Francisco Javier Espinosa-García

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• PhD
• Professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi enhance plant flowering and fruiting by improving nutrient and water uptake. The aim of this study was to evaluate how AM fungal colonization percentage and edaphic factors, modulate flowering and fruiting in secondary vegetation (SV) species with different biological traits, in a temperate forest. We conducted the...

Mexico is home to a rich variety of fermented beverages made from both wild and domesticated plant species. Fermentation practices vary, with producers using either wild or inoculated techniques to obtain culturally valued final products. It is generally assumed that wild fermentations yield a greater diversity of volatile compounds compared to ino...

Las plantas invasoras útiles representan un gran reto para su manejo pues las personas que se benefician de ellas promocionan su establecimiento y distribución sin considerar en muchas ocasiones los perjuicios que esas plantas pueden ocasionar a los ecosistemas y a otras personas. Ejemplificamos este caso con dos enredaderas Kudzu que además de ser...

In order to contribute to the fight against the antibiotic resistance crisis, we used a dual‐activity prospection strategy for natural product mixtures with antibiotic resistance modulating and antibacterial activities in the essential oils (EOs) of Artemisia ludoviciana, Lippia graveolens and Cosmos bipinnatus against multidrug resistant strains o...

The community assembly of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the rhizosphere results from the recruitment and selection of different AMF species with different functional traits. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors and the AMF community assembly in the rhizosphere of four secondary vegetation...

The relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and secondary vegetation (SV) species at early phenological stages is critical for the successful establishment of these plants on disturbance sites in temperate forests. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of AMF colonization on the early phenological stages (ger...

La producción de formas reactivas de N ha superado los límites planetarios que permiten el adecuado funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. Su depósito representa una amenaza tanto a la biodiversidad como a la salud pública. Los sistemas de monitoreo para cuantificar su depósito son escasos, por lo que el biomonitoreo puede ser una alternativa, donde se...

The relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and secondary vegetation (SV) species at early phenological stages is critical for the successful establishment of these plants on disturbance sites in temperate forests. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of AMF colonization on the early phenological stages (ger...

This report informs for the first time the chemical constituents of Diospyros xolocotzii and Diospyros digyna, the pesticidal and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition potential of some compounds calculated by in silico approaches, the larvicidal activity against Spodoptera frugiperda of available compounds, the AChE inhibition of selected com...

Weeds are unavoidable components of agroecosystems; their management is one of the costliest essential tasks for obtaining harvests. However, weed communities provide ecosystem services beneficial to achieve sustainable agroecosystems. Any form of weed management affects the agroecosystem biodiversity and shapes the weed community composition. Thus...

Aims To evaluate the capacity of fourteen sesquiterpenes to enhance the action of known antibiotics against two β-lactam resistant strains, and to determine a possible mechanism of antibiotic sensitization by assessing their ability to inhibit a β-lactamase enzyme. Methods and results The broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimu...

In high mountain environments, the availability of pollinators may decrease as elevation increases, affecting plant reproductive success. Floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are relevant to pollinator attraction; however, few studies have explored the variation of floral VOCs at different elevational sites. We analyzed the floral VOCs, flower...

En la lucha por la existencia todo se vale. Una historia de cómo las sustancias químicas de las plantas han influido en antagonismos y mutualismos que conforman las redes de interacción biológica. Tópicos del IIES, 5 de septiembre de 2023. https://www.iies.unam.mx/en-la-lucha-por-la-existencia-todo-se-vale/ En la lucha por la existencia todo se val...

More than 140 years ago Darwin proposed that leaf-trap of carnivorous plants could produce odor to increase prey attraction; however, even now, there is limited information on the role of flower and leaf-trap volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the attraction to pollinators and prey in carnivorous plants. Here, we recorded the floral visitors and...

Background Hedera helix L. is an invasive weed species introduced in several regions of the world, so it is relevant to study its effects on the plant community and the changes occurring after its eradication. We established invaded (with/without removal of H. helix ) and non-invaded (with/without removal of the understory) plots to compare some co...

Objetivo. Presentar un procedimiento de bajo costo para la cría y mantenimiento de S. frugiperda en condiciones de laboratorio para obtener material biológico óptimo para fines de investigación. Materiales y métodos. Estos procedimientos se basan en el documento del Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT) “Técnicas eficientes...

El incremento en la biodiversidad en los agroecosistemas se asocia con servicios ecosistémicos: regulación de ciclos biogeoquímicos, conservación del suelo, polinización, provisión de alimento, nutrición de los cultivos, y resistencia a herbívoros y patógenos. La mayoría de los beneficios de la biodiversidad solo se dan en agroecosistemas con holob...

