Jesús Pacheco

• MS
• National Autonomous University of Mexico

La conservación de la biodiversidad y el desarrollo de la ganadería no han ido de la mano en Latinoamérica. Por un lado, la ganadería tiene como prioridad proveer proteína de origen animal a las comunidades locales; y, por otro, el creciente cambio de uso de suelo de selvas y bosques a tierras de pastoreo da como resultado el aumento de muchos caso...

This article reviews the conservation of threatened herpetofauna of Mexico, (243 amphibian and 101 reptile species) compiled from the IUCN Red List (2020). A geographic analysis was performed to identify areas or centers of species concentration. These are considered top priority areas for Mexican amphibian and reptile conservation. Four areas were...

ResumenLa lechuza de campanario (Tyto alba) es considerada el ave terrestre con la mayor distribución mundial, por lo tanto sus hábitos alimentarios presentan variaciones en toda su área de distribución, esta lechuza también se encuentra en México. En este artículo se revisaron un total de 307 egagrópilas de dos localidades, “Rancho Ojitos” y “Ampl...

To date, only one record of mineral licking exists for sloths (i.e., Choloepus didactylus) from Ecuador. Here we present the first record of mineral licking for C. hoffmanni from a tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. This behavior has been mainly associated with detoxification in herbivores, but no evidence exists for such needs in sloths. Hasta la...

RESUMENLas selvas secas son uno de los ecosistemas más diversos y amenazados en Latinoamérica. Se realizó un muestreo de la mastofauna terrestre en dos localidades de las selvas secas del estado de Guerrero en el Pacífico mexicano. En total se registraron 44 especies de mamíferos terrestres que pertenecen a 20 familias y 8 órdenes, lo que represent...

The Black-headed Bushmaster, Lachesis melanocephala (Viperidae: Crotalinae), is an endemic pitviper from south-eastern Costa Rica. Despite its importance with regard to medicine and conservation, the ecology and distribution of this species are still poorly known, mainly because it was only recently recognized as a full species and records are scar...

The future of biodiversity and ecosystem services depends largely on the capacity of human-dominated ecosystems to support them, yet this capacity remains largely unknown. Using the framework of countryside biogeography, and working in the Las Cruces system of Coto Brus, Costa Rica, we assessed reptile and amphibian assemblages within four habitats...

Anthropogenic impacts on North American grasslands, a highly endangered ecosystem, have led to declines of prairie dogs, a keystone species, over 98% of their historical range. While impacts of this loss on maintenance of grassland biodiversity have been widely documented, much less is known about the consequences on the supply of ecosystem service...

The area occupied by colonies of the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus; BTPD henceforth) in northwestern Mexico was dramatically reduced between 1988 and 2005. We conducted a quantitative assessment of the distributional changes of these BTPD colonies during the periods 1988–2000 and 2000–2005 focusing on the potential roles of plant b...

The mammal of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, is little known, with the objective of contributing to the knowledge of the richness of the mammals of this state, we compiled information from the records of mammal species distributed in the state through an intensive search in international and national scientific collections, and literature. The masto...

Microtus pennsylvanicus is represented in Mexico only by the Chihuahuan meadow vole (M. p. chihuahuensis), known from only 1 disjunct population in a small and isolated marsh in the arid lands of northern Chihuahua. Livetrapping conducted between 2000 and 2004 provided no specimens of M. p. chihuahuensis, nor was any sign of this vole observed. By...

Signs of prairie dog impact on 100 Ephedra trifurca shrubs at the edge of an expanding prairie dog colony, and 50 m away from the colony into the shrubland. (0.03 MB DOC)

Species associated with the prairie dog colony grassland habitat, based on total abundance for herpetofauna, birds, and small mammals and total densities for carnivores over all sample periods in the grassland (Grass) and shurbland (Shrub) habitats. Statistical results for herpetofauna, birds, and small mammals are based on Wilcoxon Two-Sample test...

