Author: JOSE LUIS ANDRADE

Physiological ecology of Mexican CAM plants: history, progress, and opportunities

Joel David Flores Rivas Oscar Briones Villareal JOSE LUIS ANDRADE (2022)

"In Mexico, plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are part of the Mexican culture, have different uses and are even emblematic. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the Mexican CAM plants has been studied physiologically. For this review, the following questions were considered: What ecophysiological studies have been conducted with CAM species native to Mexico? What ecophysiological processes in Mexican CAM plants are the most studied? What type of ecophysiological studies with CAM plants are still needed? A database of scientific studies on CAM plant species from Mexico was documented, including field and laboratory works for species widely distributed, and those studies made outside Mexico with Mexican species. Physiological processes were grouped as germination, photosynthesis, and water relations. Most studies were done for CAM species of Cactaceae, Bromeliaceae, Asparagaceae and Orchidaceae, andmost ecophysiological studies have been done on germination of cacti. Field and laboratory studies on photosynthesis and water relations were mostly for terrestrial cacti and epiphytic bromeliads. There were few physiological studies with CAM seedlings in Mexico and few studies using stable isotopes of water and carbon of CAM plants in the field. More field and laboratory studies of physiological responses and plasticity of CAM plants to multiple stress factors are required to model plant responses to global climate change. In general, more physiological studies are essential for all CAM species and for species of the genus Clusia, with C3-CAM and CAM members, which can become ecologically important under some climate change scenarios."

Article

Asparagaceae Bromeliaceae Cactaceae Germination Photosynthesis Water relations Orchidaceae BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA)

Soil CO2 efflux fluctuates in three different annual seasons in a semideciduous tropical forest in Yucatan, Mexico

El flujo de CO2 del suelo fluctúa en tres temporadas del año en un bosque tropical semideciduo de Yucatán, México

Fernando Arellano-Martín JUAN MANUEL DUPUY RADA ROBERTH ARMANDO US SANTAMARIA José Luis Andrade Torres (2022)

Tropical forest soils store a third of the global terrestrial carbon and control carbon dioxide (CO2) terrestrial effluxes to the atmosphere produced by root and microbial respiration. Soil CO2 efflux varies in time and space and is known to be strongly influenced by soil temperature and water content. However, little is known about the influence of seasonality on soil CO2 efflux, especially in tropical dry forests. This study evaluated soil CO2 efflux, soil temperature, and soil volumetric water content in a semideciduous tropical forest of the Yucatan Peninsula under two sites (flat areas close to and far from hills), and three seasons: dry, wet, and early dry (a transition between the rainy and dry seasons) throughout a year. Additionally, six 24-h periods of soil CO2 efflux were measured within these three seasons. The mean annual soil CO2 efflux was 4±2.2 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1, like the mean soil CO2 efflux during the early dry season. In all seasons, soil CO2 efflux increased linearly with soil moisture, which explained 45% of the spatial-temporal variation of soil CO2 efflux. Soil CO2 efflux was higher close to than far from hills in some months. The daily variation of soil CO2 efflux was less important than its spatial and seasonal variation likely due to small diel variations in temperature. Transition seasons are common in many tropical dry forests, and they should be taken into consideration to have a better understanding of the annual soil CO2 efflux, especially under future climate-change scenarios. © 2022 Mexican Society of Soil Science. All Rights Reserved.

Article

EARLY DRY SEASON SOIL TEMPERATURE SOIL VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT TROPICAL DRY FOREST BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Use of organic substrates on the quality of watermelon seedlings

Benigno Rivera Hernández Victor Hugo Quej Chi Roberto Gutiérrez Burón José Luis Andrade Torres EUGENIO CARRILLO Vianey González CLAUDINA VILLARREAL (2022)

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a succulent fruit and vine-like plant that is cultivated in Mexico and it generates employment and currency for the country. However, there is the need to research what local organic substrates can substitute peat moss as a culture medium to produce watermelon seedlings of good quality and at low cost. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of five local organic substrates as substitutes of the commercial substrate “Peat Moss”, for the production of seedlings of two watermelon cultivars, Sun Sweet and Jubilee. Five local organic substrates were studied: cacao husk, compost, vermicompost, bovine manure, coconut fiber and the commercial substrate “Peat Moss” as control. The response variables were percentage of germination, indicators of morphological quality and morphological quality indexes, stability of the clod, and relative efficiency of the local substrates. The best morphological indicators and morphological quality index of the seedlings were found with the substrates cacao husk and vermicompost, with a seedling quality similar to those obtained with the commercial substrate. Compost presented the lowest stability of the clod and relative efficiency. The substrates of cacao husk and vermicompost can substitute the commercial substrate “Peat Moss”, in addition to being easy to obtain and of low cost; so they are a viable alternative for rural farmers in the production of watermelon seedlings. © 2022, Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved.

Article

CITRULLUS LANATUS CACAO HUSK VERMICOMPOST COCONUT FIBER BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Transpiration of a tropical dry deciduous forest in Yucatan, Mexico

EVELYN RAQUEL SALAS ACOSTA José Luis Andrade Torres Jorge Perera ROBERTH ARMANDO US SANTAMARIA bernardo figueroa-espinoza Jorge M. Uuh-Sonda EDUARDO CEJUDO ESPINOSA (2022)

The study of forest hydrology and its relationships with climate requires accurate estimates of water inputs, outputs, and changes in reservoirs. Evapotranspiration is frequently the least studied component when addressing the water cycle; thus, it is important to obtain direct measurements of evaporation and transpiration. This study measured transpiration in a tropical dry deciduous forest in Yucatán (Mexico) using the thermal dissipation method (Granier-type sensors) in representative species of this vegetation type. We estimated stand transpiration and its relationship with allometry, diameter-at-breast-height categories, and previously published equations. We found that transpiration changes over time, being higher in the rainy season. Estimated daily transpiration ranged from 0.562 to 0.690 kg m–2 d–1 in the late dry season (April–May) and from 0.686 to 1.29 kg m–2 d–1 in the late rainy season (September–October), accounting for up to 51% of total evapotranspiration in the rainy season. These daily estimates are consistent with previous reports for tropical dry forests and other vegetation types. We found that transpiration was not species-specific; diameter at breast height (DBH) was a reliable way of estimating transpiration because water use was directly related to allometry. Direct measurement of transpiration would increase our ability to accurately estimate water availability and assess the responses of vegetation to climate change. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Article

SAP FLUX SEASONALITY STAND TRANSPIRATION EVAPOTRANSPIRATION DRY DECIDUOUS FOREST BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL