Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Mexico.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lujano, Sofía Solórzano.

Contributor:

Avila, José Guillermo.

Quiroz, Israel Valencia.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Arid regions ecology.

Biodiversity conservation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (370 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Sharjah : Bentham Science Publishers, 2025.

Summary:

Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Mexico: A Comprehensive Exploration of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation is an in-depth, multidisciplinary examination of one of Mexico's most ecologically distinctive and biologically rich landscapes. Comprising 14 chapters authored by subject-matter experts, this reference work investigates the climatic, physical, and biological characteristics of Mexico's principal arid and semi-arid regions. The volume presents detailed assessments of emblematic plant and animal species, while also exploring the ecological roles of nursery processes and the consequences of human activity on fragile desert ecosystems. Conservation priorities are addressed through evaluations of protected natural areas and the safeguarding of native germplasm resources. Additionally, the contributors document the medicinal and biologically active products derived from arid-zone flora, highlighting their ecological and cultural significance. Each chapter integrates case studies and findings from Mexico's key arid regions -- the Baja California Peninsula, Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Key Features Comprehensive ecological, biological, and conservation analysis of Mexico's arid and semi-arid regions In-depth focus on emblematic fauna and flora Examination of ecological processes, human impacts, and conservation strategies Assessment of protected areas and germplasm conservation efforts using cacti as umbrella taxa Documentation of natural products with medicinal and biological applications Integrative analyses across four major arid regions, highlighting ecological patterns and biodiversity trends.

Contents:

Title

Copyright

End User License Agreement

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Presentation

List of Contributors

PART 1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONES

Climatic Domains of the Arid and Semiarid Zones of Mexico

Oswaldo Téllez-Valdés1,*, Maribel Arenas-Navarro1 and César Miguel Talonia2

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

Study Area

Climate Data

Climatic Domains

RESULTS

Understanding Groups and Domains

CONCLUDING REMARKS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

APPENDIX A

REFERENCES

The Arid and Semi-arid Regions of Puebla-Oaxaca and Querétaro-Hidalgo: A Look from the Physical-Geographical Perspective

Francisco López-Galindo1,*, Fernando Ayala-Niño1 and Ana María Muñoz-Flores1

Brief History of the Origin of the Desert and Semi-Arid Zones of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (TCV) in Puebla-Oaxaca, and the Mezquital Valley and Sierra Gorda (MVSG) in Querétaro-Hidalgo.

The Geodiversity of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (TCV) in the States of Puebla and Oaxaca

Location

Structure of the TCV Physiographic Landscape

Sierra Madre del Sur Province

Mixteca Alta Subprovince

Dominant Landforms

Surface Lithology

Soils

Leptosols

Phaeozems

Fluvisols

Regosols

Vertisols

Cambisols

Anthrosols

CLIMATE ASPECTS

Types of Weather

Hydrology

Geodiversity of the Mezquital Valley and Southeast Sierra Gorda Mountains (MVSG) of the states of Querétaro and Hidalgo

Brief Structure of the VMSG Physiographic Landscape

TRANS-MEXICAN VOLCANIC BELT

Physiographic Subprovince

Sierra Madre Oriental Province

Fluvisol

Leptosol

Luvisol

Regosol

Vertisol

Phaeozem

CLIMATE

HYDROLOGICAL FEATURES

CONVERGENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TCV AND MVSG ZONES.

Geomorphological Landscapes and Terrain Forms

Lithological Components

Climatic Elements

Hydrological Components

Ecosystems and Vegetation

Productive Systems

Mining Activities

Geological Heritage

Educational Programs

SOME DIVERGENCES BETWEEN TCV AND MVSG ZONES

Geomorphological Landscapes and Landforms

Soil Types

Cultural Heritage

BIODIVERSITY - ANIMAL SECTION

Ants from Mexican Arid and Semiarid Zones

Leticia Ríos-Casanova1,*, Gabriela Castaño-Meneses2, Miguel Vásquez-Bolaños3 and César Maximiliano Vázquez-Franco4

ANT ADAPTATIONS TO LIFE IN DRY AREAS

Morphological Adaptations

Pigmentation and Hairiness

Specialized Structures

Fast Scrolling

Specialized Castes

Physiological Adaptations

Cellular and Molecular

Navigation

Ecological Adaptations

Foraging and Phenology

Nesting

ANT DIVERSITY IN THE ARID AND SEMIARID ZONES OF MEXICO

ROLE OF ANTS IN THE ARID AND SEMIARID ZONES OF MEXICO

Factors Structuring Communities

Activity Patterns

Ant-Plant Interactions

Systematics

APPENDIX B

Avian Diversity in the Arid and Semiarid Regions of Mexico

Francisco Alberto Rivera-Ortiz1, Leopoldo Daniel Vázquez-Reyes2 and Patricia Ramírez-Bastida2,*

How Many Bird Species Inhabit Mexico's Arid Zones, and What Insights do they Provide into the Ecological Affinities of Mexican Biodiversity?

AVIFAUNA IN DRY ENVIRONMENTS: AN ANALYSIS OF ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONES

Data Source

Birds

Analysis Database

BIRDS IN ARID AND SEMIARID ZONES

Species Richness, Threatened Species, Endemism, and Residence Status.

