In the research it is proposed through interviews, participatory workshops, talks and socio-cultural encounters to link the inhabitants of the town of “Viana” located in the municipality of Cifuentes in the province of Villa Clara, Cuba, to the knowledge of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and their undesirable eff ects to the vulnerable Cuban ecosystems and to human health and to the knowledge of the species Herpestes auropunctatus Hodgson, 1836, the mongoose. For the effective development of this research, theoretical and empirical methods were used to address the multilateral study of the research object. Th e research represents a novel way of appropriating new knowledge about the species H. auropunctatus on the part of the inhabitants that inhabit this community. In the interviews conducted, it was found that some inhabitants had certain knowledge about the mongoose, but not ab...

An ecological study was carried out with the objective of evaluation of the ornithocenosis present in "Monte Ramonal" in the municipality of Santo Domingo, Villa Clara province, Cuba between December 2017 and April 2018. The plant formation where the studies were carried out was the semideciduous mesophilic forest, on a poorly drained soil. For the avifauna counts, a transect of approximately 800 meters long was taken. Given the characteristics of the vegetation, the area analyzed was 11,200m2 (approximately one hectare). We determined the systematic structure, guilds, species richness, similarity, dissimilarity, diversity, and fairness. A total of 34 species of birds belonging to 18 families and 9 orders were detected. The best represented order was Passeriformes with 10 families and 21 species. Of the total species reported, 4 genera (50%), 7 species (33.3%) and 16 subspecies (22.8%) a...

Dichotomous keys are resources or tools that researchers, teachers or other personnel linked to the study of biological sciences use for the determination of diff erent species of organisms, by comparing two exclusive characters. The investigation proposes diff erent dichotomous keys, illustrated in electronic format, for the identifi cation of diff erent aquatic and terrestrial vertebrate taxa present in Cuban fauna that includes orders, families, genera and species, and that are in correspondence with the Zoology Program’s General II (Zoology of the chordates), which is taught in the Degree in Biology Education at the Central University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas, in the Republic of Cuba. Various theoretical and empirical methods were used in the investigation in their dialectical interrelation which allowed identifying the existing defi ciencies and proposing the solution. Th e...

An ecological study of Anolis homolechis (Cope, 1864) (Squamata: Dactyloidae), a Cuban endemic reptile, is presented in the "Mogotes de Jumagua" National Ecological Reserve, located in the municipality of Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara province. The following parameters were taken into account: substrate, activity period, ecomorphs, diet, courtship and population; in addition, sympatric species were determined. This species was observed using tree trunks, shrubs, soil and stones, and presented its major activity between 11:01 am and 12 m. It also showed preference for feeding on insects, especially hymenoptera, and was found in cohabitation with four other anole species, although without establishing competition for the substrate.

Research as a process of confi rmation or refutation of assumptions, theories, phenomena, and others is important because it makes it possible to place an area of knowledge at the forefront, demonstrating what is useful and what is not. The main objective of this research is to propose a professional improvement strategy to contribute to the development of skills in the elaboration and subsequent publication of scientifi c articles in high-impact indexed journals. For the development of the research, methods of information gathering and processing were used, to use them in a multilateral way in the study of the object; within the latter, observation and interview stood out. Th e sample consisted of 12 professors intentionally selected from diff erent departments of the Pedagogical Sciences on the “Felix Varela Morales” campus of the “Marta Abreu” Central University of Las Villas....

The teaching-learning process in higher education should guide, orient and train students towards the acquisition of computer skills, in a society increasingly permeated by Information and Communication Technologies. The objective of the research is to propose a system of Virtual Practical Classes, for the study of the external and internal morphology of vertebrates that are studied as part of the Chordates Zoology program, in the Bachelor's Degree in Education. Biology, in the third year of the Regular Day Course, at the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba. The system is based on the Historical-Cultural Theory of L. S. Vigotsky and his followers. The information for the diagnosis is obtained from the application of different methods of information gathering and processing, such as surveys, interviews, observation and document review. In order to mitigate th...

This research proposes and validates a new Didactic Conception with an ecosystem approach for the teaching - learning process of the zoology of the chordates in the third year of the Regular Day Course, of the Bachelor Degree in Biology Education of the Faculty of Media Education "Félix Varela Morales" of the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba. The information for the diagnosis is obtained from the application of different empirical methods such as surveys, interviews, observation and review of documents. The Didactic conception is based on the Historical - Cultural Theory of LS Vygotsky and his followers, in which an ecosystem approach and confrontation to climate change is demonstrated, which, from its implementation in the aforementioned race, allows students to become even more aware of the imperative need to conserve biological diversity, as well...

