scholarly journals Influence of Environmental Factors on Forest Understorey Species in Northern Mexico

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1198
Author(s):  
Juan F. Maciel-Nájera ◽  
M. Socorro González-Elizondo ◽  
José Ciro Hernández-Díaz ◽  
Carlos A. López-Sánchez ◽  
Claudia Edith Bailón-Soto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Saturation ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Ecological Services ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Soil Variables ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Northwestern Mexico ◽  
Understorey Plants

Background: Understorey plants are key to maintaining forest structure and functioning. They protect the soil, improve its structure and fertility, reduce water run-off and sustain the below-ground biota, amongst other ecological services. However, little is known about the environmental conditions that regulate the occurrence of these plants. This study focuses on determining how canopy cover influences the occurrence of understorey species and identifying the most important soil properties that affect these species. The study area was a pine-oak forest in the Sierra Madre Occidental, an important source of ecological services for northwestern Mexico. Methods: To assess the conditions influencing the presence of herbaceous and shrub species, 25 soil variables were examined in relation to the species occurring in forest gaps and under the canopy. Sampling was conducted in five plots, each of 100 × 100 m. In each plot, 4 subplots, each of 20 × 20 m, were each subdivided in a grid of 2 × 2 m units, in which the presence-absence of herbaceous and shrub species was recorded (2000 units in total). Soil samples were extracted for analysis from the central point in each subplot. Data were analyzed using a Binomial Logistic Model (BLM) and Random Forest (RF) classification. Results: Understorey species were more strongly affected by soil variables than by their location in gaps or below canopy. The concentrations of Ca, P, K, Fe, Na, C, Zn, Mn, nitrates, organic matter, sand, silt, and percentage water saturation were statistically significantly associated with the presence of some plant species, whilst no significant differences were found in regard to preference for gaps or canopy, although several species were more frequent in open areas. Conclusions: Given the importance of the understorey cover in forest system functioning, we propose that understorey should be considered in integrated management and conservation practices for the temperate forests of northern Mexico.

Desert Traffic: The Dynamics of the Drug Trade in Northwestern Mexico

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P. Perramond
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Drug Industry ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Northwestern Mexico

The semiarid expanses of northern Mexico have long been a haven for drug trafficking and shipment into the southwestern United States. During the past 3 decades, a more specialized and dedicated drug industry has used the long U.S.-Mexican border to move illicit narcotics. Northern Mexico is not a heavily indigenous zone, and yet some native populations have been adversely affected by this recent industry, and not just a few have taken a role in it. Two states in northern Mexico that still have indigenous peoples are Sonora and Chihuahua. Both of these semiarid states are more sparsely populated than the rest of Mexico, yet both share a long, expansive border with the United States. Thus, neither state has escaped the activities of the drug industry, and some of the major drug cartels are located in this region (figure 8.1), the largest in urban areas such as Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua and Culiacán in the state of Sinaloa. Although these urban areas are the economic and logistical centers of two large cartels, an aspect frequently ignored in the literature, and certainly in policy circles, is the variety of scales of production in this industry. Aside from these giant cartels, drug cultivation, production, and transportation are also common at lesser scales, and the difficulties and dangers associated with drug production and trafficking extend to these small farmers. Small plots of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) and poppies (Papaver somniferum) dot the northern Mexican landscape, especially in the foothills and high peaks of the Sierra Madre. Most of the poppy production lies further south, in the states of Michoacan, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. Marijuana (Cannabis) is by far the more common of the two illicit crops grown in Mexico, partly because of its longer history of cultivation in the country’s mountainous regions and partly because of its greater ease of integration into agriculture. Poppy fields are a lot harder to hide, both from neighbors and from more interested authorities. Marijuana is also more easily intercropped with more common agricultural crops. Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in the same field or parcel of land, and it is common when farmers need to maximize total output per unit of area (Wilken 1987: 248). I have seen marijuana integrated with corn, bean, squash, sunflower, and tomato plants.

scholarly journals Influence of Type of Management and Climatic Conditions on Productive Behavior, Oenological Potential, and Soil Characteristics of a ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ Vineyard

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gastón Gutiérrez-Gamboa ◽  
Nicolás Verdugo-Vásquez ◽  
Irina Díaz-Gálvez
Keyword(s):  
Physicochemical Parameters ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Heat Accumulation ◽  
Organic Management ◽  
Bioclimatic Indices ◽  
Conventional Management ◽  
Soil Variables ◽  
Type Of Management

(1) Background: Degradation of soils and erosion have been described for most of the soils presented along the Maule Valley. Organic and integrated management promotes agroecosystem health, improving soil biological activity. Due to this, the aim of this research was to study the effect of organic, integrated, and conventional management on the productive, oenological and soil variables of a vineyard cultivated under semiarid conditions during 5 consecutive seasons; (2) Methods: Yield, grape and wine oenological, and soil physicochemical parameters were evaluated. Bioclimatic indices were calculated in the studied seasons; (3) Results: Conventional management allowed to improve yield and the number of bunches per vine compared to organic management. However, this latter enhanced mineral nitrogen and potassium content in soil. Based on bioclimatic indices, heat accumulation improved number of bunches per plant and most of the soil physicochemical parameters; (4) Conclusions: Organic management improved the accumulation of some microelements in soils at the expense of yield. Organic matter decreased along the study was carried out. Season was the conditioning factor of the variability of most of the studied parameters, while the interaction between season and type of management affected soluble solids, probable alcohol and pH in grapes, and total polyphenol index and pH in wines.

Seed-bank contributions to regeneration of shrub species after clear-cutting and burning

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Morgan ◽  
L. F. Neuenschwander
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Clear Cutting

Seed banks contributed significantly to regeneration of early seral shrubs after clear-cutting and fall broadcast burning of dense coniferous forests of the Thuja plicata/Clintonia uniflora habitat type in northern Idaho. Seeds were separated from 36 samples of soil and surface organic matter from 15 uncut forest stands. Total seed density averaged 1151 ± 1896 seeds/m2, and seed density for individual shrub species ranged from 1 ± 3 to 690 ± 1728 seeds/m2. Canopy cover of the "obligate" seed bank species, such as Ceanothus sanguineus and Prunus emarginata, was low or nonexistent in uncut forests, seed constancy and density in seed bank were high, and seedling regeneration on 2-year-old burns was abundant. Species that were "non-reliant" on seed banks, including Symphoricarpos albus and Rosa gymnocarpa, resprouted and no seedlings were found after burning. Response of "opportunistic" seed-bank species such as Rubus parviflorus and Rubus ursinus was intermediate; both seedling and sprout regeneration occurred after cutting and burning. These species existed in uncut stands both in the seed bank and in the understory. Burn severity affected germination and (or) seedling survival of Ceanothus sanguineus. Its percent canopy cover was greater on high-severity than on low-severity 2-year-old burns.

Distinguishing the Hydrochemistry of Two Hydrological Basins in Northern Mexico Using Factor Analysis

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 111-119
Author(s):  
Lia C. Méndez-Rodriguez ◽  
Susan C. Gardner ◽  
Luis Brito-Castillo ◽  
Baudilio Acosta-Vargas ◽  
Jobst Wurl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Hydrochemical Parameters ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Normal Ranges ◽  
Northwestern Mexico ◽  
The City

Abstract Hydrochemical parameters of groundwater from two hydrological basins in northwestern Mexico were measured. In one of them is located the city of Puerto Peñasco, and in the other one is the city of El Rosarito. A factor analysis was used to characterize the main influences that affected the water quality of each region. Based on the results of this method, the aquifer located in Rosarito is mainly affected by seawater intrusion and the presence of high levels of manganese, while the groundwater characteristics at Puerto Peñasco are influenced by reductive conditions, probably caused by bacterial contamination. Although most of the parameters analyzed in this study were within normal ranges for groundwater, knowledge of the factors affecting sources of water can help to develop restoration projects and preventive management practices to prevent an irreversible degradation of groundwater quality.

scholarly journals Helminth fauna of two cyprinid fish (Campostoma ornatum and Codoma ornata) from the upper Piaxtla River, Northwestern Mexico

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Aguilar-Aguilar ◽  
R. Rosas-Valdez ◽  
A. Martínez-Aquino ◽  
R. Pérez-rodríguez ◽  
O. Domínguez-Domínguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Cyprinid Fish ◽  
Helminth Parasite ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Posthodiplostomum Minimum ◽  
Bothriocephalus Acheilognathi ◽  
Northwestern Mexico ◽  
Clinostomum Complanatum

AbstractThe helminth parasite fauna of 2 species of freshwater fishes from the upper Piaxtla River in northwestern Mexico was studied. A total of 41 cyprinids, corresponding to 20 Campostoma ornatum and 21 Codoma ornata were analyzed. Six species of platyhelminths were recorded, including 2 species of monogeneans (Gyrodactylus sp. and Dactylogyrus sp.), 3 species of digeneans (Posthodiplostomum minimum, Clinostomum complanatum, and Margotrema sp.), and 1 species of tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi). Helminth parasite infracommunities were depauperate, showed low richness and diversity values, and were dominated by 1 or 2 helminth species. This pattern is consistent with that observed for the helminth parasite communities in other freshwater fishes in central and northern Mexico.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact of Land-use Changes and Soil Loss on Coastal Coral Reef Cover: Study Case in the Small Tropical Island, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asep Mulyono ◽  
Muhammad Rahman Djuwansah ◽  
Ida Narulita ◽  
Risandi Dwirama Putra ◽  
Dewi Surinati
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Soil Sediment ◽  
Port Construction

