Karla Aguilar-Dorantes

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Seasonality is one of the main characteristics of a tropical dry forest that affects the structure of ecological communities. In this context, we evaluated the seasonal diversity of ferns and insects in the tropical dry forest of Morelos, Mexico, to determine whether a relationship exists between the presence of each of these two groups. Hill’s num...

Epiphytes represent a key component in tropical forests. They are affected by anthropogenic and natural disturbances suffered by forests, since they depend on their hosts and the microclimatic conditions they generate. We analyzed differences in abundance, species richness, and vertical distributions of epiphytic bromeliads in primary and disturbed...

The study of the causes and expressions of physiological and phenotypic plasticity in plants is crucial to understanding the responses of plants to environmental heterogeneity, which may reflect central aspects of plant strategies. In this work, we analyze whether closely related species distributed in the same environment present similar strategie...

Phenological leaf characters of tropical ferns are often correlated with rainfall and temperature, especially in regions with pronounced dry and wet seasons. In this study, we describe the community- and species-level phenological patterns of leaf phenophases (young, non-fertile, fertile, senescent) of terrestrial ferns and their relationship with...

La distribución de las epífitas está dada por las condiciones microclimáticas que prevalecen en los bosques tropicales y subtropicales; además, son estructuralmente dependientes de los árboles hospederos. Se planteó evaluar la abundancia y distribución vertical de los cactus epífitos Rhipsalis baccifera y Selenicereus spinulosus en la selva baja ca...

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...

Establishing mixed-species tree plantings and fencing them to protect seedlings from herbivory is a valuable strategy for reconnecting forest fragments separated by agropastoral lands. However, fencing may provide exotic plants with the escape from herbivory required to invade the understory of planted communities. Here we take advantage of such a...

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...

We report two new records of rare fern species for the state of Morelos, Mexico: Hemionitis pinnatifida and Myriopteris longipila subsp. brevipila. For both species, we describe their main characteristics, cite studied material and present photographs and distribution maps, followed by comments on their habitat characteristics, historical record, r...

Vascular epiphytes contribute significantly to tropical diversity. Research on the factors that determine vascular epiphytic diversity and composition in tropical areas is flourishing. However, these factors are entirely unknown in tropical-temperate transition zones, which represent the distribution limit of several epiphytic species. We assessed...

Two new orchid records are reported for Hidalgo, Notylia barkeri Lindl. and Trichocentrum cosymbephorum (C. Morren) R. Jiménez & Carnevali. The genus Notylia is reported for the first time, and the list of orchid flora is updated to include 110 taxa. Unexpectedly, the species were recorded in abandoned orange plantations rather than natural vegetat...

In this study, we carried out an inventory of butterfly diversity and an analysis of alpha and beta diversity considering the effects of phenology and degree of disturbance in tropical dry forest. The study included three localities: Cañadas de Ajuchitlán and El Limón, situated within the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve (REBIOSH) natural protec...

The ongoing degradation, fragmentation and loss of natural forests, makes management activities for ecological restoration a priority. To recover the structure and function of these natural ecosystems, basic scientific knowledge is needed urgently. Minimal restoration intervention (passive restoration) aims to halt anthropogenic disturbance and to...

Glyphosate, a systemic herbicide, is used against weeds in agricultural fields as well as against invasive plants in pastures, forest plantations, and urban environments. Its frequent and widespread use can negatively impact the surrounding natural non-target vegetation following the accidental drift of spray droplets, leaching, or persistence as r...

Neotropical bracken fern invades disturbed forests and burned and abandoned pastures in Latin America, inhibiting the growth of associated vegetation and altering community structure. Cutting of all aboveground vegetation every 6 to 12 mo has proven to be inefficient as a control method. We studied the impact of selective cutting of bracken every 2...

Soil properties and the environment have multiple outcomes on fungal communities. Although, the interaction effects between management intensity, pH, available phosphorus, organic carbon, soil texture and different fractions of water stable macro-aggregates on the communities of microscopic filamentous fungi (MFF), iron phosphate solubilizing fungi...

El suelo y sus propiedades tienen múltiples relaciones con las comunidades fúngicas. El efecto conjunto de la intensidad de manejo y las variables edáficas, incluida la estabilidad de agregados sobre las comunidades de hongos microscópicos filamentosos (HMF), solubilizadores de fosfato de hierro (HSP-Fe) y solubilizadores tanto de fosfato de hierro...