Environmental heterogeneity influences liana community differentiation across a Neotropical rainforest landscape.

We examined the variation in liana community composition and structure across geopedological land units to test the hypothesis that environmental heterogeneity is a driving force in liana community assembly. The study site was the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station, SE Mexico, a reserve that encompasses 640 ha of tropical rainforest. We sampled all lianas with basal diameter ≥1 cm in three 0.

Genomic diversity and structure of a Neotropical microendemic fig tree.

Genetic diversity is a key component of evolution, and unraveling factors that promote genetic differentiation in space and time is a central question in evolutionary biology. One of the most diverse and ecologically important tree genera in tropical forests worldwide is (Moraceae). It has been suggested that, given the great dispersal capacity of pollinating fig wasps (Chalcidoidea; Agaonidae), the spatial genetic structure, particularly in monoecious fig species, should be weak.

Underlying and proximate drivers of biodiversity changes in Mesoamerican biosphere reserves.

Protected areas are of paramount relevance to conserving wildlife and ecosystem contributions to people. Yet, their conservation success is increasingly threatened by human activities including habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and species overexploitation. Thus, understanding the underlying and proximate drivers of anthropogenic threats is urgently needed to improve protected areas' effectiveness, especially in the biodiversity-rich tropics.

Leaf morphometric analysis and potential distribution modelling contribute to taxonomic differentiation in the Quercus microphylla complex.

Mexico is a major center of evolutionary radiation for the genus Quercus, with oak species occurring across different habitat types and showing a wide variation in morphology and growth form. Despite representing about 20% of Mexican species, scrub oaks have received little attention and even basic aspects of their taxonomy and geographic distribution remain unresolved. In this study, we analyzed the morphological and climatic niche differentiation of scrub oak populations forming a complex constituted by six named species, Quercus cordifolia, Quercus frutex, Quercus intricata, Quercus microphylla, Quercus repanda, Quercus striatula and a distinct morphotype of Q.

The roles of the ostiole in the fig-fig wasp mutualism from a morpho-anatomical perspective.

The syconium is the urn-shaped inflorescence shared by all species of the genus Ficus. The orifice at the apex of the syconium is called the ostiole, and it is covered by interlocking bracts. The ostiolar bracts can have different arrangements, which only allow the entry of mutualist wasps and promote reproductive isolation among Ficus species.

Biogeographic regionalization by spatial and environmental components: Numerical proposal.

Regionalization through the analysis of species groups offers important advantages in conservation biology, compared to the single taxon approach in areas of high species richness. We use a systematic framework for biogeographic regionalization at a regional scale based on species turnover and environmental drivers (climate variables and soil properties) mainly of herbaceous plant species richness. To identify phytogeographic regions in the Balsas Depression (BD), we use Asteraceae species, a family widely distributed in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) and the most diverse of the vascular plants in Mexico.

Timber and non-timber forest products in the northernmost Neotropical rainforest: Ecological factors unravel their landscape distribution.

The benefits provided by tropical rainforests are unevenly distributed throughout the landscape and are shaped by abiotic and biotic components that influence the spatial distribution and functional traits of the species involved. We tested whether environmental stratification of the rainforest in biophysical Landscape Units (LU), defined by topography and soil, is related to the spatial distribution of diversity, abundance and productivity (standing biomass) of tree assemblages that provide potential forest products (PFP). Considering that different PFP are associated with specific plant traits, we also tested whether a phylogenetic signal exists among the species that comprise specific use categories.

Disentangling the influence of ecological and historical factors on seed germination and seedling types in a Neotropical dry forest.

In tropical dry forests, although seed germination and seedling establishment are in general limited by the seasonal availability of water, high interspecific variability, nonetheless, exists in terms of seedling traits and germination dynamics. Differences among species in seed germination and seedling traits may be related to other plant life-history traits, such that assessing these relationships may increase our understanding of factors influencing plant establishment, which would affect the regeneration pathways of tropical dry forest communities. In this study, taking into consideration the effect species' phylogeny, we evaluated the relationships of seed germination metrics (percentage, lag time, and rate of germination) and seedling types (i.

Phylogeny, fruit traits, and ecological correlates of fruiting phenology in a Neotropical dry forest.

In tropical dry forests, a high interspecific variation in the strategies of fruiting phenology has been documented. Therefore, phenological responses may be mediated by influence of environmental variables, functional plant attributes or phylogenetic inertia. During 2 years, we recorded the fruiting phenology of 151 species belonging to 5 different growth forms of a Neotropical dry forest in Mexico.

Flowering phenology, growth forms, and pollination syndromes in tropical dry forest species: Influence of phylogeny and abiotic factors.

Premise Of The Study: Analyses of the influence of temporal variation in abiotic factors on flowering phenology of tropical dry forest species have not considered the possible response of species with different growth forms and pollination syndromes, while controlling for phylogenetic relationships among species. Here, we investigated the relationship between flowering phenology, abiotic factors, and plant functional attributes, while controlling for phylogenetic relationship among species, in a dry forest community in Mexico.

Methods: We characterized flowering phenology (time and duration) and pollination syndromes of 55 tree species, 49 herbs, 24 shrubs, 15 lianas, and 11 vines.

Conserving tropical tree diversity and forest structure: the value of small rainforest patches in moderately-managed landscapes.

Rainforests are undergoing severe deforestation and fragmentation worldwide. A huge amount of small forest patches are being created, but their value in conserving biodiversity and forest structure is still controversial. Here, we demonstrate that in a species-rich and moderately-managed Mexican tropical landscape small rainforest patches (<100 ha) can be highly valuable for the conservation of tree diversity and forest structure.

Contagious deposition of seeds in spider monkeys' sleeping trees limits effective seed dispersal in fragmented landscapes.

The repeated use of sleeping sites by frugivorous vertebrates promotes the deposition and aggregation of copious amounts of seeds in these sites. This spatially contagious pattern of seed deposition has key implications for seed dispersal, particularly because such patterns can persist through recruitment. Assessing the seed rain patterns in sleeping sites thus represents a fundamental step in understanding the spatial structure and regeneration of plant assemblages.

Relationships among ecologically important dimensions of plant trait variation in seven neotropical forests.

Background And Aims: When ecologically important plant traits are correlated they may be said to constitute an ecological 'strategy' dimension. Through identifying these dimensions and understanding their inter-relationships we gain insight into why particular trait combinations are favoured over others and into the implications of trait differences among species. Here we investigated relationships among several traits, and thus the strategy dimensions they represented, across 2134 woody species from seven Neotropical forests.