Conserving tree populations safeguards forests since they represent key elements of the ecosystem. The genetic characteristics underlying the evolutionary success of the tree growth form: high genetic diversity, extensive gene flow and strong species integrity, contribute to their survival in terms of adaptability. However, different biological and landscape contexts challenge these characteristics. This study employs 63 de novo developed microsatellite or SSR (Single Sequence Repeat) markers in different datasets of nine Neotropical Magnolia species. The genetic patterns of these protogynous, insect-pollinated tree species occurring in fragmented, highly-disturbed landscapes were investigated. Datasets containing a total of 340 individuals were tested for their genetic structure and degree of inbreeding. Analyses for genetic structure depicted structuring between species, i.e. strong species integrity. Within the species, all but one population pair were considered moderate to highly differentiated, i.e. no indication of extensive gene flow between populations. No overall correlation was observed between genetic and geographic distance of the pairwise species’ populations. In contrast to the pronounced genetic structure, there was no evidence of inbreeding within the populations, suggesting mechanisms favouring cross pollination and/or selection for more genetically diverse, heterozygous offspring. In conclusion, the data illustrate that the Neotropical Magnolias in the context of a fragmented landscape still have ample gene flow within populations, yet little gene flow between populations.

The Caribbean islands provide an ideal setting for studying biodiversity, given their complex geological and environmental history, and their historical and current geographical proximity to the American mainland. Magnolia, a flagship tree genus that has 15 endemic and threatened taxa (12 species and 3 subspecies) on the Caribbean islands, offers an excellent case study to empirically test Caribbean biogeographical hypotheses. We constructed phylogenetic hypotheses to: (1) reveal their evolutionary history, (2) test the current largely morphology-based classification and assess species limits, and (3) investigate major biogeographic hypotheses proposed for the region. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data of all 15 Caribbean Magnolia taxa are included, supplemented by a selection of American mainland species, and species representing most major clades of the Magnoliaceae family. We constructed phylogenetic hypotheses in a time-calibrated Bayesian framework, supplemented with haplotype network analyses and ancestral range estimations. Genetic synapomorphies in the studied markers confirm the species limits of 14 out of 15 morphologically recognizable Caribbean Magnolia taxa. There is evidence for four colonization events of Magnolia into the Caribbean from the American mainland, which most likely occurred by overwater dispersal, given age estimates of maximum 16 mya for their presence on the Caribbean islands.

Landscape features impact gene ow and the spatial patterns of genetic variation between populations of a species. Because many Magnoliaceae species occur in fragmented and highly disturbed landscapes, the family is an excellent model for landscape genetic studies. This research focuses on the subspecies and localities of Magnolia cubensis and aims to: (1) compare the genetic diversity, (2) search for genetic patterns, (3) describe the functional connectivity and (4) access the structural connectivity of the landscape. This study employs 21 microsatellite markers on two subspecies, complemented with landscape characteristics of the Guamuhaya and Sierra Maestra massifs in Cuba. Magnolia cubensis subsp. acunae does not have a well-de ned spatial genetic pattern: there is no evidence of isolation by distance or spatial autocorrelation and the little genetic differentiation between the two localities does not re ect the characteristics of the landscape that separates them or the cost values to cross it. Magnolia cubensis subsp. cubensis presents evidence of isolation by distance and the autocorrelation analyses indicate that the approximate scale of the genetic neighborhood is between 35 and 40 km. There is a marked genetic structure with probability values that indicate the existence of three genetic groups. Large genetic differentiation was only found between Gran Piedra and the other localities, which re ects low gene ow. Our results support the recognition of these subspecies at the species level. We de ne one evolutionary signi cant unit in Magnolia cubensis subsp. acunae and two evolutionary signi cant units in Magnolia cubensis subsp. cubensis. These results must be combined with ecological, social and distribution data, in order to obtain a more accurate and realistic perspective of the conservation management strategies for these taxa.

La Educación Superior Cubana debe trabajar por hacer que los estudiantes se sientan copartícipes del cumplimiento de la Agenda 2030 y los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible; una vía para lograrlo es la aplicación de métodos colaborativos de aprendizaje que vinculen la formación con los problemas de desarrollo en los territorios. El trabajo se enfoca en la formación de los profesionales de las Ciencias de la Información vinculado fundamentalmente al objetivo 8 de la Agenda “Promover el crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y sostenible, el empleo pleno y productivo y el trabajo decente para todos”. Se muestra cómo desde diferentes asignaturas impartidas en las universidades de La Habana y Holguín, se prepara a los estudiantes para participar en el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Se aplicó el análisis documental clásico para el fundamento teórico y la consulta de los programas de las asignaturas como sustento de las reflexiones que se presentan. Se concluyó que es posible utilizar diferentes técnicas didácticas activas tanto presenciales como virtuales para desarrollar habilidades colaborativas en la resolución de los problemas de desarrollo; que en ambas universidades se ha incrementado el tratamiento de los ODS como parte de la formación de los estudiantes de la carrera y que las actividades planificadas en las asignaturas permiten a los estudiantes identificarse como actores del desarrollo donde asumen diferentes roles, tanto como creadores de productos y servicios informativos como empoderando a los individuos al capacitarlos para una mejor gestión de la información en todos los escenarios.

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