Flora of the university town, UNAH: citizen science project conducted by university students

Abstract

Urban areas are fragmented sites of natural ecosystems, with barriers between populations of plants and animals that inhabit them. On campus, there have been several inventories that contribute to environmental impact studies required for the construction of buildings in the area. This study aims to create a floristic inventory of the campus. For the collection, campus zoning was established as follows: green areas of the front and center, Sports Center, Engineering, and the Observatory.

The students of the courses Plant Taxonomy I and Plant Taxonomy II collected the flower and fruit samples during one year. The material was identified using dichotomous keys, specimens in the herbarium and with the collaboration of experts. About 172 species belonging to 55 families were identified.

The most common families are Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Asteraceae. The plant groups that dominate the area are angiosperms and a low percentage of ferns and gymnosperms. This study will be the basis for proposing a plan for environmental improvement, due to the fact that the campus is one of the spaces for knowledge of urban flora of Tegucigalpa. Furthermore, these actions contribute to the drive of local development and participation of university students in scientific research.

Revista Ciencia y Tecnología No. 17, December 2015 pp.112-131