Mean annual precipitation from 1957–2005 in the Janos-Casas Grandes region. The dotted line indicates the long-term mean annual precipitation for the region (287 mm). The Janos prairie dog colony complex was first mapped in 1988 and then re-mapped in 2005. The vertebrate communities were first sampled in 1994–1996 and then in 2000–2003. Comparisons...

Sampling periods and effort (in days) for herpetofauna, birds, and small mammals, and kilometers of transect for medium and large mammals in the Janos region of northern Chihuahua. (0.06 MB DOC)

One of the most important conservation issues in ecology is the imperiled state of grassland ecosystems worldwide due to land conversion, desertification, and the loss of native populations and species. The Janos region of northwestern Mexico maintains one of the largest remaining black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colony complexes in...

Biological communities in Mexico experienced profound changes in species composition and structure as a consequence of the environmental fluctuations during the Pleistocene. Based on the recent and fossil Mexican mammal checklists, we determine the distribution, composition, diversity, and community structure of late Pleistocene mammalian faunas, a...

The restoration of the Janos Biosphere Reserve ecosystems and ecosystem services is directly linked to a better use and management of the land and research focused toward understanding the interaction between biodiversity and productive activities compatible, but also ways to make the main economic activities foster conservation efforts.

As conservationists well know, political borders rarely coincide with natural ecological boundaries. International borders such as that between the United States and Mexico traverse numerous ecosystems and watersheds. Many species of animals, birds, and insects regularly migrate between habitats across international borders. Conservation of Shared...

Prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are considered a keystone species that forms extensive colonies in the grasslands of western and central North America. These colonies are characterized by high diversity of associated vertebrates. The largest colonies in North America are located in the Janos region, northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. In this study...

We present an inventory of the amphibians and reptiles of the San Vito de Coto Brus region, including the Las Cruces Biological Station, in southern Costa Rica, which is the result of a survey of the herpetofauna occurring in mountain forest fragments, pastures, coffee plantations, and other disturbed areas. We found 67 species, included 26 species...

Ecologists and conservationists have long assumed that large grazers, including bison (Bison bison), did not occur in post-Pleistocene southwestern North America. This perception has been influential in framing the debate over conservation and land use in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The lack of an evolutionary history of large grazers is being...

Although Costa Rica has been biologically well studied, few areas have complete mammal inventories, which are essential for ecological studies and conservation. The San Vito region is considered among the most important for scientific research in the country because of the presence of the Wilson Botanical Garden and Las Cruces. However, the knowled...

Diversity, natural history and conservation of mammals from San Vito de Coto Brus, Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica has been biologically well studied,few areas have complete mammal inventories, which are essential for ecological studies and conservation. The San Vito region is considered among the most important for scientific research in the count...

One of the greatest surprises for the Spanish conquistadors, priests, and explorers during their discovery of what is now known as the Chihuahuan Desert Region was a harsh but highly diverse landscape, teeming with unusual wildlife and strange plants. The Camino Real, the historical route that linked Mexico City to Santa Fe in New Mexico, crossed a...

The future of mammalian diversity in the tropics depends largely on the conservation value of human-dominated lands. We investigated the distribution of non-flying mammals in five habitats of southern Costa Rica: relatively extensive forest (227 ha), coffee plantation, pasture, coffee with adjacent forest remnant (<35 ha), and pasture with adjacent...

Prairie dogs are considered to be both a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer in grasslands. To partially test these hypotheses we evaluated burrow densities, soil removal, and mammal (i.e. rodents and carnivores) species composition, richness, diversity, and abundance in grasslands with and without prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in nort...

Resumen: Se reportan 48 especies de mamíferos que pertenecen a 5 órdenes, 35 genéros, y 17 familias para la región de Janos-Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, México. Se incluyen observaciones sobre su afinidad de hábitat, y en algunos casos las abundancias relativas. A la lista de especies se adicionaron 27 especies que no fueron registradas pero cuya dist...