Mario Luna-Cavazos

Colegio de Postgraduados | CP · Department of Botany

Los patrones de la estructura de la vegetación (PEV) son afectados por la interacción dinámica entre los elementos sociales y ecológicos. El objetivo fue describir los patrones de la estructura y diversidad de la selva mediana subperennifolia después del aprovechamiento forestal maderable en Noh Bec, Quintana Roo, México. Se llevó a cabo un muestre...

Antecedentes: Las plantas viarias crecen en las orillas de vías de comunicación y han sido poco estudiadas. Preguntas: ¿Cuál es la riqueza de las angiospermas viarias? ¿Cuál es el porcentaje de especies nativas e introducidas entre las angiospermas viarias? Especies de estudio: Angiospermas viarias nativas e introducidas. Sitio y años de estudio...

The genus Agave includes species of economic and cultural importance for Mexico. In the state of Veracruz there are different opinions about the Agave taxa reported for the state. This fact causes disparity in the information available on the species richness of this genus. The objectives of this research were: to identify the species of Agave pres...

The aim of this research is to identify the patterns of use and knowledge of plant species growing in selected tropical homegardens in southern Morelos, Mexico. The method consisted of obtaining informed consent, interviews with homegarden managers, recording socioeconomic data, visits to the interior of each selected homegarden, and personal obser...

Las luciérnagas (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) tienen importancia turístico-cultural debido a su bioluminiscencia. En el “Santuario de las Luciérnagas” (Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala) habitan poblaciones de Photinus palaciosi. Anualmente, este sitio es visitado por una gran cantidad de turistas. Sin embargo, faltan estudios ecológicos sobre la biología de la esp...

Agriculture and extensive cattle ranching have been leading causes of deforestation in the rainforests of the Mexican tropics. In the municipality of Jesús Carranza, Veracruz, extensive cattle ranching became the primary activity and income source about 50 years ago, subsequent to forest clearing for agriculture 20 years earlier. However, remnant a...

Diseases, such as cancer, peptic ulcers, and diabetes, as well as those caused by drug-resistant infectious agents are examples of some of the world's major public health problems. Am-phipterygium adstringens (Schltdl.) Schiede ex Standl is an endemic tree to Mexico. Its stem bark has been used medicinally since pre-Hispanic times, but in recent de...

Litsea glaucescens Kunth (Mexican bay leaf, laurel) has a wide distribution in Mexico, growing at both riparian and rupicolous environments in the mountainous region of the Central Highlands of the country. Sierra Fría-Sierra Laurel is a protected natural area covered by a dry forest. The Mexican bay leaf is associated with the oak forest, especial...

Key message Anatomical traits and features of Amphipterygium adstringens wood and hydraulic properties, both linked to sex, explain the performance of the species in its ecological niche. Abstract Androic and gynoic dioecious species respond structurally and functionally to the environmental conditions where they live. How are adaptive advantages...

Carica papaya L. is an important plant genetic resource that has a low level of genetic erosion. Knowing the distribution and eco-geography of native C. papaya in Mexico is critical for the implementation of strategies for its conservation and sustainable use. For such purpose, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multivariate analysis methods...

Introduction: The Humid Mountain Forest (HMF) has the highest number of plants per unit of surface, whose vegetation grows under heterogeneous environmental conditions and possess a high floristic variation. HMF conservation is important due to the biodiversity it harbors and the environmental services it provides. Objective: This work evaluated t...

Herbarium specimens of wild Mexican Leguminosae with ethnobotanical information are an important resource for understanding human–legume interactions. The 525 useful legume species registered in Mexico’s National Herbarium (MEXU) were analyzed using a hierarchical method and represented in dendrograms. Of these, 244 species noted a single use, whil...

Commercial harvests can threaten tree species harvested for their bark. Amphipterygium adstringens is a dioecious tree, endemic to the tropical dry forests of Mexico, where it is intensively harvested for its medicinal bark. Limited information hinders developing sustainable management strategies for A. adstringens. We assessed bark regeneration fo...

Tomatoes are an important dietary source of lycopene, a natural antioxidant compound that contributes to reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, the lack of a food matrix can result in their rapid degradation during storage. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the physicochemical, antioxidant, and stability properties of lycope...

El análisis de la estructura y flora de las comunidades vegetales permite conocer las interrelaciones de la comunidad con su entorno. En Puebla, México, existen comunidades vegetales compuestas de pino e izotal, por lo que surge la pregunta ¿Cuál es la similitud o diferencia florística entre ambos tipos de vegetación que se encuentran en áreas cerc...

Ethnopharmacological relevance The concepts of health and illness, and their causes, are fundamental for understanding medicinal plant choice and use by traditional people. The hot-cold system is widespread in Mesoamerican traditional medicine and guides many therapeutic decisions. Aim of the study This study explores a hypothesis that climate inf...

