The Impact of Hurricane Gilbert on Trees, Litterfall, and Woody Debris in a Dry Tropical Forest in the Northeastern Yucatan Peninsula

Biotropica ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis F. Whigham ◽  
Ingrid Olmsted ◽  
Edgar Cabrera Cano ◽  
Mark E. Harmon
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Dry Tropical Forest ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Diversity, structure and regeneration of the seasonally dry tropical forest of Yucatán Península, Mexico.

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélica María Hernández-Ramírez ◽  
Socorro García-Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽  
Dry Tropical Forest ◽  
La Selva ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
Diversity Structure

Las selvas tropicales estacionalmente secas son consideradas como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados en las tierras bajas de la región tropical. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar la composición florística, riqueza, diversidad, estructura y regeneración de una selva tropical estacionalmente seca constituida por selva mediana, vegetación secundaria y selva baja inundable localizada en el noroeste de la Península de Yucatán, México. Se utilizó el protocolo de muestreo estandarizado propuesto por Gentry (0.1 ha por tipo de vegetación en 2007) con la finalidad de comprar los resultados obtenidos en este estudio con respecto a otras selvas estacionalmente secas en Mesoamérica. Se registraron un total de 77 especies pertenecientes a 32 familias de plantas. Fabaceae y Euphorbiaceae fueron las familias con el mayor número de especies observadas en los tres tipos de vegetación estudiados. Se observó un alto recambio de especies a nivel del paisaje (Índice de Similitud de Sorensen; 0.19-0.40). Las especies no-regenerativas fueron dominantes (50-51 %), seguida de las especies regenerativas (30-28 %) y colonizadoras (14-21 %) en los tres tipos de vegetación estudiados. Zoocoria fue el modo de dispersión comúnmente observado en el área de estudio. El 88 % de las especies observadas en el área de estudio se distribuyen en Centro América. La selva del noroeste de la Península de Yucatán compartió diversos atributos florísticos a los observados en otras selvas estacionalmente secas de Meosoamérica. Las características estructurales de la vegetación (número de individuos y área basal), así como el número de especies de lianas registradas en este estudio se asociaron a los eventos de alteración natural ocurridos recientemente en el área de estudio. Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio sugieren que la selva del noroeste de la Península de Yucatán ha sido resiliente a los eventos de alteración natural (huracanes), lo que le ha permitido mantener los valores de riqueza específica dentro del rango considerado como común para las selvas estacionalmente secas de Mesoamérica. Sin embargo, la recuperación y regeneración de la vegetación a largo plazo depende de los animales dispersores de semillas. Este estudio enfatiza en la importancia de establecer una red de áreas naturales protegidas con la finalidad de conservar tanto a la diversidad a como a la diversidad b en las selvas estacionalmente secas de Mesoamérica.

scholarly journals Effect of Climatic Conditions and Land Cover on Genetic Structure and Diversity of Eunica tatila (Lepidoptera) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Diversity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cavanzón-Medrano ◽  
Salima Machkour-M’Rabet ◽  
Landy Chablé-Iuit ◽  
Carmen Pozo ◽  
Yann Hénaut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Population Structure ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
The Impact

Fragmentation is the third cause of the biodiversity declination. Population genetic studies using Lepidoptera as the model species in the context of loss of habitat are scarce, particularly for tropical areas. We chose a widespread butterfly from Mexico as the model species to explore how changes of habitat characteristics (undisturbed forest, anthropogenic disturbances, and coastal areas), and climatic conditions affect genetic diversity and population structure. The Nymphalidae Eunica tatila is a common species in the Yucatan Peninsula considered to be a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest, with migratory potential and a possible sex-biased dispersal. We genotyped 323 individuals collected in eight undisturbed areas, using four Inter Simple Sequence Repeats primers. Results show a high genetic diversity and no population structure. Temperature and shrub density present a positive and significant relationship with polymorphism values. Furthermore, our results show the positive effect of surrounding forest habitat on genetic diversity, confirming that E. tatila is a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest. We found evidence of sex-biased dispersal. This paper represents one of the few studies on population genetics of tropical butterfly in a fragmented landscape and is, therefore, an important step in understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on the risk of a butterflies’ decline.

scholarly journals Characterization of Flowpath Using Geochemistry and 87Sr/86Sr Isotope Ratios in the Yalahau Region, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2587
Author(s):  
Jessica McKay ◽  
Melissa Lenczewski ◽  
Rosa Maria Leal-Bautista
Keyword(s):  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Water Withdrawal ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Major Ion ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
Major Ion Geochemistry ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Yalahau Region