The work consists of the design, elaboration and proposal of a concept map system with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to contribute to the learning of concepts in the teaching-learning process of Biology 2 (Zoology), in secondary education. The research uses various theoretical and empirical methods in its dialectical interrelation, which allows one to verify existing gaps in the use and elaboration of concept maps in the teaching-learning process of this subject. A total of 15 concept maps was built in electronic format covering all the units of the program, based on the concept of animal, and all taxonomic groups from the poriferans to the mammals. The concept maps were introduced in the teaching-learning process of Biology 2 from the 2018-2019 academic years. The proposed system, until its implementation, was evaluated by different specialists who consider...

 An analysis of the main beliefs, myths, uses and other social and cultural manifestations of mollusks (snails, slugs and others) in Cuba is presented, based on ethnological work carried out in different locations on the island of Cuba, from the 2010, until 2020. In order to carry out the research, methods of sociocultural research, such as those at the theoretical and empirical level, were used in their dialectical interrelation, among which the following stand out: historical - logical, analytical - synthetic, inductive - deductive, all from the theoretical level, and from the empirical level, the interview and documentary analysis. More than 500 residents throughout the national territory were interviewed and the answers to the questions that the authors considered the most significant were chosen. The presence of snails at different levels of the social and cultural life of the ...

The investigative work presents a system of actions to carry out fi eld work with an integrative character and with an ecosystem approach and confronting climate change in the Bachelor of Education career Biology-Geography in Cuba, to enhance the future professional performance of graduates, by promoting Environmental Education and sustainable development in the centers of this level of education for the terminal years in the selected fi eld practice polygons. The diagnosis was made to determine the diffi culties that affect fi eld work realization in an integrative way. To mitigate the diffi culties detected, the system of actions whose contribution to the theory is given in its conception is proposed where the interaction between its components allows fulfilling the social order exposed in the professional model. The components that make up the system are: a theoretical block made...

ABSTRACT Dichotomous keys are resources or tools that researchers, teachers or other personnel linked to the study of biological sciences use for the determination of different species of organisms, through the comparison of two excluding characters. The objective of the research presented is aimed at making a dichotomous key in electronic format for the identification of virtual shells of marine gastropods present in the malacological fauna of Cuba, and in correspondence with the teaching-learning process of General Zoology I, in the career of Bachelor in Education. Biology, at the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba. In the research, different methods were used to collect information and process it in its dialectic interrelation, which allowed identifying the detected insufficiencies and formulating the solution. The information for the diagnosis is obtain...

Taxidermy is an encounter between science, technique and art in favor of education and scientific culture. The objective of this research work is to propose a complementary course of basic taxidermy for the students of the second year of the Primary Teachers' career of the Pedagogical School "Manuel Ascunce Domenech", located in the city of Santa Clara, province of Villa Clara, Cuba. In order to carry out the research, the methods of information gathering and processing of the information gathered in their dialectic interrelation were used, within the latter, observation and survey stand out. It was found that in this institution there are no natural objects, namely animals preserved in liquid or dissected, which facilitate a better understanding when using them as a means of teaching the contents related to the teaching-learning process of Biology, and the students and teachers have ins...

The research carried out consisted of determining the population density of Tiaris canora and Tiaris olivaceus in zone number three of the Cubanacán Protected Area, framed within the Cubanacán Heights in the province of Villa Clara, Cuba. For the capture of the birds, traps or rocker cages were used. The capture, marking and recapture of the birds under study constituted the basic method to determine the population density of the genus Tiaris. In addition, different methods were used to collect and process information, including interviews with 50 people in the city of Santa Clara, who illegally keep these species in captivity. From the study carried out in the sub-areas in zone three, the presence of 412.1 specimens of the genus Tiaris was confirmed, of which 207.9 were T. canora and 204.1 T. olivaceus, which confirmed that there is an index of abundance of this genus, taking into con...

The work consisted of the design, elaboration and proposal of models with the use of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICT), to contribute to the study of the origin of the coelom in animals withbilateral symmetry in the teaching-learning process of Biology 2, in high school. Several methods ofinformation gathering and processing were used, which allowed verifying the evident deficienciesregarding the use and elaboration of models in digital format for the study of the origin of the coelom in the teaching-learning process of this subject. A total of three models, related to the acoelomate, pseudocoelomate and coelomate condition in bilaterally symmetrical animals were built in electronic format. The constructed models were introduced in the teaching - learning process of Biology 2 from the course 2019 - 2020. The models proposed, until their implementation, were assessed by expe...