Familia de ca. 80 géneros (de acuerdo con algunos autores hasta 102) y más de 2500 especies, de distribución cosmopolita, particularmente diversa en Sudamérica y con representantes de mayor importancia económica, como la papa (Solanum tuberosum L.), el jitomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.), los chiles (Capsicum spp.), el tabaco (Nicotiana tabacum L.),...

Se documenta la estructura poblacional y el patrón de distribución y correlación espacial entre etapas de desarrollo de Hintonia latiflora, especie amenazada en México por la cosecha comercial de su corteza. Se establecieron seis unidades de muestreo (tres cosechadas y tres no cosechadas) de 20 m × 100 m para el censo de todas las plantas y se cate...

Background: Most reports of domesticated plants that involve a domestication gradient or inter-specific hybridization in Mexico have focused on those used as food. This study provides knowledge about these processes in two aromatic medicinal plants, Agastache mexicana (Lamiaceae) and A. m. subsp. xolocotziana, widely used in Mexican traditional me...

Antecedentes: Las suculentas son especies características de ecosistemas secos. De los caracteres ambientales de sitio, las laderas, por ser áreas de escurrimiento tienden a estar más secas; allí se establecen suculentas de importancia ecológica. Hipótesis: No existen diferencias en la composición florística y atributos ecológicos de suculentas, e...

The silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the vase solutions are antimicrobial agents and ethylene inhibitors in some species for cut flowers, but the combined effect of sucrose and citric acid remains uninvestigated. The biosynthesis of Ag NPs with plant extracts is an efficient and ecologically friendly method. The objective of the present study was t...

The silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the vase solutions are antimicrobial agents and ethylene inhibitors in some species for cut flowers, but the combined effect of sucrosesucrose and citric acid remains uninvestigated. The biosynthesis of Ag NPs with plant extracts is an efficient and ecologically friendly method. The objective of the present stud...

Introduction: Communities dominated in the canopy by pinyon pines harbor species richness and have complex physiognomy because they form an ecotone between arid and temperate zones. Objectives: To describe the floristic attributes that distinguish four communities dominated by pinyon pines; define units based on floristic composition and structure...

This research integrates Traditional and Formal Ecological Knowledge (TEK / FEK) of a Tropical Dry Forest in central Mexico, in order to assess harvesting and conservation of the non-timber forest species. We were interested in: knowing the structure and diversity of the forest community; identifying which are the tree resources of common interest...

The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve in México holds genetic richness and endemism for the genus Jatropha, but the specific use of the plants and the seed chemical profiles are still unknown. We recorded the traditional forms of use of Jatropha species, and analyzed the chemical composition of Jatropha spp. seeds. For this, a semi-structured su...

The man-maguey relationship in Mesoamerica, and the use of the plant for pulque production goes back 10 000 years ago and three thousand years respectively. This agro-industry that flourished in the last third of the nineteenth century is at risk even its traditional use and others more profitable uses such as the production of inulin and fructose...

Resumen Se estudió la recuperación en riqueza, composición, estructura y diversidad arbórea en 3 condiciones de bosque tropical caducifolio secundario con diferente tiempo de abandono (C35, C45 y C65 años) en el sureste del estado de Morelos. En cada condición se establecieron 3 unidades de muestreo de 50 × 50 m (2,500 m 2) y se midieron a todos lo...

Architectural and morphological variation of Hintonia latiflora (Rubiaceae) in relation to bark harvest and environmental factors. Hintonia latiflora is a rare ecologically and economically important species from the Tropical Deciduous Forest of the Balsas Basin, Mexico, whose bark is traded as medicinal. Debarking practices have modified the shape...

Medicinal plants continue to play an important role in healthcare, both in Mexico and around the world. We investigated the relationship between various sociodemographic factors, such as age, economic activity, years of schooling, socioeconomic levels, gender, and language proficiency, and the knowledge and frequency of medicinal plant use in Santi...

Hintonia latiflora is a rare ecologically and economically important species from the Tropical Deciduous Forest of the Balsas Basin, Mexico, whose bark is traded as medicinal. Debarking practices have modified the shape of plants, their architecture and morphometry; but it is unknown if some topographic and edaphic factors may also influence in the...

Jatropha spp. from Mexico includes high species richness and endemism; five species inhabit in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve (TCBR), and they are important resources as food, medicine and biofuel. The assessment of morphological and agronomic characteristics is essential to identify, use and maintain plant genetic resources. Given the la...

Traditional fruit homegardens are units of production of high richness of species with value in use. The objective was to analyze the relationship between the arboreal structure of 30 homegardens of Coatetelco, Morelos and the value in use of the species. The structure was quantified through the Importance Value Index (IVI). The Cultural Value Inde...

