Papers by Isolda Luna Vega
North American Fungi, 2013
Species of Phaeoclavulina (formerly genus Ramaria, subgenus Echinoramaria) have been reported in ... more Species of Phaeoclavulina (formerly genus Ramaria, subgenus Echinoramaria) have been reported in temperate, tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In Mexico, these species occur from sea level to 3200 m. Based on 132 distribution records of 22 species, patterns of species rarity and richness were determined using a grid-cell system of 1° x 1° latitude/longitude. The highest species richness areas were Sierra Madre Oriental and Serranías Meridionales, while species were rare in the areas of Jalisco (Pacific coast and Altiplanicie), Guerrero and Oaxaca (Serranías Meridionales) and Chiapas (Serranías
Botanical Sciences, 2011
El bosque mesófilo de montaña estudiado se encuentra en la zona central de la frontera entre la F... more El bosque mesófilo de montaña estudiado se encuentra en la zona central de la frontera entre la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana y la cuenca del río Balsas. En este trabajo se incluye una lista florística que comprende 98 familias, 245 géneros y 391 especies de plantas vasculares. La vegetación arbórea presenta tres estratos, uno alto (cercano a 40 m), donde son frecuentes varias especies de encinos y Zinowiewia integerrima; uno medio (20 m) con Carpinus caroliniana, Ternstroemia lineata subsp. lineata y Tilia americana , entre otras y uno bajo (5-15 m) con Clethra spp., Cleyera integrifolia, Cornus disciflora, Garrya laurifolia, Meliosma dentata, Oreopanax xalapensis, Parathesis melanosticta, Styrax argenteus y Symplocos citrea . Los estratos arbustivo y herbáceo son ricos debido a la intrusión de especies de zonas de uso agropecuario y recreativo. Se discute el estado de conservación del bosque con base en indicadores ambientales derivados de los resultados florísticos.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012
We analyzed the geographical and elevational distributions of two Polypodium complexes from Mexic... more We analyzed the geographical and elevational distributions of two Polypodium complexes from Mexico and Central America. Distribution data of nine species of the Polypodium colpodes complex and the Polypodium plesiosorum complex were obtained from almost 1500 herbarium specimens, field collections in Mexico and Costa Rica, and literature studies. The presence of each species was recorded for each Mesoamerican country, in 1°¥ 1°grid-cells and biogeographical provinces. The rarity of species was also evaluated. Although the two complexes show extensive overlap, the P. colpodes complex is distributed mainly along the Pacific versant of Mexico and Central America, whereas the P. plesiosorum complex occurs mainly along the Atlantic versant. Those biogeographical provinces with maximum species diversity are Chiapas (seven species), Sierra Madre del Sur (six species), and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic belt (six species). Grid-cells with more species are located mainly in the mountains of central-southern Mexico and northern Central America. Richness does not decrease or increase with latitude. Elevation distributions showed that most Polypodium species are concentrated in the montane interval and three species groups were recognized based on elevational preferences. Polypodium colpodes and P. plesiosorum are the most widely distributed species, whereas Polypodium castaneum and Polypodium flagellare are the only two species that possess the three attributes of rarity (narrow geographical distribution, high habitat specificity, and scarce local populations). Polypodium species of both complexes are present mainly in the montane regions of the study area and show some degree of geographical sympatry, especially in southern Mexico and northern Central America. This overlapping is explained by the elevation tolerance within montane systems and because most species inhabit three or more vegetation types. The distributional patterns of these complexes coincided with the three regional highlands of Mesoamerica, which are separated from each other by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and by the lowlands of Nicaragua.
Systematics and Biodiversity, 2013
The Bryologist, 2008
The state of Querétaro, Mexico is at the confluence of three physiographic provinces: Transmexica... more The state of Querétaro, Mexico is at the confluence of three physiographic provinces: Transmexican Volcanic Belt, Mexican Plateau and Sierra Madre Oriental. A list of its mosses has been compiled from field work and specimens at mexu. A total of 212 species were recorded for the state, ...