Abstract Over 24% of coral reefs in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, experience damage from development in coastal areas by coastal construction, land conversion, beach nourishment, and port construction. The rapid economic development activities around the coast of Bintan Island impact the extraction of natural resources and reduction of the coral reefs cover. A comprehensive study to determine the temporal change in land use and estimate the rate of soil loss and its effects on coral reef cover is needed. There has been a change in land use for five years (2014-2018) on the east coast of Bintan Island, and the average percentage of coral reef cover is in the fair category (<50%). The land-use changes have resulted in soil loss that varies each year. Apart from land-use changes, the factor of rainfall is one of the causes of soil loss. Soil loss is generated from cultivated lands due to the lack of conservation techniques. In east Bintan island, mixed garden, plantation, and bare land area with dense canopy cover contributed increasing of soil loss. The contribution of soil loss to hard coral reefs as a result of land use changes from high to low is soil erosion > soil sediment > surface run-off.

Shrub Response to High and Low Severity Burns Following Clearcutting in Northern Idaho

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Morgan ◽  
Leon F. Neuenschwander
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Shrub Cover ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Western Redcedar ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Shrub Community ◽  
Northern Idaho

Abstract Early seral shrub community development following clearcutting is documented for fall broadcast burns aged 0-5 and 15 years on a western redcedar (Thuja plicata)/beadlilly (Clintonia uniflora) habitat type. Shrub cover was dominated by redstem ceanothus (Ceanothus sanguineus), blackberry (Rubus ursinus), thimbleberry (R. parviflorus), common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), and 8 other shrub species. Frequency of occurrence differed significantly (P < 0.05) with burn severity (6 of 12 species), but not with burn age (10 of 12 species) up to 15 years after fire. Percent canopy cover of seedlings and sprouts, summed over species, differed with burn severity on burns less than 4 years old. There was greater total cover of rhizomatous shrub sprouts (P < 0.01) on low severity burns. Cover of shrub seedlings was significantly less (P = 0.03) on low severity than on high severity burns. However, there was no difference (P = 0.60) in cover of nonrhizomatous sprouts on high and low severity burns. West. J. Appl. For. 3(1):5-9, January 1988.

Paleohydrology of the Santiaguillo Basin (Mexico) since late last glacial and climate variation in southern part of western subtropical North America

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyadarsi D. Roy ◽  
Claudia M. Chávez-Lara ◽  
Laura E. Beramendi-Orosco ◽  
José L. Sánchez-Zavala ◽  
Gowrappan Muthu-Sankar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
North American ◽  
North American Monsoon ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Hydrological Variability ◽  
Aeolian Activity ◽  
Glacial Runoff ◽  
Northwestern Mexico

Stratigraphy, geochemistry and radiocarbon dating of a succession of sediment in the Santiaguillo Basin (central-northern Mexico) help reconstruct the millennial-scale dynamics of hydrological variability that occurred in the southern part of western subtropical North America since the late last glacial. Runoff was generally above average during the late last glacial from ~ 27 to 18 ka. Following this interval, runoff decreased and deposition of authigenic carbonate and aeolian transported sediment increased until ~ 4 ka. Heinrich 1 and 2, and Younger Dryas were intervals of reduced runoff and increased aeolian activity. The wetter climate of central-northern Mexico and arid conditions in north–northwestern Mexico during the late last glacial were probably related to formation of tropical cyclones in the eastern North Pacific during the autumn with restricted rainfall swaths and an absent/weaker North American Monsoon. Enhanced North American Monsoon and tropical cyclones with expanded rainfall swaths brought more summer and autumn precipitation to a broader region extending from the central-northern Mexico to the continental interiors of southwestern US during the early Holocene.

scholarly journals Shrub richness is primarily driven by climate conditions in Southwestern European woodlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Moreno-Fernández ◽  
Isabel Cañellas ◽  
Iciar Alberdi
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Soil Variables ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract • Key message The shrub species richness in Spanish forests is mainly linked to climatic variables and the importance of the groups of variables scarcely differs among forest types. Forest surrounding the Mediterranean Basin exhibit the highest levels of shrub richness. • Context Shrub species account for a high proportion of the plant diversity in Spanish forests and are a determinant factor in forest dynamics and ecosystem functionality. • Aims To investigate the relative importance of climatic, forest stand features, soil and topographic variables in explaining shrub richness in Spanish forests and if the relative importance of these four groups of variables reflects variations among forest types. • Methods We used the Spanish National Forest Inventory and a boosted regression trees approach to identify which climatic, soil, stand and topographic variables (N = 19 variables) are related to the richness of shrub species in Spanish woodlands. • Results The shrub species richness is mainly related to climatic variables followed by soil variables whereas stand and topographic variables play a minor role. The importance of the groups of variables scarcely differs among forest types although forests located around the Mediterranean Sea display the highest levels of shrub richness. • Conclusion Shrub richness in Spain is primarily driven by climatic and soil variables, both at country and forest-type scales. Forests surrounding the Mediterranean Basin account for the highest richness of shrub species but are also those most threatened by global change. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the monitoring and assessment of these forest ecosystems.

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