Los estudios florísticos permiten obtener información para conocer con detalle los elementos vegetales de una región, por lo que los objetivos de este trabajo fueron realizar un estudio florístico en el cerro Metecatl, Estado de México; describir los tipos de vegetación y caracterizar los micrositios mediante el recuento de especies en 18 Unidades...

Se tomaron datos de cobertura vegetal de 29 especies perennes y 25 variables del medio en 57 sitios, para investigar la relación vegetación-ambiente en 16 islas de la costa de Sinaloa, México. Los sitios de vegetación se clasificaron con el análisis de conglomerados y se ordenaron con el análisis de correspondencia linearizado (ACL), luego se inter...

Se estudió la estructura y diversidad arbórea en sistemas agroforestales de café (SAF-Café): rusticano (RU), policultivo complejo (PC) y policultivo simple (PS), así como en una selva mediana subperennifiolia (SM) de la Sierra de Atoyac, Veracruz, estableciéndose tres unidades de muestreo (UM) por cada franja altitudinal (600-900 y 900-1200) m snm...

The floristic composition, species similarity and adopted management practices of 24 home gardens in central Mexico were studied. We investigated the multifunctional role of home gardens and their species richness and focused on food and medicinal plants because they were the largest contributors to families' needs. Data were obtained by interviewi...

Structure and tree diversity was studied in coffee agroforestry systems (SAF-cafe): rustic (RU), polyculture complex (PC), simple polyculture (PS), and as semi-evergreen forest (SM) from the Sierra de Atoyac, Veracruz, establishing three sampling units (UM) per altitudinal band (600-900 and 900-1200) m on each system and forest above mentioned, for...

Hintonia latiflora (Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Bullock, la “quina amarilla”, es un árbol americano propio del bosque tropical caducifolio, valioso, debido a que la corteza tiene propiedades medicinales. La principal zona de abasto comercial de quina amarilla está al norte del estado de Guerrero, México. Esta contribución aporta información bibliográfica...

Hintonia latiflora (Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Bullock, the "quina amarilla", is an American tree of the tropical deciduous forest which is valuable because its bark has medicinal properties. The main area supplying the commercial quina amarilla is the northern of Guerrero state, Mexico. This contribution reports bibliographic information pertaining to t...

El conocimiento de los patrones de distribución de especies en las comunidades vegetales y su relación con factores del medio es un objetivo fundamental en ecología. Las comunidades de Pinus cembroides y P. johannis coexisten en diversas regiones de México, pero P. cembroides tiende a distribuirse en laderas de exposiciones sur y suroeste en sitios...

In plant communities, the species distribution patterns and their relationships with environmental factors are of central importance in ecology. In San Luis Potosí of Mexico, woodlands of Pinus cembroides and P. johannis are sympatric, but P. cembroides tends to be located in South and Southwest slopes, in more disturbed sites; unlike, P. johannis,...

This study attempts to test whether local selection of species, whose conservation is considered a priority at the community level, has the potential of contributing to public health care showing vegetal species valuable in traditional medicine. This work was carried out in Temimilcingo, a community immersed in the deciduous forest in the Sierra de...

Resumen Para probar la hipótesis de que los piñoneros mexicanos (Pinus cembroides) y los piñoneros Johannis (P. johannis) crecen bajo diferentes condiciones ambientales, se muestreó la flora asociada a ambas especies a lo largo de dos transectos perpendiculares de 20 m en 40 sitios. Los patrones se analizaron con el programa TWINSPAN, el cual produ...

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution patterns of the wild tuber- bearing Solanum L. in Mexico. Total records of 27 wild potato taxa in 49 natural regions of Mexico, were compiled, based on collection, herbarium specimens and databases. The distribution patterns of tuber-bearing Solanum were described; the areas of Solanuḿs distribu...

Prosopis laevigata and Mimosa biuncifera are frequently found in arid and semiarid shrublands, but scarce information is available about their influence on plant community structure and soil fertility. We compared plant community structure, diversity and soil nutrients of three semiarid shrubland sites located in Mezquital Valley, Mexico. These sit...

To test the hypothesis that Mexican pinyons (Pinus cembroides) and Johannis pines (P. johannis) grow under different environmental conditions, the flora associated with both species was sampled along two 20-m perpendicular transects at 40 sites. Patterns were analyzed with the two-way-indicator-species program, which yielded six groups with Mexican...

The geographic distribution of the species of Datura in Mexico was analyzed using numerical analysis of natural populations documented by herbarium specimens. A map of Mexico was divided into 239, 1° x 1° squares (latitude and longitude) which were used as sampling geographical units and in which the presence or absence of each species of Datura wa...

The geographic distribution of the species of Datura in Mexico was analyzed using numerical analysis of natural populations documented by herbarium specimens. A map of Mexico was divided into 239, 1° × 1° squares (latitude and longitude) which were used as sampling geographical units and in which the presence or absence of each species of Datura wa...