The Yalahau region, located in the northeastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula, hosts a series of elongated depressions trending north/south in the direction of Isla Holbox, identified as the Holbox Fracture Zone. Previous studies have explored the geomorphology and various hydrologic characteristics of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, there is a paucity of data concerning the interior region where the fractures are located. Strontium isotope ratios and major ion geochemistry data of the surface water and groundwater of this region serve as a hydrogeochemical fingerprint, aiding in constraining the hydrological boundaries, determining flow paths, and characterizing hydrogeochemical processes that impact the composition of the groundwater within the region. 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios indicate a different signature than the surrounding bedrock Sr ratio, suggesting that the flow throughout the Yalahau region is moving through channels faster than that of much of the Yucatán. Through major ion geochemistry and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios, we were able to delineate at least two flow paths within the Yalahau region and identify a point of saline intrusion at least 35 km from the coast. Gaining an understanding of the hydrogeochemistry and water flow regions is crucial in determining the impact of various activities (e.g., extensive tourism, drinking water withdrawal, wastewater discharge/injection) that occur within the Yucatán Peninsula.

scholarly journals Coexistence of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in a tropical forest in south–eastern Mexico

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
D. M. Ávila–Nájera ◽  
C. Chávez ◽  
S. Pérez–Elizalde ◽  
J. Palacios–Pérez ◽  
B. Tigar
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Peak Activity ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Panthera Onca ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula

The biological ranges of the jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) overlap in the Yucatan Peninsula, corresponding to the most important population of jaguars in Mexico. The goal of this study in the El Eden Ecological Reserve (EER) was to investigate the factors that permit these two predators to coexist in the dense vegetation of medium–stature tropical forest and secondary forest in the north–eastern Yucatan Peninsula. We assessed their spatial and temporal overlap using Pianka’s index, and evaluated their habitat use by applying occupancy models. A total sampling effort of 7,159 trap–nights over 4 years produced 142 independent photographic records of jaguars, and 134 of pumas. The felids showed high to very high overlap in their use of different vegetation (0.68–0.99) and trail types (0.63–0.97) and in their activity patterns (0.81–0.90). However, their peak activity patterns showed some temporal separation. Time of day, particularly for peak activity time, was the best predictor to explain the coexistence of the felids in this habitat. While occupancy models showed that the presence of potential prey species and vegetation type could predict the presence of felids in the study area. Natural disturbances during 2010 (hurricane) and 2011 (fire) drastically changed habitat use and activity patterns, resulting in pumas and jaguars adjusting their resource–use and activity pattern through a strategy of mutual evasion.

Forest Types and their Implications

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Pérez-Salicrup
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
The North ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
Frontier Region

The southern Yucatán peninsular region contains the largest and most rapidly disappearing continuous tract of tropical forest in Mexico (Flores and Espejel Carvajal 1994; Delfín Gonzales, Parra, and Echazarreta 1995; Acopa and Boege 1998). Vegetation in the region is a mosaic of forest types with different structural appearances (Flores and Espejel Carvajal 1994; Hernández-Xolocotzi 1959; Miranda 1958) that primarily reflect variation in environmental and edaphic conditions (Ibarra-Manríquez 1996). However, the structure and tree composition of forests in the region, as elsewhere in the central Maya lowlands, has been and remains strongly influenced by human activity (Ch. 2). In spite of the abundance of botanical work throughout the Yucatán peninsula, little attention has been devoted to characterizing the forests in this frontier region quantitatively, and the variation and distribution of forests remain poorly documented. Yet, it is precisely this kind of documentation that is required for integrated land studies of the kind that the SYPR project is undertaking (Turner et al. 2001). Since the third decade of the twentieth century, botanical interest has focused on the flora of the Yucatán Peninsula, especially that located in the historically more accessible portion of the peninsula (Ibarra-Manríquez 1996). Early twentieth-century studies (Lundell 1938; Standley 1930) led to a broad classification of the primary vegetation as deciduous tropical forests (Miranda 1958), or evergreen tropical forests (Rzedowski 1981), controlled in distribution by the northwest to southeast precipitation gradient, distinctive dry season, and karstic terrain (Ch. 2). Today, the entire region is appropriately labeled a seasonally dry tropical forest (Bullock, Mooney, and Medina 1995). During the rainy season (May–October) most species have their canopies fully displayed and light is a limiting factor in the forest understory (Martínez-Ramos 1985, 1994). For the remainder of the year, monthly precipitation usually does not exceed 100mm. During the lowest rainfall months (February–April), water may become limiting and considerable defoliation takes place, especially in the north and west. Other factors controlling forest structure and composition include topography, twentieth-century land-use history, and hurricanes (Brokaw and Walker 1991; Cooper-Ellis et al. 1999).

scholarly journals Using satellite estimates of aboveground biomass to assess carbon stocks in a mixed-management, semi-deciduous tropical forest in the Yucatan Peninsula

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Stephanie P. George-Chacón ◽  
David T. Milodowski ◽  
Juan Manuel Dupuy ◽  
Jean-François Mas ◽  
Mathew Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula
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