Martha Lucía Baena

University of Veracruz | UV · Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas

Main Animals not only forage for abundant and nearby resources, but their diets can also be influenced by abiotic and geographic factors. This often results in non‐random interactions among species. We investigate how seed density, distance from nest, abiotic (e.g., climate stability, temperature, precipitation) and geographic factors (e.g., latitu...

The negative effects of human activity on wildlife populations in ecosystems must be addressed not only from an ecological perspective but also from a social approach. One way is through studying the perception of human communities that have frequent interactions with wildlife. We conducted a systematic literature review to understand Mexican rural...

The mountain region of central Veracruz, Mexico hosts a large system of karst and volcanic caves that are unexplored. In particular, the vertebrates that inhabit these subterranean ecosystems are unknown. This study evaluated the diversity of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish in three environments (euphotic, disphotic, and aphotic) of...

El objetivo de este trabajo es reportar los comportamientos que emplean las hormigas para competir por los recursos alimenticios limitados, así como los principales factores que las amenazan y su importancia biológica en la conservación como organismos clave para el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. Para este propósito se realizó la búsqueda de in...

Little is known about the activity of leaf‐cutter ants such as Atta mexicana in urban environments. This study evaluated the soil nutrient concentration of A. mexicana nests and waste dumps compared with adjacent soils to the nests as a control in a Neotropical urban environment. The high nutrient concentration values in waste dumps, such as total...

Temperature and precipitation influence insect distribution locally and drive large-scale biogeographical patterns. We used current and future climate data from the CHELSA database to create ensemble species distribution models for three Atta leaf-cutting ant species (Atta cephalotes, A. mexicana, and A. texana) found in Mexico. These models were u...

Las pulgas son insectos ectoparásitos hematófagos, es decir, viven externamente y se alimentan de la sangre de animales vertebrados como mamíferos y aves, los cuales fungen como sus hospederos. Han evolucionado con sus hospederos a través de una asociación ecológica llamada parasitismo, en la cual la selección natural ha influido en ambos grupos a...

Leaf-cutter ants are appreciated as ecosystem engineers. Conversely, under agricultural scenarios, they are considered serious pests. Coffee is one of the crops selectively foraged by this species either under traditional shading or unshaded intensified systems. Despite the economic importance of coffee in Neotropical regions, there are few observa...

Los roedores y los soricomorfos son dos de los órdenes de mamíferos mejor representados en México, su relevancia ecológica radica en ser la base para las cadenas tróficas de vertebrados mayores y suelen ser especies representativas de la salud del ecosistema. No obstante, las perturbaciones ambientales por actividades humanas, han afectado sus pobl...

This datasheet on Omorgus suberosus covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Further Information.

While theory suggests that at conception the sex ratio should be balanced (1:1), this can be variable across space and time in wild populations. Currently, studies of the environmental factors that regulate adult sex ratio (ASR) in species with different life-history traits are scarce. Using capture-recapture over a year, we analyzed the influence...

Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a damaging agricultural pest. Currently, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is used as part of its control. The SIT consists of the mass-rearing, sterilization, and release of insects in target areas. Sterile males mate with wild females, and prevent them from laying fertile eggs. However, even if female...

Neotropical shade-grown coffee systems are renowned for their potential to conserve avian biodiversity. Yet, little is known about food resources consumed by insectivorous birds in these systems, the extent of resource competition between resident and migratory birds, or how management of shade trees might influence diet selection. We identified ar...

Abejas silvestres del Santuario del Bosque de Niebla en Xalapa, Veracruz, México.

The olive ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829), nests en masse in the protected natural area of La Escobilla, Mexico. On this beach, Omorgus suberosus (Fabricius, 1775), a sapro-necrophagous beetle, feeds on the sea turtles’ decomposing and live eggs and is considered to be a threat for the conservation of L. olivacea. Howev...