Biotropica, 2010
Several members of the most ancient living lineages of flowering plants (angiosperms) inhabit hum... more Several members of the most ancient living lineages of flowering plants (angiosperms) inhabit humid, woody, mostly tropical habitats. Here we assess whether one of these forest types, the cloud forests of Mexico (CFM), contain a relatively higher proportion of phylogenetically early-diverging angiosperm lineages. The CFM houses an extraordinary plant species diversity, including members of earliest-diverging angiosperm lineages. The phylogenetic composition of CFM angiosperm diversity was evaluated through the relative representation of orders and families with respect to the global flora, and the predominance of phylogenetically early-or late-diverging lineages. Goodness-of-fit tests indicated significant differences in the proportional local and global representation of angiosperm clades. The net difference between the percentage represented by each order and family in the CFM and the global flora allowed identification of clades that are overrepresented and underrepresented in the CFM. Early-diverging angiosperm orders and families were found to be neither over-nor underrepresented in the CFM. A slight predominance of late-diverging phylogenetic levels among overrepresented clades, however, was encountered in the CFM. The resulting pattern suggests that cloud forests provide habitats where the most ancient angiosperm lineages have survived in the face of accumulating species diversity belonging to phylogenetically late-diverging lineages.
Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 2008
Resumen. Se analizaron los patrones de riqueza y distribución de las plantas vasculares acuáticas... more Resumen. Se analizaron los patrones de riqueza y distribución de las plantas vasculares acuáticas estrictas en el estado de Tamaulipas, México. Se registraron 93 especies, 62 de las cuales son típicas de ambientes lénticos. La subcuenca Río Tamesí fue la que registró el mayor número de especies (68, 73.1%). No se registraron especies endémicas del estado, aunque existen 2 especies restringidas al territorio mexicano (Lobelia purpusii y Oserya coulteriana). Se consideran como raras 29 especies (31.2%) por presentarse en una sola subcuenca y sólo 2 especies están distribuidas ampliamente en la mayoría de éstas (Bacopa monnieri y Echinodorus berteroi). Un análisis de parsimonia de endemismos (PAE) de las subcuencas hidrológicas del estado con base en la presencia compartida de especies reveló que las plantas acuáticas estrictas presentan un patrón de distribución anidado. Se concluye que las plantas vasculares acuáticas estrictas de Tamaulipas son parte de una misma unidad fl orística y que su distribución obedece a gradientes altitudinales, latitudinales y climáticos. Palabras clave: hidrófi tas estrictas, análisis de parsimonia de endemismo, plantas tamaulipecas.
ABSTRACT Patterns of distribution and richness of strictly aquatic vascular plants of the state o... more ABSTRACT Patterns of distribution and richness of strictly aquatic vascular plants of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, were analyzed. We registered 93 species of strictly aquatic vascular plants, which 62 are typical from lentic environments. The Río Tamesí sub-basin contains the highest number of species (68, 73.1%). There are no endemic species to the state of Tamaulipas, but we found 2 species endemic to Mexico (Lobelia purpusii and Oserya coulteriana). Twenty nine species (31.2%) are considered rare, because they are present in a single sub-basin; only 2 species are widely distributed in most of them (Bacopa monnieri and Echinodorus berteroi). A parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) of the hydrological sub-basins represented in this state based on the shared presence of species suggested that the strictly aquatic vascular plants have a nested distributional pattern. We conclude that these plants in Tamaulipas are part of the same fl oristic unit and that their distribution follow altitudinal, latitudinal and climatic gradients.
Systematic Biology, 2013
An area of endemism is defined by the spatial congruence among two or more species with distribut... more An area of endemism is defined by the spatial congruence among two or more species with distributions that are limited by barriers. In this study, we explored and discussed the use of the network analysis method (NAM) and neighborjoining (NJ) to analyze the areas of endemism of Quercus sect. Lobatae (red oak species) in Mexico and Central America. We compared the NAM and NJ with other methods commonly used in biogeographic studies to show the advantages of these new approaches and to identify the shortcomings of other approaches. The NAM used in this study is based on notions of centrality measures, such as betweenness. We incorporated the strength of the ties within the internal networks through p-cores and aggregate constraints in iterative analyses. The NAM based on betweenness is ideal for recognizing completely allopatric areas of endemism. The iterative NAMs increase the number of possible areas of endemism because they minimize the effect of minimal overlap, and the p-core is efficient at identifying the closest relationships among species in the cases in which betweenness is not informative. The number of areas of endemism increases when the sympatry matrix minimizes the dispersal effect and the sample effort is maximized, allowing the identification of the greatest number of these areas. The NJ method supports the idea that areas diverge among themselves in a differential way; the long branches correspond to zones with high speciation rates and complex histories (biotic and tectonic), and the short branches correspond to zones with low speciation rates and simple histories. In a classification scheme, NJ was capable of identifying the areas that are considered biotically complex because of their high speciation rates. The results obtained with the NAM and NJ showed that the physiographic regions of Mexico are not natural units and that many of them are composed of at least two different biotic components. [Areas of endemism; biogeographic patterns; Mexico and Central America; neighbor-joining; net-like methods; network analysis; Quercus; reticulate evolution; tree-like methods.]
Plant Systematics and Evolution, 2001
Biogeographical anities among cloud forests in the Neotropical region were studied through a trac... more Biogeographical anities among cloud forests in the Neotropical region were studied through a track approach, by constructing generalised tracks based on the results of a parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE). Distributional data on 946 genera and 1,266 species of vascular plants (Pteridophyta, angiosperms, and gymnosperms) from 26 cloud forest patches from Colombia,
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1996
The distributions of 51 non-human primate species are used for Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (... more The distributions of 51 non-human primate species are used for Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) to determine the relationships among 14 interfluvial regions in the Amazon basin, South America. Two most parsimonious c1adograms were found. The strict consensus tree of these c1adograms suggests an early separation between Lower Amazonia (eastern) and Upper Amazonia (western). The major clusters of interfluvial regions identified in the PAE c1adogram are congruent with the areas of endemism delimited for birds. When interfluvial regions are converted into avian areas of endemism, the PAE c1adogram is congruent with one of the two general areas cladograms suggested for Amazonia based on phylogenies of several clades of forest birds. Our analysis suggests that PAE can be used as a tool to objectively identify areas of endemism at an intra-continental scale as well as to make historical inferences. However, the value of a PAE cladogram in this latter application should be always evaluated by congruence with area cladograms built upon cladistic biogeography procedures.
La distribution geographique de 80 genres appartenant a neuf familles de Gymnospermes, Araucariac... more La distribution geographique de 80 genres appartenant a neuf familles de Gymnospermes, Araucariaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Cupressaceae (y compris Taxodiaceae), Cycadaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, Stangeriaceae, Taxaceae et Zamiaceae, est evaluee, selon une approche panbiogeographique. Oceans, mers, detroits et bassins sont utilises pour identifier les grands « patterns de la distribution intercontinentale. Cette analyse propose huit « tracks » generalises et sept noeuds. Les « tracks generalises coincident avec d'autres reconnus preablement pour des groupes differents, et les noeuds avec toute ou une partie des regions floristiques proposees precedemment.
Tropical Conservation Science, 2016
The distribution and endemicity patterns of Gomphales in Mexico are analyzed here for the first t... more The distribution and endemicity patterns of Gomphales in Mexico are analyzed here for the first time. Richness and corrected endemism were obtained from a dataset of 3,483 records for 97 species, using a cell-grid system of one degree per side. The central region of Mexico (Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Hidalgo and Estado de México states), which includes most of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and Sierra Madre Oriental biogeographic provinces, had the highest richness values, but Mexican areas in the Pacific Coast (Jalisco and Michoacán states) and southeastern Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas states) had the most distinctive composition, as measured by the corrected endemism index. Two main distributional patterns were recovered: a) montane: at elevations above 1000 m on coniferous, pine-oak, oak and cloud forests, typified by the presence of species of Ramaria and Clavariadelphus, b) lowlands: at elevations below 1000 m mainly in evergreen, rainforest and deciduous tropical forests characterized by the presence of four tropical species of Lentaria, two tropical species of Gomphus endemic to Mexico, and four tropical species of Phaeoclavulina. The eight species of Gomphales endemic to Mexico have very restricted distribution, mostly in non-protected areas, and are not considered under special protection programs. The present contribution delineates general patterns of distribution for the Gomphales, and documents its diversity and endemism in Mexico.
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Papers by Isolda Luna Vega