Leticia Ochoa-OchoaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · Department of Evolutionary Biology
Leticia Ochoa-Ochoa
Dphil, University of Oxford
About
87
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Introduction
I am a full professor in the area of Herpetology at the Museum of Zoolgy “Alfonso L. Herrera”, Faculty of Sciences, UNAM. My main area of research is Biogeography and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles. The study of the biogeographical patterns that encompass the different dimensions of Diversity, such as taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional. I am also interested in Bioacoustics: it includes acoustic landscapes and the phenology of anuran activity and calls.
Additional affiliations
February 2019 - present
January 2016 - present
February 2014 - October 2015
Publications
Publications (87)
La perturbación ambiental de origen antrópico ha tenido, en la mayoría de los casos, efectos negativos en las comunidades bióticas. Sin embargo, también hay algunas respuestas positivas. Entender los mecanismos bajo los cuales estas perturbaciones influyen en los patrones de diversidad y estructura genética, así como posibles adaptaciones locales,...
Mexico possesses a large diversity of amphibians partly due to its complex topography and transitional position between the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographical regions. However, its helminth parasite fauna has been relatively poorly studied. Specimens of the Vaillant's frog, Lithobates vaillanti (Brocchi) were sampled in the tropical rain fore...
El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) es catalogado como un ambiente altamente rico en especies de flora y fauna, y con un alto número de endemismos; del mismo modo, ha sido considerado como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados. En el presente trabajo se hace una reseña de las principales problemáticas que enfrenta este tipo de vegetación así como l...
Patógenos en los anuros de un ambiente tropical estacional en Guanajuato (México)
En el presente estudio se caracterizaron las especies de bacterias y hongos de una comunidad de ranas de un ambiente tropical estacional en el Área Natural Protegida (ANP) Las Musas, en Guanajuato (México), usando protocolos morfológicos y bioquímico–microbianos. Los...
Aim: Our aim is to document the dimensions of current squamate reptile biodiversity in the Americas by integrating taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional data, and assessing how this may vary across phylogenetic scales. We also explore the potential underlying mechanisms that may have originated the observed geographical diversity patterns.
Locat...
Knowledge about the dynamics of regional diversity patterns is a foundation on which measures aimed to protect diversity dimensions in the light of climate change can be constructed. Here, we describe taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity patterns of amphibians in the Yucatan Peninsula and their representation in the current protected a...
Context
Land use change modifies landscapes’ original compositions and configurations, which can have a positive, negative, or neutral effect on species diversity. The direction and magnitude of the effect depends on how each species responds to these conditions and can change depending on the scale in which it is evaluated.
Objectives
We evaluate...
El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) es un ambiente altamente rico en especies de flora y fauna en México. La notable diversidad de especies resalta aún más cuando se analizan también los endemismos en este ambiente. En el presente estudio se describe la importancia de endemismos de vertebrados terrestres en México, considerando los grupos de anfibi...
In Mexico, Crocodylus acutus is widely distributed along the Pacific coast, while C. moreletii occurs on the Gulf of Mexico.
Both species converge in the Yucatán peninsula where natural hybridisation is reported, and later it was also reported in the
Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, due to translocations and stochastic events, currently there are h...
Understanding the threats to wildlife across space and time is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. In Mesoamerica (i.e., the region that extends from Central Mexico to the most southern point in Panama) at least 40% of amphibian species declined between the late 1970s and the early 2000s. Most of these declines have been lin...
En México, uno de los principales mecanismos para preservar la biodiversidad son las áreas naturales protegidas (ANP). No obstante, para poder implementar acciones eficaces de conservación, es indispensable saber qué especies habitan en las ANP (gubernamentales y privadas), y en qué categoría de riesgo se encuentran. Utilizando las áreas de distrib...
La contaminación de ruido generada por el tráfico aéreo puede afectar la conducta de fauna que mantiene exposición cercana a aeropuertos. Pocos casos se han estudiado sobre el impacto del ruido de aviones sobre la comunicación de anuros, siendo la disminución de la tasa de repetición de cantos la principal consecuencia conocida hasta ahora. Después...
The cloud forest shows a great diversity of groups and has been considered as centers of high richness and endemism, throughout Asia, Africa and mainly in the Americas. To determine the specific and phylogenetic richness as well as the association in the composition of species of amphibians and reptiles in this environment in Mexico, using database...
Geophis laticollaris and G. russatus are rare Mexican snakes currently known in the scientific literature only from their holotypes. However, fieldwork conducted in the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca by us and other workers during the last decades has made a few specimens of each taxon available for study. We review the taxonomic status of G. russat...
Anuran calling activity has been widely associated with abiotic factors, such as temperature, rain and photoperiod. In this sense, mathematical modelling could help us to decipher the mechanisms that underlie these phenomena in order to be able to predict possible scenarios. Here, we propose 15 models that incorporate some environmental variables w...
