Shifts in swidden agriculture alter the diversity of young fallows: Is the regeneration of cloud forest at stake in southern Mexico?

AbstractSeed dispersal is the first stage of colonization, and potentially affects recruitment. This process deserves more attention in tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF), since secondary succession is common owing to episodic disturbances. We studied annual seed rain in 10 nearby forest stands, ≈7 to ≈100 y following shifting agriculture, and one primary forest stand in southern Mexico to test the hypothesis that seed rain is limited at the scale of neighbouring fragments and that such limitation differs among species with different dispersal modes and successional origin. Annual seed rain was heterogeneous among forest fragments probably due to the prevalence of local seed dispersal, differences in stand age and the proportion of zoochory, and may help explain the patchy distribution of species observed in TMCF. Seed rain abundance and species diversity per unit trap area increased with the age of the stand. Biotically dispersed seeds increased towards older stands relative to abiotically dispersed seeds. Late-successional seeds were rarer in early successional stands than pioneer seeds in late-successional stands, suggesting that long-distance dispersal is generally more common for pioneer plants. Seed dispersal appears to constrain forest regeneration and to influence fragment species composition as a function of the distance from the source forests.

Download Full-text

Soil altitudinal sequence on base-poor parent material in a montane cloud forest in Sierra Juárez, Southern Mexico

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.01.025 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 144 (3-4) ◽

pp. 593-612 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

G. Álvarez Arteaga ◽

N.E. García Calderón ◽

P.V. Krasilnikov ◽

S.N. Sedov ◽

V.O. Targulian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Parent Material ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Montane Cloud Forest

Download Full-text

Structure and Floristic Composition in a Successional Gradient in a Cloud Forest in Chiapas, Southern Mexico

The Dynamical Processes of Biodiversity - Case Studies of Evolution and Spatial Distribution ◽

10.5772/25095 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Miguel Angel ◽

Cesar Tejeda-Cruz ◽

Ruben Martinez-Camilo ◽

Nayely Martinez-Melendez ◽

Sergio Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Floristic Composition ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Successional Gradient

Download Full-text

Post-stripping recolonization of vascular epiphytes in cloud-forest fragments in Mexico

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467415000395 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 499-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Margoth Acuña-Tarazona ◽

Tarin Toledo-Aceves ◽

Alejandro Flores-Palacios ◽

Vinicio J. Sosa ◽

M. Luisa Martínez

Keyword(s):

Secondary Forest ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Dominance Rank ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Vascular Epiphytes ◽

Recovery Capacity ◽

Epiphyte Communities ◽

Accumulation Curves ◽

Vascular Epiphyte

Abstract:The response of vascular epiphyte communities following natural or human disturbance has been little studied. Over 5 y, we evaluated the post-stripping recolonization of vascular epiphytes in cloud forest. Vascular epiphytes were experimentally removed from branch and trunk plots (1 m in length) on five trees in two secondary cloud forest fragments in southern Mexico. Similarity between colonizer and established communities was compared in each fragment using a further five trees with no stripping. All seedlings were recorded yearly. Non-vascular epiphyte cover was estimated in each plot. The recolonization rate was very high; after 5 y, epiphyte density of the colonizer community (27.4 ± 6.8 individuals per segment) reached similar values to those of the established community (26.7 ± 3.3) in nearby trees. While similarity (composition and abundance) between the colonizer community and established community was high (81%), diversity accumulation curves indicated that the colonizer community presents a lower diversity of epiphytes (5.5 equivalent species) than the established community (11.4). Colonization of xerophytic bromeliads was high, while pteridophytes and orchids presented reduced recovery. The immediately surrounding source of propagules had a strong influence on recolonization. In both the colonizer and established communities, dominance rank was bromeliads > peperomias > pteridophytes. The results show that the recovery capacity of epiphytic vegetation in secondary forest is high, if propagule sources are close by. However, at 5 y after disturbance, it is unclear whether the colonizer community would present the same species composition as the established community or if it would give rise to a different community.

