On the last day of the September expedition of the Biodiversity of Livingston project part of the team went to visually document underwater species in Cañon del Río, Río Dulce, Livingston area. We found aquatic plants.
We use the new underwater photography equipment a SONY RX100 VII camera, a SONY Underwater Housing MPK-URX100A, and a Weefine Ring Light 1000. Here we show you the results.
Brandon Hidalgo and Victor Mendoza using the new underwater photography equipment.
Potamogeton illinoensis photographed by Victor Mendoza using the Sony RX100, Cañon de Rio Dulce.
Macrophytes are characterized by have been adapted to aquatic life, which is why they have a thin epidermis, dysfunctional stomata and little lignified elements. They inhabit lagoons, dams, swamps, riverbanks, lakes and even the seas. These are important since they serve as a filter for nutrients in water bodies, in addition to producing oxygen and can maintain the ecological balance in their aquatic habitat.
In Rio Dulce, different macrophytes were found, among which Potamogeton illinoensis, Vallisneria americana, Nymphaea ampla, and an introduced species called Hydrilla sp.
CLASSIFICATION
CHARACTERISTIC
Emerging rooted macrophytes
They are rooted at the bottom of the water body, but their leaf and flora parts emerge from the water.
Floating rooted macrophytes
They are rooted at the bottom of the body of water and their foliar and floral parts only float in the mirror of the water.
Submerged Rooted Macrophytes
They are rooted at the bottom of the body of water and their foliar and floral psartes are submerged in the water.
Floating macrophytes
They are floating in the mirror of the water and their roots are not anchored to the bottom of the body of wáter.
Posted September 27, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
At the beginning of the Río Chocón Machacas we find a very curious vine with small flowers it was a Passion flower.
Botanical characteristics of the flower: Its colors seem colored with watercolor. Its strains are green, petals white with purple, filaments are yellow, the androgynophor is green and the anthers come out of it, followed by the ovary and to finish their stigmas. This flower was observed by our boatman Cornelio Macz, who accompanied us on the September expedition.
Plant etymology: Passiflora was the generic name adopted by Linnaeus in 1753 and means "passion flower". Derived from the Latin passio which means "passion" and flos which means "flower". This was granted by the Jesuit missionaries in 1610, due to the similarity of some parts of the plant with religious symbols of the Passion of Christ, the whip with which he was beaten being the tendrils, the three nails represented by the styles; stamens and radial corolla being the crown of thorns. It receives the epithet ‘’ biflora’’ derived from the Latin meaning "with two flowers."
In Guatemala you can find 62 species of the Passiflora genus, the 10% are endemic from the country. The areas with the greatest diversity are those that oscillate between 1000-2000 masl in the following departments: Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Chiquimula, Guatemala and Sololá. Some of these species are vulnerable, so it’s important to continue with conservation efforts and support the natural reserves we have (De Macvean & Macdougal, 2012). They are important for the economy since some species are edible, other have medicinal properties and they are also valuable as ornamental flowers because of their beauty.
Passiflora biflora at Rio Chocon Machacas, El Golfete, Livingston. September, 2021. Photo by David Arrivillaga, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Passiflora biflora at Rio Chocon Machacas, El Golfete, Livingston. September, 2021. Photo by David Arrivillaga, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Posted September 17, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
Barillo (Symphonia globulifera) is a plant that you can find in the Livingston area in Izabal. This time we find it specifically in Black Creek. We found it very curious, since at first glance its flower looks like a fruit.
As we got closer and got to know her more, we realized that what we thought was her fruit was actually its flower. We hope to find more of this species and document it with more photographs.
About the uses of Barillo, it is known that the raw fruit is edible. The bark is taken as an appetizer, gentle laxative, stomachic and tonic. The resin is used externally to treat wounds; prevent skin infections and treat scabies. Sap from the leaves is sniffed up the nose to stop it bleeding. The resin is also used for making candles and torches and the wood is used for construction and as a fuel (Tropical Plants Database, 2013).
Symphonia globulifera at Black Creek, El Golfete, Livingston. September, 2021. Photo by Brandon Hidalgo, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Part of the Plant
Botanical Description
Species
Simple, whole and opposite, glossy, petiole 0.5 to 1 cm long.
Hojas
They have terminal dascules, very abundant umbelliforms. The flowers are small, round, intense red and very showy, hermaphroditic reproduction.
Frutos
Fruits in the form of globular or subspherical drupes of 3 cm to 5 cm in diameter, yellowish green when ripe.
Semillas
Brown in color, one kilogram of seed contains approximately 350 viable seeds.
Fenología
Floración
Flowers observed June - October and December to January.
Fructificación
Fruits observed almost all year round.