A team of 79 scientists from more than 50 institutions partnered to gather all available information regarding Mexican ants since 1894, the year in which the first geographical record of an ant is known for the country. In this new study, including more than 21,000 records, we showed that there are ~900 species of ants in Mexico, which are distribu...

A team of 79 scientists from more than 50 institutions partnered to gather all available information regarding Mexican ants since 1894, the year in which the first geographical record of an ant is known for the country. In this new study, including more than 21,000 records, we showed that there are ~900 species of ants in Mexico, which are distribu...

A team of 79 scientists from more than 50 institutions partnered to gather all available information regarding Mexican ants since 1894, the year in which the first geographical record of an ant is known for the country. In this new study, including more than 21,000 records, we showed that there are ~900 species of ants in Mexico, which are distribu...

Several species of insects have been found in propagules of species of mangrove forest, but Coccotrypes rhizophorae (Hopkins) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been recorded as one of the main pest of Rhizophora mangle (L.) (Malpighiales: Rhizophoraceae). While the species of mangrove is common in the Gulf of Mexico, the insect fauna associated with...

Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with an important proportion of endemism mainly because of the convergence of the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic regions, which generate great diversity and species turnover at different spatial scales. However, most of our knowledge of the Mexican ant biota is limited to a few we...

In this data paper, we compiled all the available published and unpublished geographic information (including both incidence and abundance records) about native and exotic ant species recorded within Mexico over 124 years (from 1894–2018). After exhaustive filtering, the updating of information and the curation of synonyms, our data set contains 21...

This study evaluates changes in the diversity and composition of ants that inhabit contrasting environmental conditions (green and gray spaces) in two cities of different size and degree of urbanization: Xalapa and Coatepec (Veracruz, Mexico), both of which are surrounded by cloud forest remnants, croplands and pastures. In each city, a green space...

In flying organisms, wing shape and biomechanical properties are recognized as key traits related to dispersal, foraging behavior, sexual selection and habitat preferences. To determine if differences in dung beetle wing shape and flight biomechanics are consistent with habitat preferences in a phylogenetic context, we examined how wing morphology...

Mate searching is assumed to be performed mostly by males, but when females benefit from multiple mating or are under risk of failing to mate, they may also perform mate searching. This is especially important in scramble competition polygynies, in which mate searching is the main mechanism of mate competition. Typically, more mobile individuals ar...

Urbanization poses important environmental, social, and ecological pressures, representing a major threat to biodiversity. However, urban areas are highly heterogeneous, with some greenspaces (e.g., urban forests, parks, private gardens) providing resources and a refuge for wildlife communities. In this study we surveyed 10 taxonomic groups to asse...

Omorgus suberosus (Fabricius, 1775) has been identified as a potential predator of the eggs of the turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) on one of the main turtle nesting beaches in the world, La Escobilla in Oaxaca, Mexico. This study presents an analysis of the spatio-temporal distribution of the beetle on this beach (in areas of high...

In scramble competition polygyny, male and female mobility may be under strong selection as a result of fitness effects of searching for reproductive resources such as mates, oviposition sites, or resources for egg production. We analyzed the relationship between mating frequency, mobility, and body size in males and females of the chrysomelid beet...

There was a typographical error in the title and citation. The correct title is: Phenology of Scramble Polygyny in a Wild Population of Chrysomelid Beetles: The Opportunity for and the Strength of Sexual Selection. The correct citation is: Baena ML, Macias-Ordonez R (2012) Phenology of Scramble Polygyny in a Wild Population of Chrysomelid Beetles:...

Recent debate has highlighted the importance of estimating both the strength of sexual selection on phenotypic traits, and the opportunity for sexual selection. We describe seasonal fluctuations in mating dynamics of Leptinotarsa undecimlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We compared several estimates of the opportunity for, and the strength of, s...

R script for null model for Imates and related parameters. A null model generator for Imates and related parameters based on Shuster, S. M., and M. J. Wade. 2003. Mating Systems and Strategies. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press, chapters 1–3. Observed data should be in a csv file (named “File S3 - Matrix of mating success per time interval...