The research proposes through interviews, workshops, talks and sociocultural encounters, to link the inhabitants of the town of Caibarién located in the municipality of the same name in the province of Villa Clara, Cuba, to the knowledge of Invasive Exotic Species and their undesirable effects to the Cuban vulnerable ecosystems and to human health and in particular of the Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822) species, the Giant African Snail. For the effective development of this research, theoretical and empirical methods are used to address the multilateral study of the research object. The research represents a novel way of appropriating new knowledge about the L. fulica species by the inhabitants of Caibarién. In the interviews carried out, it was found that some inhabitants had certain knowledge about the African Giant Snail, not about the harmful effects that this animal can cause ...

Se determinó la artropofauna cavernícola en una cueva de calor de la Reserva Ecológica «Mogotes de Jumagua», en el Municipio Sagua la Grande, provincia Villa Clara, Cuba. La artropofauna fue colectada o utilizando los métodos convencionales. La temperatura máxima del aire fue de 33,6 C y la humedad relativa del aire fue del 90%, lo que ubica a esta cueva dentro de la categoría de “cueva de calor”. Se ofrecen apuntes sobre la presencia de 11 especies de artropotroglofauna: Periplaneta americana (Linné, 1758) (Blattodea: Blattidae); (2) Byrsotria fumigata (Guérin-Méneville, 1857) (Blattodea: Blaberidae); (3) Carcinophora americana (Beauvois, 1817) (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae); (4) Pyrophorus noctilucus (Linné, 1758) (Coleoptera: Elateridae; (5) Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae); (6) Antricola sp. (Acarina: Argasidae); (7) Loxosceles cubana (G...

En la Investigación se propone mediante un sistema de talleres, vincular a los escolares de 8vo grado de la Educación Secundaria de la escuela “José Martí” enclavada en el poblado de Sagua la Grande en la provincia de Villa Clara, Cuba, al conocimiento de las Especies Exóticas Invasoras (EEI) y sus efectos indeseables a los ecosistemas vulnerables cubanos y a la salud humana y en particular de la especie Bubalus bubalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Búfalo de agua. Para el desarrollo eficaz de esta investigación, se emplean métodos del nivel teórico y empírico, para abordar el estudio multilateral del objeto de investigación. La investigación representa una manera novedosa de apropiarse de nuevos conocimientos sobre la especie B. bubalis por parte de los alumnos de 8vo grado que cursan estudio en dicha escuela. Con la aplicación de los instrumentos se pudo constatar que los alumnos ...

The objective of the research work was to propose a teaching method that allowed the self-management of knowledge related to the zoology of invertebrates by the students of the 3rd year of the Bachelor of Education career, comparing in-person learning vs. those not in attendance. For the development of the research, information gathering and processing methods were used, which allowed us to verify the shortcomings in terms of the use and elaboration of this type of teaching medium, for the teaching-learning process from the non-face-to-face modality. The illustrations were made to correspond with the pedagogical and hygienic requirements, which contributed to the aesthetic education of the students and raised the interest in the didactic material. Suggestions and arguments made by different experts were taken into consideration, which were largely the basis for the realization of the wor...

The research is based on a malacological survey of freshwater molluscs of veterinary medical importance present in the Villa Clara province, Cuba. Methods associated with socio-cultural research were combined with methods and techniques used in laboratory and field work. In this sense, methods of the theoretical level (historical-logical, analytical-synthetic, and inductive-deductive) and empirical level (the survey, interview and documentary analysis) were used. The methodology allowed to verify the existing deficiencies on the knowledge of the freshwater aquatic molluscs species of medical importance. The collection of freshwater molluscs was carried out manually, using a hand strainer with a 1 mm mesh opening and a 2 m long handle for 10 minutes in the water bodies. The novel aspect of this research is that students and teachers from different Urban Basic Secondary Schools (ESBU) of s...

This research proposes and validates a new Didactic Conception with an ecosystem approach for the teaching - learning process of the zoology of the chordates in the third year of the Regular Day Course, of the Bachelor Degree in Biology Education of the Faculty of Media Education "Félix Varela Morales" of the Central University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba. The information for the diagnosis is obtained from the application of different empirical methods such as surveys, interviews, observation and review of documents. The Didactic conception is based on the Historical - Cultural Theory of LS Vygotsky and his followers, in which an ecosystem approach and confrontation to climate change is demonstrated, which, from its implementation in the aforementioned race, allows students to become even more aware of the imperative need to conserve biological diversity, as well...