We analyzed, by indirect and direct gradient analysis, the floristic relationships among different Mexican pinyon woodland communities dominated by Pinus cembroides, P. johannis, P. remota, P. maximartinezii, P. monophylla, P. quadrifolia, P. nelsonii, P. culminicola, and P. lagunae, belonging to distinct biogeographic provinces. We elaborated a pr...

The seedling emergency depends on the seed physiological and biochemical characteristics, its reaction to the environment and efficiency to use its own reserves during the germination. The objective of the research was to relate the seminal morphology differences with the efficiency for using reserves on seedling emergence of common bean (Phaseolus...

Useful indicators for identification of plant species of importance to conservation were identified with the participation of informants from the town of Temimilcingo. The inhabitants of this central Mexican indigenous community use resources from the dry-deciduous forest within the Sierra de Monte Negro State Reserve. Semi-structured interviews an...

Using the analysis of nine isozyme systems and cladistic analysis of 32 morphological characters of the Mexican species of the section Dutra of the genus Datura, evidence was sought on the origin of the cultivated D.metel L. The genetic similarity and the phylogenetic relationship suggest that D.metel is related more closely to D.inoxia Mill. than...

Using phenetic classification, we analyze the similarity of the generic flora of Mexican pinyon pine forests. Methods included records of 438 genera of vascular plants from 32 communities of pinyon pines such as Pinus cembroides, P. johannis, P. maximartinezii, P. monophylla, P. quadrifolia, P. nelsonii, P. culminicola, and P. lagunae. A matrix of...

Phenetic analysis of morphological characters of taxa in the section Dutra of the genus Datura from native populations on mainland Mexico supported the recognition of seven species: D. discolor, D. inoxia, D. kymatocarpa, D. lanosa, D. metel, D. pruinosa, and D. reburra. These taxa aggregated into three large groups which shared similar anther leng...

The Opuntia genus is a valuable source of ancestral Mexican food. Different plant parts are used, including the stems (cladodes), fruits ("tunas"), and flowers. Additionally, the Opuntia genus is important because of its species richness, chemical composition, and adaptability for growing in very dry environments. A morphological characterization o...

Resumen. Mediante un análisis de clasifi cación fenética, se discuten las afi nidades en la flora genérica de los piñonares mexicanos. El estudio se sustentó en el registro de 438 géneros de plantas vasculares de 32 piñonares mexicanos caracterizados por distintas especies como Pinus cembroides, P. johannis, P. maximartinezii, P. monophylla, P. qua...

Se determinó el tamaño y la densidad de los estomas en 20 poblaciones de Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex. Pfeiff.) Console para saber si la posición del segmento de la rama y la distribución geográfica modifican el tipo, densidad y tamaño de los estomas. Se recolectaron 49 muestras en los Estados de San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hid...

Stomatal size and density variation were evaluated in 20 populations of Myrtillocactus geometrizans, (Mart. ex. Pfeiff.) Console, in order to learn if the position of the segment in the branch and the geographic distribution modify type, density, and size of the stomata. Forty-nine samples were collected in the states of San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato...

This study presents the geographic and ecologic distribution of wild potatoes (Solanum L.) in the Potosi-Zacatecas Highland; these species have economic importance for self-consumption, commerce, and as a source of germplasm. The method included analysis of herbarium specimens, botanic collections, cultivation of plants in an experimental plot, and...

A multivariate analysis to differentiate morphologically the populations of wild potatoes Solanum cardiophyllum ssp. cardiophyllum and S. cardiophyllum ssp. ehrenbergii was carried out. An analysis of the morphology and the viability of pollen of these potato populations was also made. The results of the morphometric analysis indicate that both sub...

 Fifty natural Datura populations, belonging to eleven species (D. ceratocaula, D. discolor, D. inoxia, D. kymatocarpa, D. lanosa, D. metel, D. pruinosa, D. quercifolia, D. reburra, D. stramonium, D. wrightii) from Mexico and adjacent USA, were investigated using starch gel electrophoresis. A total of 64 alleles were scored at 17 loci (DIA1, DIA2,...

Phenetic analysis of morphological characters of taxa in the section Dutra of the genusDatura from native populations on mainland Mexico supported the recognition of seven species D. discolor, D. inoxia, D. kymatocarpa, D. lanosa, D. metel, D. pruinosa, and D. reburra. These taxa aggregated into three large groups which shared similar anther length...

Este trabajo registra las prácticas de manejo para las especies tuberíferas arvenses Solanum cardiophyllum Lindl. y S. ehrengerbii (Bitt.) Rydb., así como la importancia económica que representan para muchas familias campesinas del Altiplano Potosino-Zacatecano de México. Las especies citadas reciben varios nombres comunes; “papa del monte” es el m...