A worked example. Hypothetical data of six time intervals and twenty males showing how to obtain all parameters related to three estimates of the opportunity for sexual selection (Imates) presented in Shuster, S. M., and M. J. Wade. 2003. Mating Systems and Strategies. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press, chapters 1–3. Some of the steps were...

Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for period 3. In order to see results for period 3 only instead of results for the whole season, this database in.csv format may replace “File S3 - Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for the whole season.csv” when running “File S2. R script for null model for Imates and related pa...

Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for period 1. In order to see results for period 1 only instead of results for the whole season, this database in.csv format may replace “File S3 - Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for the whole season.csv” when running “File S2. R script for null model for Imates and related pa...

Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for the whole season. This database in.csv format is required by “File S2. R script for null model for Imates and related parameters.r” (see description in legend for File S2). It should be placed in the same working directory of File S2. (CSV)

Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for period 2. In order to see results for period 2 only instead of results for the whole season, this database in.csv format may replace “File S3 - Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for the whole season.csv” when running “File S2. R script for null model for Imates and related pa...

Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for period 4. In order to see results for period 4 only instead of results for the whole season, this database in.csv format may replace “File S3 - Matrix of mating success per time interval per male for the whole season.csv” when running “File S2. R script for null model for Imates and related pa...

R script for interactive Figure 8. Install the rgl library first. Then run this R script from beginning to end and two windows will appear (panels A and B). Amplify or maximize each window, click and hold on the graph and then move the mouse to rotate it. You will be able to see the projections on the three planes. See figure 8 for legend and the t...

Female rejections of males are crucial events in sexual selection by female choice and sexually antagonistic coevolution, but there are few detailed studies of the process of rejection. Female struggles when mounted by males are often assumed to function to dislodge the male. But this study, in which female receptivity was manipulated by using fema...

I evaluated the effect of copulation as a stimulation factor for oviposition of Archisepsis diversiformis by using two different age groups of females. In addition, I tested the effect of copulation on female longevity and progeny sex ratio, taking into account female and male size, and oocyte development in relation to female age. A delay in copul...

The abundance of epiphytes has been assumed to be important in explaining the high diversity of tropical canopy arthropods. In this study we assessed the possible role that the presence of epiphytes may have on the diversity and abundance of canopy insects in an experimental study conducted in a coffee plantation in Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico. Epip...

Thirty six Anacroneuria Klapálek species are recorded for Colombia including 23 recently described. These species are distributed primarily in the Region Andina; 13 are associated with the Andina Occidental, 11 with the Andina Central and 12 with the Andina Oriental. Two species occur in the Region del Pacifico near its border with the Andina Occid...

La hormiga loca, Paratrechina fulva, se ha convertido en una importante plaga de la Reserva Natural Laguna de Sonso, atacando plantas y animales tanto invertebrados como vertebrados. El carácter inundable de la región y su importancia como reserva natural impiden la utilización de tratamientos con pesticidas convencionales. Entre julio y agosto de...

Description of new species of Plecopter to Colombia

Se presentan resultados preliminares sobre el efecto de los análogos de la hormona juvenil, fenoxycarb y metopreno, sobre la hormiga loca,Paratrechina fulva (Mayr), una especie introducida a Colombia. Colonias monoginas tratadas durante cuatro semanas bajo condi­ciones de laboratorio, presentaron una reduc­ción significativa en su tamaño seis seman...

RESUMEN La Hormiga Loca, Paratrechina fulva, especie introducida a Colombia, ha colonizado la Reserva Natural Laguna de Sonso causando un grave impacto ecológico. En junio de 1994 la densidad de la especie en los sectores aledaños a la laguna, se estimó en 18 a 387 obreras/m 2 , atraídas a cebos en un tiempo de cuarenta y cinco minutos. Se encontró...