Background: The first monograph of the genus Viguiera was published in 1918 by Blake, including about 141 species. Schilling & Panero based on studies of molecular sequences of nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer and External Transcribed Spacer, as well as cpDNA, proposed to reclassify the genus, relocating its species in at least other nine genera...

Introduction: A species' populations differ across its distribution due to selection pressure from the climate gradient. Objective: To describe the phytochemical variation among 14 tree provenances in an altitudinal gradient of Abies religiosa (Kunth) Schltdl. & Cham. to determine if there are associations of chemical profiles among populations, e...

Biodiversity in ecosystems is crucial in providing ecosystem services and their stability and resilience. However, most studies supporting the benefits of biodiversity in crop health were studied at the cultivar scale, generally without specifying the resistance mechanisms involved in the resistance of crops to pests. Thus, it is unclear if phytoch...

We evaluated an essential oil (EO) of Tagetes lucida Cav. and the mixture of its main compounds against multi‐drug resistant bacteria. We found that EO and the partially reconstituted blend of its main components have antibacterial activity and inhibit antibiotic resistance (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, vancomycin, and imipenem) in...

Functional diversity is related to the maintenance of processes and functions in ecosystems. However, there is a lack of a conceptual framework that highlights the application of functional diversity as an ecological indicator. Therefore, we present a new initiative for motivating the development of ecological indicators based on functional diversi...

Although it has been demonstrated that environmental changes within a year can affect the reproduction, survival, and growth of invasive species, these factors have rarely been incorporated into the demographic analysis. Therefore, we applied multi-state demographic models (based on capture–recapture animal methods accounting for imperfect detectab...

Ten compounds, including a new anti-inflammatory acyl triterpene, 3β-palmitoyloxy-1β,11α-dihydroxy-olean-12-ene, were isolated from the bioactive organic extract prepared from the leaves of Sapium lateriflorum (syn: S. nitidum). The isolated compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity against selected human cancer cell lines and did not di...

Urbanization creates environmental conditions that hinder the growth of natural vegetation. We surveyed the ruderal vegetation from a periurban university campus in west-central Mexico during the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2016-2018, time during which the campus underwent intensive construction. The built area grew from 4 ha in 2009 to 12.6 ha in 20...

Phenolic acids (PAs) are potential antifungal agents of stored grain cereals. Previous studies have mostly focused on the action of single compounds, consequently providing limited information on their effect as mixtures. We tested the hypothesis that higher phytochemical diversity and concentration of phenolic acids provide better defense against...

Phytochemical diversity (PD) can be considered as a defensive trait; it can operate through single plant secondary metabolites or usually as complex mixtures of them. We tested the more diversity-better defense hypothesis correlating the leaf plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) with the incidence of plant enemies on Hass avocado trees. We expected a...

Three pathogenic fungi of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) responsible for dieback disease, identified as Pestalotiopsis clavispora, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae, were isolated in the northwestern region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The mycelial growth in vitro of these fungi was inhibited by extracts from Lanta...

The causal pathways of the anthropogenic disturbance effect on the above-ground vegetation, seed bank, and seed rain can provide information to understand the dynamic of natural regeneration in order to predict changes in the community assemblage. However, due to the spatial and temporal complexity of the natural regeneration process, these pathway...

Copal is a resin of ritual uses in Mexico that is extracted from several species of trees of the genus Bursera. The effect of traditional management on phenotypical traits of copal trees has not been sufficiently studied. This research analyzed the traditional management and human selection on populations of Bursera bipinnata, and it also examined...

Background Copal is a resin of ritual uses in Mexico, extracted from several species of trees of the genus Bursera. The effect of traditional management on phenotypical traits of copal trees has not been sufficiently studied. This research analyzed the traditional management and human selection on populations of Bursera bipinnata, and their influen...

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Cnidoscolus spinosus resulted in the isolation of relatively infrequent hopane-type triterpenes, 3β-acetoxy-hop-22(29)-ene (1), first reported here as natural product, together with 3-oxo-hop-22(29)-ene (2), and 3β-hydroxy-hop-22(29)-ene (3). β-Amyrin palmitate and three phytosterols were also character...

Las plantas han desarrollado diversas estrategias de defensa bajo condiciones de estrés biótico y abiótico, entre las principales, destaca la síntesis de metabolitos secundarios que actúan como herbicidas, larvicidas, repelentes, atrayentes, fungicidas, bactericidas, insecticidas, etc. En la presente investigación, se planteó la caracterización quí...

