Beatriz Rendón-Aguilar

Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Diversity of Opuntia Pilifera (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico

Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Diversity of Opuntia pilifera (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. Economic Botany 59(4)366-376, 2005. Most studies of the genusOpuntia have focused on economically important species, and therefore more knowledge concerning the genetic diversity among wild and locally managedOpuntia species is needed for an expanded use of cacti in the future. The present study is part of ongoing ethnobotanical work in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley of Mexico and focuses on six traditionally classified forms ofOpuntia pilifera used as food by the indigenous Popoloca people in San Juan Atzingo. Traditional knowledge of how to distinguish these forms based on fruit flavor, color, size, and number of spines on the fruits and cladodes is preserved in the local community. Genetic fingerprinting with 129 AFLPs did not correlate with this traditional morphological classification of 67 cacti. Yet, these AFLPs distinguished the analyzed 67Opuntia pilifera cacti easily from the out-group comprising 17 wildOpuntia velutina.RésuméConocimiento Tradicional y Diversidad Genética de Opuntia piLIfera(Cactaceae) en El Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, Mexico. La mayoría de los estudios sobre genética de poblaciones del géneroOpuntia (Cactaceae) se han enfocado en las especies ecóndmicamente importantes, por lo que es necesario un mayor conocimiento de la diversidad genética cuando se compara entre las especies silvestres y las especies cultivadas localmente, esto con elfin de ampliar a futuro el uso de las cactáceas. El presente trabajo forma parte de un estudio etnobotánico más amplio llevado a cabo en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México, y se centra en seis formas tradicionales de clasificar aOpuntia pilifera, cactácea usada como alimento por los indígenas Popolocas de San Juan Atzingo. El método tradicional para distinguir entre dichas formas es parte del conocimiento tradicional de la comunidad Popoloca y está basado en el sabor del fruto, el color, el tamaño y en el número de espinas del fruto y de los cladodios. Las huellas genéticas con 129 AFLPs no están correlacionadas con la clasificación morfológica tradicional. No obstante, los AFLPs distinguieron fácilmente entre los 67 individuos deOpuntia pilifera y los 17 individuos silvestres deOpuntia velutina que conformaron al grupo externo.

Alternative glacial-interglacial refugia demographic hypotheses tested on Cephalocereus columna-trajani (Cactaceae) in the intertropical Mexican drylands

Historic demography changes of plant species adapted to New World arid environments could be consistent with either the Glacial Refugium Hypothesis (GRH), which posits that populations contracted to refuges during the cold-dry glacial and expanded in warm-humid interglacial periods, or with the Interglacial Refugium Hypothesis (IRH), which suggests that populations contracted during interglacials and expanded in glacial times. These contrasting hypotheses are developed in the present study for the giant columnar cactus Cephalocereus columna-trajani in the intertropical Mexican drylands where the effects of Late Quaternary climatic changes on phylogeography of cacti remain largely unknown. In order to determine if the historic demography and phylogeographic structure of the species are consistent with either hypothesis, sequences of the chloroplast regions psbA-trnH and trnT-trnL from 110 individuals from 10 populations comprising the full distribution range of this species were analysed. Standard estimators of genetic diversity and structure were calculated. The historic demography was analysed using a Bayesian approach and the palaeodistribution was derived from ecological niche modelling to determine if, in the arid environments of south-central Mexico, glacial-interglacial cycles drove the genetic divergence and diversification of this species. Results reveal low but statistically significant population differentiation (FST = 0.124, P < 0.001), although very clear geographic clusters are not formed. Genetic diversity, haplotype network and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) demographic analyses suggest a population expansion estimated to have taken place in the Last Interglacial (123.04 kya, 95% CI 115.3–130.03). The species palaeodistribution is consistent with the ABC analyses and indicates that the potential area of palaedistribution and climatic suitability were larger during the Last Interglacial and Holocene than in the Last Glacial Maximum. Overall, these results suggest that C. columna-trajani experienced an expansion following the warm conditions of interglacials, in accordance with the GRH.

Diversity and trophic structure of insects associated with grains of three maize landraces in San Agustín Loxicha, Oaxaca, Mexico: Insects associated with maize grains

Diversity and trophic structure of grain insect communities were examined in Olotillo, Nal‐Tel and Comiteco maize landraces cultivated within a milpa agroecosystem by Zapotec ethnic groups in Mexico. Higher insect diversity was expected in Olotillo, whose cultivation comprises a wide variety of agroecosystems, and low insect abundance in Nal‐Tel with small grains and thick testa. Forty Olotillo cobs were collected at low, medium and high elevations, and 40 each of Nal‐Tel at low elevation and Comiteco at high elevation. Cobs were monitored for 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions until all insects emerged. Thickness of testa of 400 grains from each landrace was measured. Community composition and trophic structure were described and standard diversity indices were estimated. A total of 9,708 insects, corresponding to five orders, 24 families and 36 species, were recorded, with six species not previously reported in this region. Insect guilds were composed of 70% phytophages, 22% parasitoids and 8% predators. Species richness was S = 27, 16 and 8 in Olotillo, Comiteco and Nal‐Tel, respectively. Nal‐Tel and Olotillo had the highest diversity index values (H′ = 1.32 and 1.2, respectively) and no significant differences; Comiteco had the lowest value (H′ = 0.65) and differed significantly from the other landraces. Comiteco and Olotillo, which have large grains and thin testa, showed higher insect abundance than Nal‐Tel, which has small grains and thick testa and showed lower abundance. Results support our hypotheses and highlight the role of traditional crop management in insect agrobiodiversity maintenance and conservation.

Ethnobotany of Lycophyta and Polypodiophyta in Priority Terrestrial Regions of Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract Lycophyta and Polypodiophyta have been used by humans worldwide since ancient times, yet little has been documented. This paper analyzes and discusses the different uses of these plants in three Priority Terrestrial Regions (PTR) of conservation in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. Our objectives were to: 1) document the traditional knowledge and uses of Lycophyta and Polypodiophyta among ethnic and mestizo groups; 2) analyze the variation in the use of taxa among these ethnic and mestizo groups, in terms of altitudinal distribution and type of vegetation in habitats supporting these species. Fifty species and two varieties of useful Lycophyta and Polypodiophyta from 29 genera and 15 families, were recorded. Mazatecs, Zapotecs, and Mixes are the ethnic groups with the greatest number of records of useful species from these taxonomic groups. More than 68% of such species are recognized with common names in the local languages. There are two conditions of useful plants: 1) among species used by at least four ethnic groups, how do the uses vary from two to four; 2) related to species with at least four categories of use, which are used by few ethnic groups. More than half of the species are named in at least one language, which reinforces the fact that species are recognized, valued, and important in peoples daily lives, including traditional ceremonies, beliefs. Eight categories of use were documented, with medicinal, ornamental, and handcraft being the most represented. 80% of the useful Lycophyta and Polypodiophyta were distributed above 1000 masl, mainly in montane cloud forest, Quercus forest and Quercus-Pinus forest.

Non-timber uses of oak in Mexico

Resumen es: Se presenta una revision bibliografica y de herbario de los usos no lenosos de algunos encinos en Mexico. Cincuenta y cinco especies de Quercus se utili...