Characterization of the Biodiversity and Ethnobotany of Plant Species Located on the María Auxiliadora Campus (Herbarium)

This project focuses on characterizing the flora present on the María Auxiliadora campus, addressing the need to protect and conserve plant biodiversity, especially in the context of threatened dry forest ecosystems in the coastal region of Ecuador. The main goal is to assess local flora through research and community/institutional education. The methodology involves planned field trips, selection and training of students, and the creation of a photographic database through critical record-keeping. The process includes collection, herbarium preparation (including disinfection with 70% alcohol, pressing, and mounting on A3 cardboard), and archiving specimens in the institutional herbarium. Finally, rigorous data processing will be conducted to comparatively analyze biodiversity using digital catalogs such as Rapid Reference Herbarium, Tropicos, and Bioweb. Furthermore, ethnobotanical uses will be investigated, and the NCBI PUBMED platform will be consulted for secondary metabolite analysis, contributing to the scientific and academic development of the biotechnology program.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>To characterize the biodiversity and ethnobotany of the plant species located on the María Auxiliadora campus.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Biodiversity and genetic resources