Premise: Closely related species occurring in sympatry may experience the negative consequences of interspecific pollen transfer if reproductive isolation (RI) barriers are not in place. We evaluated the importance of pre- and post-pollination RI barriers in three sympatric species of Achimenes (Gesneriaceae), including ecogeographic, phenological...

In this contribution, we describe the results of sensitizing resistant human uterine sarcoma cells by three natural cadinanes. One of them, 3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-cadalene, clearly increased the potency of doxorubicine and mitoxantrone cytotoxicity. The results were rationalized by molecular docking with MDR1, MRP1, and BCRP transporters, and includ...

Sensitizing activities exerted by 3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxycadalene (1), rac-3,7-dihydroxy-3(4H)-isocadalen-4-one (4) and (1R,4R)-4H-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-hydroxycadalen-15-oic acid (9), the major cadinanes isolated from Heterotheca inuloides, towards multidrug-resistant MES-SA/MX2 and parental MES-SA epithelial human uterine sarcoma cell lines were eva...

El presente estudio de caso tuvo por objetivo conocer si la distribución y diversidad de malezas ruderales urbanas tienen relación con el efecto de Isla de Calor Urbano (ICU) en la ciudad de Morelia, Michoacán. Además, este estudio describe por primera vez la diversidad taxonómica de las malezas ruderales presentes en esta ciudad. Este estudio pued...

Background Despite numerous tests of Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis (DNH) evidence for its support or rejection is still contradictory. We tested a DNH derived prediction stating that nonnative species (NNS) without native congeneric relatives (NCR) will spread to a greater number of localities than species with close relatives in the new range...

Heat map of nonnative species of herbs and subshrubs and biological attributes and usages * Biological attributes and usages eliminated (did not contribute to the classification of NNS).

Database of biological attributes and usages of 278 nonnative species of herbs and subshrubs used to generate a heat map First worksheet: the database for 278 nonnative species herbs and subshrubs used in the heat map; Second worksheet: list of species and acronym; Third worksheet: biological attributes and other features keys for all species.

List of nonnative species of herbs and subshrubs included in the study *= Species with residence time smaller than 54 years.

Database for 305 nonnative species used for the regression analysis between adjusted residence time and the number of localities occupied First worksheet: the database for 278 nonnative species of herbs and subshrubs used for NMDS and rCOSA analyses; Second worksheet: list of species and acronym; Third worksheet: the database for 27 nonnative speci...

List of nonnative species of trees and shrubs included in the study *= Species with residence time smaller than 300 years.

Plants produce a plethora of variable metabolites that could be involved in constitutive and induced defense against herbivorous insects. Recently, metabolomics have showed to be a complementary approach in chemical ecology to screen dozens of plant metabolites, and identify those related with plant resistance or susceptibility to herbivorous insec...

p> Background : The three -main cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) varieties cultivated in México are: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Each variety has a different fruit setting time and has been subjected to several selection stages. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility of the three cacao varieties to Frosty pod rot caused by Monil...

Aunque México cuenta con un marco legislativo y reglamentario para la atención de invasiones por plantas, este marco necesita de ajustes, adecuaciones y adiciones que los legisladores pueden atender. El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la necesidad de mejoras legislativas y reglamentarias usando invasiones causadas por plantas invasoras emblemát...

The current knowledge on the richness, ecology, distribution and management of non-native flowering weeds in Mexico and some data on their possible environmental and economic impact are briefly reviewed. We reviewed 216 refereed publications, most indexed international articles. Most publications refer to management sensu lato (34.9%), floristics (...

Metabolic response of two avocado varieties to a specialist weevil Copturus aguacatae larvae infestation

Phytochemical variation within Hass avocado branches, Persea americana, is related to Copturus aguacatae preference

Some eucalyptus species can be associated to the production of zones where vegetation is absent, sparse and/or less diverse and vigorous than surrounding zones away from eucalypts. These zones have been documented with eucalypts growing as native or introduced species. Yield reduction and poor plant performance is frequent when some crops, annual o...

Some taxonomical problems related with Gnaphalium americanum Mill.; C. conoideum H.B.K.; C. liebmanii Sch. Bip. ex Klatt; C. oxyphyllum DC. and G. inornatum DC. are discussed. G. oxyphyllum var. nataliae is described as a new variety; G. panniforme. Blake is reduced to G. nubicola var. panniforme and Chionolaena sartorii Klatt is transfered to Gnap...

p>The presence of two genera represented by three species, is reported for the first time in the Valley of Mexico: Kickxia elatine ssp. crinita (Scrophulariaceae), Lamium amplexicaule and L . purpureum (Labiatae). Descriptions and keys to distinguish these plants from related taxa are provided. Additional data concerning Polygonium convolvulus (Pol...