Download Full-text

Host affinity and vertical distribution of epiphytic orchids in a montane cloud forest in southern Mexico

Botanical Sciences ◽

10.17129/botsci.1869 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 96 (2) ◽

pp. 200 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ezequiel Hernández-Pérez ◽

Eloy Solano ◽

Ramiro Ríos-Gómez

Keyword(s):

Vertical Distribution ◽

Tree Species ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Epiphytic Orchids ◽

Host Trees ◽

Montane Cloud Forest ◽

Vertical Zone ◽

Bark Texture

Background: The host´s structural characteristics provide diverse microhabitats that influence the distribution patterns of the epiphytes at different vertical zones and among tree species.Hypotheses: Epiphytic orchids have preference for larger host trees and with non-exfoliating rough bark, while the limiting hosts will be those of smaller size and smooth and exfoliating bark, and there will be fewer individuals in the upper canopy of the host trees because the micro-environmental conditions are more stressful compared to the middle and lower parts of the host trees.Methods: The host preferences and vertical distribution of the epiphytic orchids were analyzed in 20 montane cloud forest fragments. In each fragment, two transects of 2 × 50 m were drawn, and the trees with a diameter at a breast height ≥ 20 cm were recorded. In each tree, basal area was quantified and bark texture was characterized. In each tree and vertical zone, the orchid species present were identified and quantified.Results: Orchid distribution patterns vary between vertical zones and host tree species, and the richness is related to host size and bark texture. The highest species richness and number of epiphytic orchid’s individuals were recorded in host trees with fissured bark and larger size. The distribution of orchids in the host was not homogeneous nor was it related to any particular host species. However, five trees species were considered as host preferred, while five tree species were limiting hosts. The highest richness was recorded in vertical zone II and the lowest in zones I and V.Conclusions: Larger trees contain greater richness of epiphytic orchids, because they offer better conditions for their establishment, provide a great diversity of microhabitats, greater time and area for epiphytic colonization events. The texture of the bark is a relevant factor in the host preference, and in the hosts with smooth bark, the presence of epiphytic orchids depends on the accumulation of organic matter.

Download Full-text

Diversity of epiphyte ferns along an elevational gradient in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, southern Mexico

Plant Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.5091/plecevo.2020.1573 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 153 (1) ◽

pp. 12-21

Author(s):

Derio A. Jiménez-López ◽

Rubén Martínez-Camilo ◽

Nayely Martínez-Meléndez ◽

Michael Kessler

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Beta Diversity ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Diversity Patterns ◽

Individual Trees

Background and aims – In the tropics, some studies have found that the richness of epiphytic ferns present a peak at mountain mid-elevations. However, it is not well understood how transitions from tropical to subtropical conditions affect this peak, and even less is known about beta diversity of epiphytic ferns. Thus, the objective is to understand the effect of climatic gradients on the variation of local richness of ferns and beta diversity patterns along an elevational gradient in a mountain system in southern Mexico.Methods – We sampled 32 trees, each in four elevational bands (100–2200 m). Alpha diversity patterns were analysed using linear regression models. We used the Morisita index to quantify species turnover between bands. An additive partitioning approach was used to analyse the degree to which individual trees, plots, and bands contributed to total species richness. We evaluated the influence of climatic variables on species composition via linear regression models.Key results – A total of 30 species in five families were recorded. Each family contributed in different magnitude to the elevational richness pattern, with Polypodiaceae dominating due to its richness and presence along the entire transect. Alpha diversity at the three scales (αtree, αplot, αband) increased with elevation and rainfall, and with decreasing temperature. Species turnover was high along the gradient, but was scale-dependent, with βtransect (65–75%) and βband (14%) with the greatest contributing to total diversity. Although the contribution of the individual trees was lower, it increased with elevation. Conclusions – We emphasize the importance of including different scale levels in analyses of diversity along elevational gradients. In the region, cloud forest on the mountain peaks harbours the highest diversity of epiphytic fern communities. Due to a limited extent of this mountain range, the epiphyte ferns are susceptible to the effects of climate change.

