiana are preferentially planted: Ayoteco, Chalqueño, Manso and Púa Larga. Their use is limited to the production of pulque and currently there is no information about chemical composition that helps farmers to select specimens depending on their purpose. The objective of this research was to evaluate the profile of biomolecules produced by four cultivars. Methods: The production of biomolecules in four cultivars of the subspecies in A. salmiana was evaluated through an experimental design of two factors: cultivar and phenological stage, with four levels of each factor. The response variables were the content of inulin (INU), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), direct reducing sugars (ARD), total reducing sugars (ART), fatty acids (FA), esters (ES) and other molecules.Key results: The factorial analysis showed that for ART, FOS and INU, the contrasting differences were between the early flowering and middle phenological stages. The principal component analysis indicated that component one is represented by the ART, FOS and INU, and that there is a high correlation (>0.8) of ART with FOS and INU. The component two represents the degrees of average polymerization (GPP), of INU and FOS. On the other hand, the GC-MSD analysis allowed for the tentative identification of molecules with potential use. Conclusions: The results could be used to take strategic advantage of the different Agave cultivars of the Mexican central plateau.

Background and Aims: The floristic composition of the cloud forest (CF) in the Sierra Norte of Puebla has received little attention, except for works about the taxocenosis of lycophytes and ferns or studies of useful plants. The principal aim of this study is to aid floristic knowledge by documenting the vascular plants in a fragment of CF in the municipality of Xicotepec de Juárez, Puebla, Mexico.Methods: The collection of specimens was realized from 2014 to 2016. For each specimen, the following data were taken: nutrition, habitat, habit and life form (LF). Once the samples were identified, their distribution and presence in conservation and trade instruments were verified. The Taxonomic Biodiversity (IB) and Epiphytic Proportion (Pe) indexes were calculated.Key results: A total of 1476 specimens were collected, of which 536 species were identified in 342 genera and 127 families. Only eight heterotrophic plants were recorded. The most abundant LF were hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes. The IB is 124.92 (spp/ha). The Pe is 0.18. In the instruments of protection and trade, 177 species were listed. Seventy-seven species are endemic to Mexico and six to the Sierra Madre Oriental. Furthermore, 33 alien plants were found.Conclusions: Even though signs of disturbance were found in the study area, the diversity of taxa, percentages of epiphytes and life form spectrum fall within the normal that must show a conserved area. The high diversity of species contained in this relict of CF, in addition to the fact it is located in a critical conservation area, shows the high priority for protection. We expect this study to contribute with useful information for administrative decisions and for the general floristic knowledge of the Sierra Norte of Puebla.

Background and Aims: Bryophytes are distributed worldwide and play a crucial role in disturbed sites, acting as pioneer organisms in ecological successions following disturbances. The objective of this work was to study bryophytes growing in relation to substrates contaminated with crude oil and to analyze their arbuscular mycorrhizal status.Methods: Samples were collected along a northern Patagonian stream located in the steppe (San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina). The examined specimens were collected along the stream’s margins before, during and after the spill from the abandoned oil wells. Bryophyte species were identified based on morpho-anatomical characteristics. The abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) in the plants and the number of AM spores in the substrate were also analyzed.Key results: Sixteen bryophyte species were identified; one hornwort, two liverworts and the rest were mosses. Although certain plants were mainly associated with some of the locations studied, bryophyte communities in general did not show significant variations along the pollution gradient, while AM inoculum exhibited variations.Conclusions: This study suggests that certain bryophyte species can tolerate the conditions generated by crude oil contamination and establish themselves in the early stages of environmental succession (e.g. on solidified crude oil beds). These results provide a basis for future ecological restoration efforts.

Background and Aims: Peru houses 24 species of Stevia (Eupatorieae, Asteraceae) distributed from the coastal loma (hill) to mountainous regions at 3800 m a.s.l. It is considered a complex genus due to the variability of its morphological characters, which complicates species delimitation. The objective of this study was to conduct a taxonomic and morphological analysis of the Stevia species present in Arequipa, Peru. Methods: Botanical collections were conducted in Arequipa from 2020 to 2022. For species identification and occurrence records, taxonomic studies of the genus in Peru were consulted, along with herbarium specimens and online resources such as JSTOR Global Plants. A presence map was generated using QGIS. Key results: In Arequipa five species of Stevia are reported: S. cuzcoensis, S. hoppii, S. melissifolia, S. herrerae and S. weberbaueri, with the latter two being new records for the region. A lectotype and isolectotypes were designated for S. melissifolia; additionally, an identification key and descriptions for each species were prepared. Conclusions: The most important taxonomic characters for the morphological delimitation of Stevia species in Arequipa include the type and distribution of trichomes, leaf dimensions, and peduncle length of the capitula. This analysis not only contributes to the knowledge of the region´s biodiversity, but also provides a foundation for future molecular and phylogenetic studies.

The article aims to expose the results of an investigation that studied the formation of digital documentary heritage created in the public management of nine bodies of the Executive branch. The focus of the study is quantitative, transactional and descriptive. Nine websites of government departments were reviewed. Data was collected in a matrix that allowed knowing the identification and distribution of the digital heritage between these bodies, formats that represent it, features, use, offered procedures that give rise to the formation of the digital heritage. In the theoretical context the subject of e-Government, it was argued approaches, stages of development at the international and national levels. Conclusive research aspects include identification of digitized text format, digital photography and video as brackets that identify the digital heritage in the portals of the elected institutions. Preeminence in formats according to the Ministry. Importance of document management in technological context. Inequality in the offer of on-line public procedures offered by entities analyzed. Technological trends of management and dissemination of information represented by digital libraries, institutional repositories found in some of the revised public portals at the time of conducting the investigation. Proposals on the simplification of procedures and new systems such as interoperability capabilities. Curriculum topic study linking; skills that should focus first on advanced training, involving search, update, and application of the knowledge gained by the professional degree in archival science, library science or information science. Secondly, the performance should focus on quality management. Finally, the management oriented to the promotion of services according to the times that run and focused on users with disabilities, citizens with a right of access to information and knowledge.