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.

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.

Flood susceptibility in rural settlements in remote zones: The case of a mountainous basin in the Sierra-Costa region of Michoacán, Mexico.

Maps of natural hazards are essential for the prevention or mitigation of disasters. The Nexpa River mountainous basin is in the Sierra-Costa region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The dispersed rural settlements in the basin, accessed through a network of mainly minor roads and tracks, are highly vulnerable in cases of catastrophic hydrometeorological events.