Climate change-driven modifications in thermal and precipitation patterns can result in shifts in species distributions. Avian species in humid mountain forests (HMF) are among the most vulnerable to these atmospheric changes. In this study, we assessed the extent to which climate change could cause distribution shifts in 34 bird species spatially...
Species that are part of a community may be restricted by available resources. One of them is the acoustic space, where if there is overlap,
communication between conspecifics and, potentially, reproduction can be affected. For this reason, it is expected that communities of anurans that
present a marked seasonality have a segregation of niche in t...
Bromeliads are recognized as vital habitats for arboreal amphibians. However, these plants are often not included in traditional amphibian surveys. Furthermore, focused canopy sampling techniques are time-consuming, require specialized equipment and training, and, in the case of bromeliads, sampling is typically destructive. In this study, we devel...
Cloud forests are ecosystems with a restricted distribution and high biodiversity, but they are highly threatened due to land use change. The objective of this study is to evaluate and prioritize existing cloud forest fragments to achieve their long-term conservation, combining threat levels and the potential response capacity of various conservati...
Recently, the first record of Borrelia associated with reptiles in Mexico was published; however, no studies have been done to assess the role of Mexican ticks as potential vectors of this Borrelia group. Amblyomma dissimile is a hard tick mainly associated with amphibians and reptiles in this country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pres...
Anuran vocalizations transmit relevant information that aids in individual recognition and sexual selection by females. When studied over time, vocalizations can help us to understand reproductive phenology. Here, we used an automated recording system to obtain calls of 4 anurans in southeastern Mexico, described the calling phenology of the specie...
Aim
The links between taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity and how these vary geographically are key to understanding how historical and contemporary processes have shaped communities at regional and local scales. Here, we evaluate the links between taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity for the amphibians in the Continental...
Many biotic groups have been proposed as biodiversity surrogates; however, using different taxa could provide complementary information for choosing conservation priorities. There are two general ways to evaluate the performance of surrogates: (1) using cross-taxon congruency as an a priori test, before the application of some
prioritization algori...
The reptile-associated Borrelia represent a monophyletic group of bacteria transmitted by several species of hard ticks, which has been reported to only infect amphibians and reptiles in Eurasia and Middle East, however, this bacterial group has not been studied in North America. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Borrelia spiroche...
El proceso de modelado de nichos ecológicos y distribución de especies ha sido producto del desarrollo de la teoría de nicho ecológico y algoritmos que han tratado de reproducir las complejas relaciones que dan origen y forma a las áreas de distribución de las especies. El presente trabajo muestra una estrategia metodológica basada en modelos de ni...
Most of Ambystoma species in Mexico are endemic having a limited distribution, and are threatened principally by anthropogenic factors. The presence of pathogens as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis could be another threat to these species, especially in species with limited range. We surveyed populations of Ambystoma andersoni, A. flavipiperatum, and...
Hertz et al. (1993) designed what is now the most widely used protocol to analyse the thermal strategies and efficiency of small squamates. Preferred temperature range (Tp) is one of the most important variables required for determining the thermal efficiency index, and is calculated by monitoring the body temperature of the individuals in an enclo...
Aim
We examined the geographical distribution of functional diversity for American amphibians and tested the relationship between functional diversity and environment. We also explored how the functional evenness of life‐history traits varies across biogeographical regions.
Location
Continental Americas.
Methods
We performed a trait classificati...
Invasive exotic species have been identified worldwide as a major threat to biodiversity. Legal instruments are an important tool in counteracting their negative impacts. There are four important aspects that any legal instrument should have, that is: an explicit (and transparent) method for species inclusion; an exclusive focus, so that conflict b...
We explored the hypothesis that high β–diversity of terrestrial vertebrates of Mexico is associated with a high environmental heterogeneity (HEH) and identify the drivers of β–diversity at different spatial scales. We used distribution range maps of 2,513 species of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds occurring in Mexico. We estimated β–divers...
Supporting information file containing Figure A and Table B.
(DOCX)
Supporting information file containing the data for the analyses performed.
(ZIP)
Genus Borrelia is a group of bacteria transmitted by ticks, composed by three main clades, the Relapsing Fever, Lyme Borreliosis, and Borrelia Associated with Reptiles groups. Given the importance in public health of some species of Borrelia, the aim of this study was to explain the role of amphibians and reptiles in the cycle of this bacterium, th...
El género Borrelia es un grupo de bacterias helicoidales el cual está divide filogenéticamente en tres clados principales, el que comprende a las borrelias asociadas con reptiles, el que incluye al agente causal de la Fiebre Recurrente y el grupo de Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. Dada la importancia de las borrelias como agentes patógenos, el objetivo d...
