Andrew P. Vovides

Instituto de Ecología, AC (INECOL) · Biología Evolutiva

Ceratozamia alba sp. nov., a new cycad species from the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve in northern Chiapas, Mexico, is described and compared to its congeners. Our earlier observations led us to think that these populations belonged to C. robusta, given their geographic location and the general morphological resemblance of adult individuals. Howe...

The anatomy of the neck cells and the structure of the archegonium during the central cell growth as a stage in the ontogeny of the archegonium that occurs before fertilization is described and compared for Ceratozamia tenuis and Zamia furfuracea. Two neck cells are reported for both species with anatomical features that suggest they participate in...

The genus Psittacanthus is distributed from Mexico to Argentina and contains ca. 110 species. The large, lipid-rich, one-seeded fruits of Psittacanthus species frequently depend on frugivorous birds for seed dispersal, however, fruit morphology of Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) mistletoes remain poorly studied. In this study we describe the fruit mor...

Most Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) mistletoes depend on frugivorous birds for seed dispersal, and the behaviour of seed dispersers strongly influences their spatial distribution. However, the timing of seed germination stages remains poorly studied. In this study, ripe fruits from nine Psittacanthus species, inhabiting contrasting habitats and host...

Cycads represent an example of the success of evolutionary stasis. Despite their early origin, they survived multiple events of mass extinction and diversified in modern tropical ecosystems during the Cenozoic without major changes in their morphology. What factors have allowed their persistence and diversification despite their conservative nature...

The cycad genus Ceratozamia comprises 40 species from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras, where cycads occur throughout climatically varied montane habitats. Ceratozamia has the potential to reveal the history and processes of species diversification across diverse Neotropical habitats in this region. However, the species relationships within...

Fruits of Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) mistletoes depend on frugivorous birds for seed dispersal; however, despite the importance of birds in their dispersal and distribution, the external fruit morphology and anatomy and seedling remain poorly studied. Here, we describe the fruit anatomy and seedling of host generalist Psittacanthus schiedeanus (C...

The anatomy of the neck cells and the structure of the archegonium during the central cell growth as a stage in the ontogeny of the archegonium that occurs before fertilization is described and compared for Ceratozamia tenuis and Zamia furfuracea. Two neck cells are reported for both species with anatomical features that suggest they participate in...

Ceratozamia rosea sp. nov., a new cycad species from the northern mountains of Chiapas, Mexico, is described and compared with its geographically proximal and morphologically similar congeners. Ceratozamia rosea is closely related to the geographically proximal species C. zoquorum, C. becerrae, and C. sancheziae, but easily distinguishable by its p...

A number of morphological vegetative, floral, pollen, and fruit characters differ between the taxa of Dahlia and Hidalgoa. This study compares morphological and anatomical characters of the cypselae in Dahlia and Hidalgoa, identifying variations of potential taxonomic value to assess whether they should be treated as independent taxa. Cypselae of t...

Speculations on hybridization among wild cycads are abundant, but empirical evidence of hybridization in cycad evolution is almost non-existent and the evolutionary consequences of hybridization in cycads have not been discussed. Previously, Zamia katzeriana was hypothesized to have a hybrid origin between two sympatric species: Z. splendens and Z....

The cycad Ceratozamia latifolia was first described by Miquel in 1847 based on plant of unknown provenance cultivated in Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam which was obtained from Belgium, and for which no type specimen was collected or preserved. The description was based on a juvenile plant, lacked a detailed explanation of the species’ characteristic...

Palms (Arecaceae) represent a challenge for studies of morphological variation for several various reasons. For instance, the height of many species makes them difficult to collect, and in some cases, the size of the leaves or the presence of spines make them hard to process and preserve in herbaria. Arecaceae is one of the most diverse families of...

A survey of a sample eight new and ten old world cycad species was conducted on stem tissue starch grains. The objective of the study was to determine if starch grain morphology traits such as size and shape are useful for species identification. Stem tissue was extracted during the spring of 2018. Extraction was done by means of a cork borer of 7m...

The anatomy of the megagametophyte of Zamia furfuracea, a cycad species with a short reproductive cycle, is described in the first stages of its ontogeny corresponding to the free nuclear and alveolation stages. The way in which the free nuclei are arranged centripetally to later organize themselves into a series of radially elongated hexahedral an...

Hidalgoa and Dahlia are two closely related genera in Asteraceae, tribe Coreopsideae whose limits need to be clarified. Pollen morphology has been useful for delimitation at the genus level in this family. To better define these genera, the morphology of pollen grains was observed and measured using light and scanning electron microscopy. The polle...

Cycads (Cycadales) are among the most ancient lineages of extant seed-bearing plants and are the most threatened plant order on Earth, with circa 75% of the 356 accepted species endangered or threatened with extinction. Zamia is the most species-rich (81 spp.) and widely distributed cycad genus in the Americas, notable for its morphological and eco...

Ceratozamia dominguezii (Zamiaceae), a new species endemic to the lowland karstic tropical rainforests of southeastern Veracruz, Mexico, is described. The new species is part of the C. robusta species complex, a group of closely related species that share unique characteristics in the genus, such as robust trunks, large strobili, and long leaves. C...