Secondary sexual traits may convey reliable information about males' ability to resist pathogens and that females may prefer those traits because their genes for resistance would be passed on to their offspring. In many insect species, large males have high mating success and can canalize more resources to the immune function than smaller males. In...

El presente libro, es el tercer volumen que surge del trabajo de divulgación en español de la ecología química y la alelopatía, realizado en los Laboratorios de Alelopatía del Instituto de Ecología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) en Ciudad Universitaria, Cd. de México, y de Ecología Química y Agroecología del Instituto de Inves...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Heterotheca inuloides Cass. (Asteraceae) has been traditionally used to treat a wide range of diseases in Mexico in the treatment of rheumatism, topical skin inflammation, muscular pain colic, and other painful conditions associated with inflammatory processes, additionally has been used to treat dental diseases, an...

The geographic distribution of plant species is already being affected by climate change. Cropping patterns of edible plant species and their wild relatives will also be affected, making it important to predict possible changes to their distributions in the future. Currently, species distribution models are valuable tools that allow the estimation...

Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a shrub native to Mexico and Central America, which produces seeds with a high oil content that can be converted to biodiesel. The genetic diversity of this plant has been widely studied, but, it is not known whether the diversity of the seed oil chemical composition correlates with neutral genetic diversity. T...

The Hass avocado tree Persea americana cv. Hass was derived from a single hybrid tree of P. americana var. drymifolia and P. americana var. guatemalensis, and it is propagated clonally by grafting. This cultivar is the most widely planted in the world but its profile of secondary metabolites has been studied rarely despite of its importance in plan...

The management of invasive plant species (IPS) requires knowledge of areas susceptible to invasion and the origin of the invasive biotypes. Ecological niche models (ENMs) are useful for these purposes, but modeling results depend on the data sources. We propose a synthetic approach to determine the selection of data source areas considering the inv...

We assessed the preference of two populations of the specialist beetle Stolas punicea, on plants from three phytochemically differentiated geographical mosaics of the American weed Mikania micrantha. Our results show a significant geographic variation in host preference in S. punicea that could affect its success as a biocontrol agent.

Eight cadinane-type sesquiterpenoids (1-8) together with some triterpenoids, flavonoids, and sterols were isolated from the aerial parts of Heterotheca inuloides. The structures of the new compounds (1-4) were elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analysis. The structures of the new (1-3) and the known (5-7) sesquite...

Essential oil (EO) from the weedy shrub Eupatorium glabratum was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and then evaluated as insecticide and repellent against Sitophilus zeamais and as fungicide against Fusarium commune, F. graminaearum, F. sporotrichum, Penicillium expansum, and Phoma herbarum. The EO was composed mainly by monoterpenes...

Maps have become a key tool to guide priorities for biodiversity conservation, the maintenance of ecosystem services, but much less so for critical action against further service loss in critical areas. Biological invasions are important disruptors of ecosystem services given that they directly or indirectly affect human well being, as they are an...

Maps have become a key tool to guide priorities for biodiversity conservation, the maintenance of ecosystem services, but much less so for critical action against further service loss in critical areas. Biological invasions are important disruptors of ecosystem services given that they directly or indirectly affect human well being, as they are an...

Over the past 20 years, the biodiversity associated with shaded coffee plantations and the role of diverse agroforestry types in biodiversity conservation and environmental services have been topics of debate. Endophytic fungi, which are microorganisms that inhabit plant tissues in an asymptomatic manner, form a part of the biodiversity associated...

Mexico owns a vast range of water related resources linked to aquatic environments that contribute significantly to commercial activities and there is a concern about the potential impact related to the introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) to these areas. The National Strategy on Invasive Species was published in 2010 establishing the guide...

Plants produce specific volatile organic compound (VOC) blends in response to herbivory. Herbivore-induced blends may prime the plant for future attack or attract carnivorous insects; these responses have been considered adaptive for plants. If herbivores differentially modify the VOC emission among individuals within a group of plants they feed up...

Populations of the same species vary in their secondary metabolite content. This variation has been attributed to biotic and abiotic environmental conditions as well as to historical factors. Some studies have focused on the geographic variation of chemical diversity in plant populations, but whether this structure conforms to a central–marginal mo...