Posted September 16, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
On the trail to the Mirador del Cañon Reserve area we could observe Gushnay (Spathiphyllum blandum) blooming. According to many forest rangers, it is edible and there are also bibliographic references that confirm it. Chizmar (2009) in her publication Edible Plants of Central America, indicates that the inflorescence when it is tender is used to prepare a hot sauce: “Take from one to three inflorescences (depending on the desired quantity) and cook with salt for approximately 20 minutes or start to roast. Then they are macerated with some type of chili or spicy, tomato, onion, vinegar and a little water. The resulting sauce can be used with any meal.”
Gushnay or also called Yuk is a monocotyledonous plant of the Araceae family approximately one meter high, characterized by having a unique greenish-white bract with a greenish-colored spadix-shaped inflorescence. Its leaves are simple, densely grouped from the base and elliptical. Its fruits are green when ripe. It lives in humid forests, between altitudes of 800-1500 m and it is more likely to be found both in Izabal and in Alta Verapaz and Huehuetenango. We wanted to share more information about this plant with you since we will soon release a new animated episode of our division for children, MayanToons, where you will able to see its illustrated flower.
Family
ARACEAE
Species
Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum
Spathiphyllum friedrichsthalii
Spathiphyllum phryniifolium
Spathiphyllum blandum
Spathiphyllum floribundum
Gushnay (Spathiphyllum blandum) at Reserva Cañon de Rio Dulce, Livingston. September, 2021.Photo by Brandon Hidalgo, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Posted August 16, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
Cueva del Tigre is a place in Livingston that you must visit if you like adventure, explore caves, take a dip and of course learn more about flora and fauna. To get to this place you can do it from Río Tatin or ask a vehicle to take you from La Buga to Plan Grande Tatin. We took the route from La Buga, Plan Grande Tatin, hike to Cueva del Tigre and returned to Río Tatin where a boat was waiting for us.
During the pathway you can see different species such as Heliconia spp, Costus spp, Carica wild papaya, Attalea cohune (Corozo), Cecropia peltata (Guarumo) and what surprised us the most was to find Jacaratia dolichaula commonly called jungle “bonete”, mountain papaya or kumche in Q'eqchi language. As mentioned before it is commonly called mountain papaya, since it is a wild relative of papaya and belongs to the same family (CARICACEAE)
This species is within the FLAAR must to find, since several research indicate that it is possibly an edible species. In the future we hope to find more related species of papaya to document and promote their conservation, species such as:
Specie
Common name
Family
Jacaratia mexicana
Bonete
CARICACEAE
Vasconcellea cauliflora
Papaya cimarrona
CARICACEAE
Vasconcellea pubescens
Papayuela
CARICACEAE
Jacaratia dolichaula, bonete de selva trail parallel to Cueva del Tigre, Plan Grande tatin Livingston. First photo was taken by Victor Mendoza, FLAAR Mesoamerica. Second photo was taken by Dr Nicholas Hellmuth with a NikonD810 camera at 1:13pm Jul 31, 2021.
Posted August 11, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
When we imagine a forest, many times the first thing that comes to our mind is plenty green vegetation and lush trees. However, when we visit places with different climates, we are able to recognize other types of forests, such as the “seasonally dry” forest. It receives this name because the dry season and the rainy season are very pronounced in these territories. This seasonality is caused by a weather phenomenon called “rain shadow”. When the warm and humid wind travels from the coasts, it collides with the mountains, cooling and discharging water (windward). This is how the rain is formed in the upper parts of the mountains, creating humid or cloud forests, at this point the air is already dry and when it passes to the other side of the mountain it warms up and creates a current of dry and warm air that goes down to the valley, (leeward) generating the conditions of the dry forest.
Much of the vegetation in this forest is deciduous (shed leaves) in the dry season, so many plants flourish during the rainy season. Although we are not always able to distinguish several of the species that reside in this forest due to its seasonality, some of the most common that we can find are: Cactus of the genera Pereskia, Acanthocerus, Stenocereus, Nopalea, among others; Ceibas species such as Ceiba aesculifolia; the Mayflower (Plumeria rubra); the Palo de Jiote (Bursera simaruba); bromeliad species such as Bromelia pinguin and Bromelia hemisphaerica; among other species of flora and fauna which make this place unique and special. Every month when we go to Livingston in Izabal, we enjoy and make stops in this area, especially in Zacapa to continue documenting the beautiful biodiversity of the dry forest.
The dry forest in the dry season (April, 2021) and dry forest in the rainy season (July, 2021)". First photo is by Haniel Lopez and second photo is by Roxana Leal, FLAAR Mesoamerica.
Posted August 10, 2021
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