Ceratozamia aurantiaca, a new cycad species from Oaxaca, Mexico, is described. The new species is endemic to lowland karst tropical rainforests of the northern mountains (Sierra Norte region). This species is related to C. subroseophylla and C. robusta, together considered part of the C. robusta species complex due to their shared characteristics:...

The taxonomic classification within the Neotropical cycad genus Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae) has been a challenging task because cohorts of morphological variation in association with conspicuous geographic discontinuities that delimit species are not always easy to observe. Ceratozamia robusta is one example. Although previous studies have suggested th...

Latitude is correlated with environmental components that determine the distribution of biodiversity. In combination with geographic factors, latitude-associated environmental variables are expected to influence speciation, but empirical evidence on how those factors interplay is scarce. We evaluated the genetic and environmental variation among po...

Dioon oaxacensis sp. nov. (Zamiaceae), a new cycad species from Oaxaca, Mexico, is described. The morphological traits of the new taxon are compared with its sister species, D. merolae. The species delimitation between the two species is consistent with previously published genetic evidence. Dioon oaxacensis can be easily identified by its flat, st...

Background: Although pollen morphology has always been an important tool in plant systematics, the possibility of distinguishing between related taxa is still debated. A difficult case is the cycads, where their morphology and small size is very similar. Pollen morphology has been important in plant systematics and determination at the species leve...

Niche conservatism is the tendency of lineages to retain the same niche as their ancestors. It constrains biological groups and prevents ecological divergence. However, theory predicts that niche conservatism can hinder gene flow, strengthen drift and increase local adaptation: does it mean that it also can facilitate speciation? Why does this happ...

Cycads are a group of plants in the order Cycadales, comprising ten genera, and with a worldwide distribution. Very few taxonomic revisions are available for the genera in this order, and the present one is intended to provide a revision of the current knowledge in the genus Dioon. The revision was based on bibliographic research and analysis of he...

Magnolia vovidesii has been found in a few small patches in central Veracruz, Mexico. Previous ecological studies have suggested high reproductive potential and stable population growth; however, in the last 20 years, there have been severe anthropogenic environmental impacts on the species. The main objectives of this study were (a) to document th...

Premise of the Research: The morphology of leaves is shaped by both historical and current selection acting on constrained developmental systems. For this reason, the phylogenetic signal of these characters is usually overlooked. Methodology: We investigate morphology of the leaflets of all genera of the Zamiaceae using multiple microscopical tech...

Cycads conserve ancestral characters and are considered relicts from the past or “living fossils”. In this article we mention ancestral structural characters mostly related to the ovule and seed which in terms of phylogeny are considered primitive. We sustain that cycads are not living fossils, although they maintain traits considered primitive, th...

Hylocereeae is one of the nine tribes in the subfamily Cactoideae (Cactaceae), for which the limits and recognition of genera have been controversial. Essentially, this group comprises epiphytic and hemiepiphytic genera with stems modified as climbing structures. The aim of this paper is to examine pollen attributes in representative species of gen...

Premise of research. The genus Zamia L. (Zamiaceae), consisting of 79 species, is the most species-rich and widely distributed cycad genus in the New World and arguably the most morphologically and ecologically diverse genus in the Cycadales. However, a strong phylogenetic framework for this genus is still lacking. Methodology. We used a multilocus...

Cycads are among the few plants that have developed specialized roots to host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. We describe the bacterial diversity of the coralloid roots from seven Dioon species and their surrounding rhizosphere and soil. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we found that all coralloid roots are inhabited by a broad diversity of bacte...

Alpha diversity pairwise comparisons among sets of populations and compartments. (DOCX)

Differences of bacterial diversity between the two populations from D. merolae (set “Natural population” comparison). Venn diagram showing the shared OTUs and genera (in parenthesis) between the D. merolae samples from botanical garden and natural population. (TIF)

Alpha diversity metrics for the 12 samples of genus Dioon (set “All Dioon species”). (DOCX)

Adult individual of Dioon merolae from the natural population. (TIF)

Taxonomic diversity and abundance of bacterial genera in the endosphere from Dioon merolae (set “Natural population”). A) Heat tree of taxonomic diversity, the node width and color indicate the number of reads assigned to each taxon. Of the 20 most abundant genera (green) the symbol “&” represents the bacteria that have been reported as nitrogen-fi...

Background This study documents cycad-human relationships in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras over the last 6000 years. The impetus was acute need for a better understanding of previously undocumented uses of cycads in this region, and the need to improve cycad conservation strategies using ethnobotanical data. We hypothesized t...

Ecological and microevolutionary perspectives were used to investigate signs of background extinction in two endemic species. We studied relict populations of the cycad Dioon caputoi, contrasting its population structure and neighborhood size with those of Dioon planifolium as a demographically healthier reference population. Population dynamics an...

Two years and one year pass from ovule initiation to appearance of developed embryos in both Ceratozamia mexicana and Zamia furfuracea respectively. The two species are from contrasting environments, but gametophyte development is similar, though differing in speed. C. J. Chamberlain sustained that the transference of nutrients from the jacket to t...