Resumen. la domesticación de las plantas ha modificado la concentración y la mezcla de metabolitos secundarios mediante la selección artificial directa o indirecta de caracteres de interés agronómico. El Síndrome de domesticación ha sido utilizado como herramienta para estudiar los cambios evolutivos producidos por dos fuerzas selectivas similares:...

Resumen. las plantas liberan compuestos volátiles orgánicos a la atmósfera a través de sus tejidos aéreos y subterráneos. A pesar que la emisión de volátiles es considerada como una válvula de escape metabólico, su efecto en el ecosistema no sólo modula las interacciones entre miembros de distintos niveles tróficos sino que también juega un papel i...

Resumen. En este capítulo se discute el origen y mantenimiento de la diversidad fitoquímica, sus consecuencias en la defensa de las plantas silvestres y sus implicaciones prácticas en los agroeco-sistemas. se explica la diversidad fitoquímica en una escala espacio-temporal a tres niveles: alfa, diversidad de metabolitos secundarios (Ms) en los teji...

Most introduced plant species in Mexico have not been assessed to prioritize management actions to eradicate or contain them, or for damage mitigation after plant invasions. We assessed 42 introduced weed taxa in the Leguminosae using empirical and theory derived criteria in a model focused in the species behavior abroad, their residence time and n...

Most introduced plant species in Mexico have not been assessed to prioritize management actions to eradicate or contain them, or for damage mitigation after plant invasions. We assessed 42 introduced weed taxa in the Leguminosae using empirical and theory derived criteria in a model focused in the species behavior abroad, their residence time and n...

Jatropha curcas L. has become an important source of oil production for biodiesel fuel. Most genetic studies of this plant have been conducted with Asian and African accessions, where low diversity was encountered. There are no studies of this kind focusing in the postulated region of origin. Therefore, five populations of J. curcas were studied in...

Persea americana var. drymifolia (aguacate criollo mexicano) se emplea como portainjerto en huertos deaguacate Hass y es fuente de genes de resistencia a plagas y patógenos para éste y otros cultivares. El aguacate criollomexicano se está sustituyendo por cultivares comerciales o perdiendo por la destrucción de ecosistemas. Por eso, seestudiaron 25...

Persea americana var. drymifolia (mexican creole avocado) is used as rootstock in Hass avocado orchards and it is a source of genes for resistance to pests and pathogens for this and other cultivars. The Mexican varieties are being replaced by commercial cultivars or lost by the destruction of ecosystems. Therefore, we studied 250 avocado trees of...

The genetic diversity of Mesoamerican populations of the biofuel plant Jatropha curcas, using the fatty acids of the seeds as chemical markers was studied. The oil content of the whole seed in 135 accessions from 38 sites varied between 8.020% and 54.28%. The prevalent fatty acids were oleic acid (18:1) and linoleic acid (18:2), and the proportion...

Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) is a mesoamerican plant. However, till date, it is extensively grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The seeds have high oil content, which can be transformed into biodiesel. In the present review, the geographical origin of J. curcas is discussed, then, advances of research in the genetic diversity...

Use and management of wild and weedy species may involve artificial selection, which can determine morphological, physiological, reproductive, and genetic divergences between wild and managed populations, resulting in the initial or incipient phases of plant domestication. In this study we combined ethnobotanical, morphological, phytochemical and g...

The role of phytochemical diversity in plant defense was studied using the specialist herbivore Trioza anceps Tuthill (avocado gall-forming insect), and the volatile fraction of the foliar chemicals of its host, the creole avocado (Persea americana var. drymifolia (Schect. & Cham.) Blake). Two hypotheses were tested: a) plant defense is determined...

This study assessed the hypothesis that plant life history traits determine the incidence of fungal biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens in pioneer vs. shade-tolerant tropical plant species. Considering that pioneer species mainly invest in induced defenses, we expected a negative relationship between the incidence of biotrophic and necrotrophic p...

Particulate pollution has been clearly linked with adverse health impacts from open fire cookstoves, and indoor air concentrations are frequently used as a proxy for exposures in health studies. Implicit are the assumptions that the size distributions for the open fire and improved stove are not significantly different, and that the relationship be...

The genus Flaveria consists of 23 species with significant variation in photosynthetic physiologies. We tested whether photosynthetic pathway variation in seven co-existing Flaveria species corresponds to geographic distributions or physiological performance in C3, C4, and intermediate species growing under natural conditions in south-central Mexic...

Various government agencies around the world have proposed vegetable oils and their conversion to biodiesel as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Due to its adaptability to marginal soils and environments, the cultivation of Jatropha curcas is frequently mentioned as the best option for producing biodiesel. In the present work the current sit...