Ochoa-Ochoa, L.M., Mejía-Domínguez, N.R., Bezaury-Creel, J. 2017. Prioritization for Cloud Forest Conservation in Mexico. Ecosistemas 26(2): 27-37. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2017.26-2.04
Cloud Forests (Bosque de Niebla) are ecosystems with restricted distribution and high biodiversity, which are also highly threatened due to land use change. Our aim was...
On 7 December 2016, the federal government of Mexico published an Agreement listing Exotic Invasive Species for Mexico ([ 1 ][1]). However, the report contains inaccurate information about the species and ambiguous measures regarding the prevention, control, and eradication of these species.
Las áreas forestales permanentes (AFP) son tierras de uso común que la asamblea ejidal o de bienes comunales, o en su caso los pequeños propietarios dedican exclusivamente a la actividad forestal sustentable. En México este tipo de áreas se han establecido principalmente, aunque no exclusivamente, en los estados de Quintana Roo y Campeche con el pr...
It can be observed that, when faced with news of environmental crises such as the impacts of climate change, many people increasingly express detachment or even denial. Given the fundamental importance of public participation in conservation action, it is clearly important to understand how this situation arose and how it might be improved. Here, w...
Amphibians are known to be sensitive to environmental change but their responses at the level of metacommunities to short-term environmental variability are poorly understood. We used field data from two protected areas, La Pera and Naha ́ (Chiapas, Mexico) to test for variation in metacommunity properties for two consecutive years (2009 and 2010)....
Patterns of diversity are scale dependent and beta-diversity is not the exception. Mexico is megadiverse due to its high beta diversity, but little is known if it is scale-dependent and/or taxonomic-dependent. We explored these questions based on the self-similarity hypothesis of beta-diversity across spatial scales. Using geographic distribution r...
The goal of this study was to compare the richness and endemism patterns of Mexican species of amphibians and reptiles at different spatial scales. We used the best available dataset of distributional ranges generated from ecological niche models and employed geographically weighted regressions (GWRs) to test whether richness and endemism were rela...
There is an unavoidable degree of uncertainty associated with future climate projections, and even more unpredictability about the potential impact of different climate scenarios on the ecology and distribution of organisms. Conservationists face a major public communications challenge to both raise awareness and mobilise support for conservation a...
During the celebration of "Niño Florero" in Chiapas every December, bromeliads are collected to form floral offerings to Baby Jesus. In this process amphibians and reptiles are killed causing losses of those organisms in the pine-oak forests. Fieldwork was carried out in the forests of Chanal, Chiapas; and consisted of direct sampling of bromeliads...
The aim of this article is to characterize at fine scale alpha and beta diversity patterns for Mexican amphibians and analyze how these patterns might change under a moderate climate-change scenario, highlighting the overall consequences for amphibian diversity at the country level. We used a geo-referenced database gathered from museums worldwide...
Given the current speed of land use change, we cannot expect to save all species from extinction, and so must decide how to focus limited resources to prevent the greatest number of extinctions. This paper proposes a simple conservation triage method that: evaluates the threat status for 145 micro-endemic Mexican amphibian species; assesses current...
Dowload shapefiles from http://www.estudiocalle.net/ANP_2012/ En la séptima reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención sobre la Diversidad Biológica (CBD-COP7), llevada a cabo en Kuala Lumpur, Malasia, en 2004, las áreas naturales protegidas fueron seleccionadas como uno de los temas que serían objeto de un examen detallado. Es por es...
Dowload shapefiles from http://www.estudiocalle.net/ANP_2012/ En la séptima reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención sobre la Diversidad Biológica (CBD-COP7), llevada a cabo en Kuala Lumpur, Malasia, en 2004, las áreas naturales protegidas fueron seleccionadas como uno de los temas que serían objeto de un examen detallado. Es por es...
Traditionally, biodiversity conservation gap analyses have been focused on governmental protected areas (PAs). However, an increasing number of social initiatives in conservation (SICs) are promoting a new perspective for analysis. SICs include all of the efforts that society implements to conserve biodiversity, such as land protection, from privat...
Zoom to location of Lithobates psilonota historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Lithobates publeae historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
List of the endemic Mexican amphibian species used in the analyses. Each species+ has its number of unique records, values of the training model or area under the curve (AUC), size of the distribution range model, amount of remnant distribution and threatened status according with IUCN*, NOM-ECOL 2001** and remnant distribution range group***.
(0.8...
Zoom to location of Pseudorycea praellecens historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Craugastor uno historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Craugastor taylori historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Plectrohyla labedactyla historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Plectrohyla pachyderma historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Thorius infernalis historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
Zoom to location of Thorius minydemus historical (database) records.
(8.79 MB TIF)