The reproductive cycle in Zamia furfuracea, a coastal sand dune species, takes one year. Ovules during the initial stages of development as well as mature seeds were fixed, hand sectioned, and examined for polysaccharides and starch with iodine and periodic acid Schiff’s reagent, with oil red O for lipids, and naphthol blue black for proteins. Seed...

Demographic models based on projection matrices can infer the effect of disturbance on natural cycad populations by human activities. However, owing to the longevity of plants, it is difficult to determine long-term population dynamics. Fortunately, today, several population studies have allowed us to determine the overall effects of disturbance on...

Cycads are considered to be the most threatened plant group on Earth. Thus, the identification of important biological units for conservation is crucial for their management and protection. Taxonomic studies have enormously contributed to cycad conservation, since species descriptions formally recognize biodiversity components that can be considere...

Abstract Demographic models based on projection matrices can infer the effect of disturbance on natural cycad populations by human activities. However, owing to the longevity of plants, it is difficult to determine long-term population dynamics. Fortunately, today, several population studies have allowed us to determine the overall effects of distu...

Cycads are among the few plants that have developed specialized roots to host nitrogen-fixing bacteria. We describe the bacterial diversity of the coralloid roots from seven Mexican Dioon species and their surrounding rhizosphere and soil. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we found that all coralloid roots are inhabited by a broad diversity...

Under the motto "CYCADS: CONSERVATION, DEMOGRAPHY, STRUCTURE, ETHNOBOTANY AND GENOMICS / SYSTEMATICS, WHAT DO WE KNOW?”. We celebrated our 1st MEXICAN CYCAD CONGRESS. This historic event was held in the City of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico during 26th – 27th October 2017 under the auspices of the Universidad Veracruzana´s (U.V.) Biological Research Ins...

Two major lineages of beetles inhabit cycad cones in the New World: weevils (Curculionoidea) in the subtribe Allocorynina, including the genera Notorhopalotria Tang and O’Brien, Parallocorynus Voss, Protocorynus O’Brien and Tang and Rhopalotria Chevrolat, and beetles in the family Erotylidae, including the genus Pharaxonotha Reitter. Analysis of th...

Background and aims: Biogeographic transition zones are promising areas to study processes of biogeographic evolution and its influence on biological groups. The Mexican transition zone originated due to the overlap of Nearctic and Neotropical biota, which promoted great biological diversification. However, since most previous studies in this area...

Anatomical descriptions can be effective for solving systematic issues, but these studies are relatively scarce for cycads. Therefore, we present here a leaflet and cuticle anatomical study on the genus Dioon, to provide a set of epidermal traits that clarify species delimitation and relationships between species and their habitats. We used standar...

Background and aims: Aridification is considered a selective pressure that might have influenced plant diversification. It is suggested that plants adapted to aridity diversified during the Miocene, an epoch of global aridification (≈15 million years ago). However, evidence supporting diversification being a direct response to aridity is scarce, a...

Vauquelinia corymbosa (Pyreae, Rosaceae) is a shrubby sclerophyllous species largely restricted to the Chihuahuan Desert, distributed from Texas, Coahuila, and along the Sierra Madre Oriental to Hidalgo. According to a previous taxonomic revision, it comprises six subspecies. Vauquelinia corymbosa has noteworthy morphological variation, mostly in l...

Zamia inermis, a narrowly endemic cycad, has been classified under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as critically endangered on the basis of a 75% population decline over past 50 yr. There is only one known population occupying an area of less than 10 km 2 , with 654 individuals with extremely low seed production and recr...

RESUMEN Las cícadas son uno de los grupos de plantas más amenazados de extinción en la actualidad, al mismo tiempo que son plantas llamativas para investigadores y coleccionistas por razones evolutivas y ornamentales prin-cipalmente. México es el segundo país en riqueza de cícadas en el mundo, en donde destaca la Sierra Madre Oriental por la riquez...

Cuticle information and epidermal characters have great potential in systematic studies. However, micromorphology and anatomical studies on cycads are relatively scarce in comparison to similar studies on other gymnosperms. In this study leaflet anatomy and cuticles in the genus Dioon have been investigated with bright field microscopy, epifluoresc...

Dioon merolae De Luca, Sabato et Vázq.Torres, a cycad species from Chiapas known locally as espadaña, plays a very important role during the Santa Cruz festival of May 3rd amongst the community of Suchiapa in the Central Depression of Chiapas. Its leaves are used to adorn altars during this religious Catholic festival every May. It appears to be a...

Cycad Aulacaspis Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae: Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi, 1977), which is native to Southeast Asia, is a devastating pest of some species of cycads in areas where it is invasive. In September 2016, it was reported to be present in Chiapas in southern Mexico, a country with 60 native cycad species, most of which are endemic and e...

The Ceratozamia norstogii complex from Southern Mexico is made up of four closely related taxa and occurs in similar habitats (Quercus forest). All have linear-lanceolate leaflets with great similarity between them, especially in juvenile stages, but differentiate with age. There has been debate regarding delimitation of species due to character lo...