Download Full-text

La familia Lauraceae en el sur de México: Diversidad, distribución y estado de conservación

Botanical Sciences ◽

10.17129/botsci.1663 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Francisco G. Lorea-Hernández

Keyword(s):

Endemic Species ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Tropical Rain Forest ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Nature Reserves ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

The Family

A survey of the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of the family Lauraceae in southern Mexico was conducted. The diversity account resulted in a list of 120 species representing 10 genera: Aiouea, Beilschmiedia, Cassytha, Cinnamomum, Licaria, Litsea, Mocinnodaphne, Nectandra, Ocotea and Persea. The states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz have the largest numbers of species, particularly for the cloud forest and the tropical rain forest. Endemic species account for 47.5% of the surveyed taxa, which concentrate in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. Only 58 of the species considered in the study are present in the system of nature reserves in southern Mexico. The general implications of these findings for the persistence of this component of the Mexican flora are discussed.

Download Full-text

Forecasting cloud forest in eastern and southern Mexico: conservation insights under future climate change scenarios

Biodiversity and Conservation ◽

10.1007/s10531-012-0327-x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 21 (10) ◽

pp. 2671-2690 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Octavio R. Rojas-Soto ◽

Victoria Sosa ◽

Juan Francisco Ornelas

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Southern Mexico

Download Full-text

Identification of areas of endemism in the Mexican cloud forests based on the distribution of endemic epiphytic bromeliads and orchids

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.397.2.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 397 (2) ◽

pp. 129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

IVETH ESTRADA SÁNCHEZ ◽

JAVIER GARCÍA-CRUZ ◽

ADOLFO ESPEJO-SERNA ◽

GERARDO LÓPEZ- ORTEGA

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Continuous Distribution ◽

Cloud Forests ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

The Pacific ◽

Areas Of Endemism ◽

The Pacific Ocean ◽

Epiphytic Bromeliads

To identify areas of endemism (AEs) in the Mexican cloud forests based on the distribution of endemic epiphytic bromeliads and orchids species and to propose a hypothesis about the current biogeographical relationship of the Mexican cloud forests. The AEs were identified using 1007 records corresponding to 205 species and the endemicity analysis as is implemented in the ndm/vndm programs. To obtain the consensus areas a strict consensus analysis was carried out considering 60% of shared species as the lower limit; those that presented an Endemicity Index ≥ 3.0 were recognized as AEs. A parsimony analysis of endemicity was performed with winclada/nona programs to infer their biogeographical relationships. Five AEs were recognized: 1) Western Mexico (supported by six species), 2) Southern Mexico (eight species), 3) Northern Gulf of Mexico, and 4) Central Gulf of Mexico (with nine species each), and 5) Northern Oaxaca (four species). The spatial homology hypothesis suggests that the areas of endemism from the Pacific Ocean Slope and from the Gulf of Mexico Slope has a different evolutionary history. Each AEs has a different species composition; the greatest species diversity is presented in the Gulf of Mexico slope AEs, while the greatest diversity of exclusive species is presented in the Pacific Ocean slope AEs. There is no a spatial homology hypothesis between the AEs of the Gulf of Mexico and the AEs of the Pacific Ocean, therefore, our results do not support the hypothesis of a cloud forest with continuous distribution in the past. The divergence times of the bromeliads and orchids and ecological succession theory could explain our results.

Download Full-text

Phylogenetic and morphologic evidence confirm the presence of a new montane cloud forest associated bird species in Mexico, the Mountain Elaenia (Elaenia frantzii; Aves: Passeriformes: Tyrannidae)

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1491 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Zachary R Hanna ◽

Marco F Ortiz-Ramírez ◽

César A. Ríos-Muñoz ◽

Héctor Cayetano-Rosas ◽

Rauri C. K. Bowie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Bird Species ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Geographic Range ◽

Genetic Evidence ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Montane Cloud Forest ◽

Distributional Range ◽

Breeding Condition

We here provide evidence to support an extension of the recognized distributional range of the Mountain Elaenia (Elaenia frantzii) to include southern Mexico. We collected two specimens in breeding condition in northwestern Sierra Norte de Chiapas, Mexico. Morphologic and genetic evidence support their identity as Elaenia frantzii. We compared environmental parameters of records across the entire geographic range of the species to those at the northern Chiapas survey site and found no climatic differences among localities.

Download Full-text