Spatial Richness and Record Distribution

Species Richness by type of Vegetation

Important Bird Areas (IBA) Show Biogeographical Affinities

APPENDIX C

Hummingbird (Aves: Trochilidae) Diversity in Arid Zones

Ubaldo Márquez-Luna1, Laura E. Nuñez-Rosas2, Gabriel López-Segoviano2 and María del Coro Arizmendi-Arriaga1,*

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BIODIVERSITY - PLANT SECTION

Cactus Diversity in Arid and Semiarid Regions of Mexico

Sofía Solórzano-Lujano1,*, Cesar Miguel Talonia2, Maribel Arenas-Navarro3 and Oswaldo Téllez-Valdés3

DATABASE AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

CACTUS DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION

BETA DIVERSITY AND DISSIMILARITY IN SPECIES COMPOSITION

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

SECONDARY METABOLITES AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES

Medicinal Flora and their Specialized Metabolites of Arid and Semi-Arid Areas of Mexico

Ma. Edith López-Villafranco1, Ma. Patricia Jáquez-Ríos1, Silvia Aguilar-Rodríguez2, Patricia Guevara-Fefer3, Felix Krengel3, Nallely Álvarez-Santos4, Adriana Montserrat Espinosa-González4, Edgar Antonio Estrella-Parra4, Israel Valencia Quiroz4 and Ana María García-Bores4,*

Ethnobotanical Information on Medicinal Flora in Arid and Semiarid Areas

Specialized Metabolites of Medicinal Plants

Jatropha dioica Sessé (Euphorbiaceae)

Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville (Zygophyllaceae)

Lippia graveolens Kunth (Verbenaceae)

Nicotiana glauca Graham (Solanaceae)

Some Species of Genus Bursera (Burseraceae)

Vallesia glabra Link (Apocynaceae)

APPENDIX F

REFERENCES.

Antimicrobial Properties of Eugenol in Euphorbia Species from Mexican Arid Zones

Axel Rodrigo Molina-Gallardo1, Carlos Castillo-Hernández1, Julieta Orozco-Martínez1, Israel Valencia Quiroz2 and Claudia Tzasna Hernández-Delgado1,*

ARID ZONES IN MEXICO

Floristic Diversity in the Arid Regions

Plant Resources

Stress and its Relationship with Secondary Metabolite Production in Plants

Traditional Mexican Medicine

Essential Oils and Volatile Compounds

MANAGEMENT OF SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Participatory Territorial Planning: A Knowledge Management-Based Tool for Socioecological Analysis in Arid Zones

Víctor M. Salazar-Rojas1,*, Humberto Macías-Cuellar1, Mayra Hernández-Moreno1, César Mateo Flores-Ortíz2, Patricia Dávila-Aranda3 and Javier Ramírez-Juárez4

Understanding the Territory: Definitions and Implications

The Integration of the Concept of Socioecological Systems into the Analysis of the Territory

Natural Resource Management

Rural Development

The Knowledge Management Model

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY AREA

TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE TERRITORY

Knowledge Management through Citizen Science Nodes

Community Territorial Planning

CASE STUDIES IN ARID AND SEMIARID ZONES

Citizen Science Node

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

State and Transition Models as Useful Tools for Understanding Vegetation Change in Mexican Deserts and Semideserts

Héctor Godínez-Alvarez1,*, Jessica Sosa-Quintero1, Leticia Ríos-Casanova1, Daniel Muñoz-Iniestra2 and Rafael Lira-Saade3

OVERVIEW OF STATE AND TRANSITION MODELS

STATE AND TRANSITION MODELS IN DESERTS AND SEMIDESERTS

THE ZAPOTITLÁN SALINAS VALLEY: AN EXAMPLE.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Functional Characters of Nurses and their Effect on Diversity in Semiarid Environments

Sandra M. Gelviz-Gelvez1, Felipe Barragán2, Oswaldo Téllez-Valdés3 and Francisco A. Guerra-Coss4,*

Studies of Nurses in Arid and Semi-arid Environments Around the World

Cumulative Number of Nurse Species

Functional Characters

Plant Height

Canopy Size

Canopy Density

Spines, Thorns, and Chemical Compounds

Architecture and Radicular Functioning

CONSERVATION

Environmental Pollution in the Chihuahuan Desert and Risks to Human Health: The Case of La Comarca Lagunera

Alberto González-Zamora1, Edgar Olivas-Calderón2, Esperanza Yasmin Calleros-Rincón2 and Rebeca Pérez-Morales2,*

LA COMARCA LAGUNERA

Water Pollution Problems and Health Risks

Nitrates

Phosphates

Fluorides

Arsenic

Lead

Soil Pollution Problems and Health Risks

Persistent Organic Compounds (POPs)

Identification of Priority Areas for Cactaceae Conservation in Arid and Semiarid Zones

Oswaldo Téllez-Valdés1,*, Cesar Miguel Talonia2, Maribel Arenas-Navarro1, Sofía Solórzano Lujano3, Rafael Lira-Saade1 and Patricia Dávila-Aranda1

The Biological Relevance of Cactus

METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGY

PRIORITY AREAS FOR CACTI CONSERVATION

APPENDIX G

Ex situ Conservation of Mexican Flora from Arid Regions: How Well is it Represented in the FESI-UNAM Seed Bank?

Isela Rodríguez-Arévalo1,*, Patricia Dávila-Aranda2, Juana Lilia García-Rojas1, Armando Ponce-Vargas1 and María Guadalupe Chávez-Hernández1

ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES.

Geographical Distribution of Accessions in Arid Zones.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

Other Format:

Print version: Lujano, Sofía Solórzano Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Mexico: a Comprehensive Exploration of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation

ISBN:

9789815322460

OCLC:

1528358985