HIGH VASCULAR PLANT SPECIES RICHNESS IN THE USUMACINTA RIVER BASIN: A COMPREHENSIVE FLORISTIC CHECKLIST FOR A NATURAL REGION IN THE MESOAMERICAN BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
Por:
Jimenez-Lopez, Derio Antonio, Gallardo-Cruz, Jose Alberto, Veliz, Mario Esteban, Martinez-Camilo, Ruben, Mendez, Claudio, Solorzano, Jonathan V., Velàzquez-Méndez L., Carabias, Julia, Garcia-Hidalgo, Gabriela, Peralta-Carreta, Candelario, Sànchez-Gonzàlez M., Castillo-Acosta, Ofelia, Marievich Luna-Kamyshev N., Villaseñor J.L., Meave, Jorge A.
Publicada:
1 jul 2023
Ahead of Print:
1 may 2023
Categoría:
Plant science
Resumen:
Background: Mesoamerica is one of the most important biodiversity
hotspots on the planet. Despite significant efforts made over two
centuries to contribute to the floristic knowledge of this region, our
understanding of its flora is still scattered and uneven.
Questions: What is the magnitude of the vascular plant species richness
in the Usumacinta River Basin?
Study site and dates: Usumacinta River Basin (Guatemala and Mexico),
1838-2018.
Methods: We compiled the checklist by systematizing the floristic
information acquired from various sources derived from numerous
floristic and ecological studies.
Results: We recorded 6,977 species, 1,892 genera and 274 families. The
largest numbers of species (5,746) and records (58,859) correspond to
the Mexican portion of the Usumacinta River Basin, compared to its
Guatemalan counterpart (4,445 species and 19,952 records). The most
species-rich families were Orchidaceae (598 species), Fabaceae (512) and
Asteraceae (476). The prevalence of these and all other families with
significant contributions to the flora varied among three
elevation-defined sectors into which the Usumacinta River Basin was
subdivided (lower, middle, and upper basin).
Conclusions: The Usumacinta River Basin is a strategic region for plant
biodiversity conservation as it hosts almost one third of all vascular
plant species known for Mesoamerica and ca. 6 % of the entire flora in
the Americas. Further botanical exploration should focus on those areas
of the basin for which little or no information is available in order to
gain a better appreciation of its flora.
Filiaciones:
Centro del Cambio Global y la Sustentabilidad A.C., Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico
Ciencias en Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable, Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chiapas, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico
Centro Transdiciplinar Universitario para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Iberoamericana, Ciudad de México, Mexico
Herbario BIGU, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Unidad Villa Corzo, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Chiapas, Villa Corzo, Mexico
Escuela de Biología, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Geografía, Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, Morelia, Mexico
Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Coyoacán, Mexico
Posgrado en Ciencias en Ecología y Manejo de Sistemas Tropicales, División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico
División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico
Departamento de Botánica, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Coyoacán, Mexico
gold, All Open Access; Gold
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