Elgar Castillo-Mendoza

The hybridization phenomenon increases genetic diversity and modifies recombinant individuals’ secondary metabolite (SMs) content, affecting the canopy-dependent community. Hybridization events occur when Quercus rugosa and Q. glabrescens oaks converge in sympatry. Here, we analyzed the effect of the genetic diversity (He) and SMs of Q. rugosa, Q....

Mexico is considered one of the main regions of diversification of the genus Quercus (oaks). Oak species are one of the most important tree groups, particularly in temperate forests, due to its diversity and abundance. Some studies have shown that oak contains specialized metabolites with medicinal importance. In this work, the acetonic extract fro...

The galls induced by cynipids in host oaks have been proposed as biodiversity hotspots. They constitute support for the development of arthropod communities of great diversity and functional complexity that find in them nutrition and protection from external abiotic and biotic elements which change according to environmental gradients. We character...

A review of the inquiline oak gall wasp species of the genus Synergus Hartig that are known to be associated with Cynipini woolly galls on oaks (Quercus L.) from the New World is conducted for the first time. Redescriptions, remarks, pictures and/or new location and biological data for the species previously known from the New World are given. Comm...

Theory ecology is applied to comprehend how genetic variation within tree dominant species may be an important driver of ecological processes. In this sense, studies performed suggest that the genetic diversity of the foundation species can have robust organizational influence at the population, community and ecosystem levels. Foundation species ar...

The exploitation and utilization of metallurgical resources promote the production of dangerous residues, known as mine tailings. These residues contain potentially toxic elements (PTE) that produce alterations and adverse effects in the environment affecting the surrounding biota. Heavy metals (HM) may induce different alterations in organisms (e....

Natural hybridization has significant ecological, genetic and evolutionary consequences altering morphological and chemical characters of individuals. Quercus glabrescens, Q. rugosa and Q. obtusata are white oak species well separated by their morphological characters when they occur in allopatry in Mexican temperate forests. However, in sympatry,...

Plant-insect interaction has maintained stable for more than 300 million years, a fact that has been related with these groups capacity to escape or associate with their counterparts for reproduction, protection and feeding, among others. Arthropod communities are influenced by various factors; however, some studies suggest that genetic, chemical...

Recently it has been proposed that the genetic diversity of foundation species influences the structure and function of the community by creating locally stable conditions for other species and modulating ecosystem dynamics. Oak species are an ideal system to test this hypothesis because many of them have a wide geographical distribution, and they...

Interspecific gene flow between more than two species is a common phenomenon in oaks, which can occur simultaneously among different species, promoting the transfer of genetic material across species boundaries. However, the hybridization dynamics in multispecies hybrid zones remain unknown. In this study we showed the genetic evidence of hybridiza...

Numerous oak species have wide geographical distribution and canopy dominance and they may influence the structure and functioning of the community. Therefore, they can be considered as foundation species. In the present study, we tested the potential association between individual genetic diversity of the host plant (microsatellites), host tree sp...

Within the Fagaceae family, the genus Quercus (oaks) presents the greatest geographical distribution, containing approximately 531 species worldwide. In Mexico, the genus Quercus comprises 161 species, including 109 considered endemic; as a result, Mexico is considered the main center of diversification of this genus. Oak tree canopies represent a...