Post-fire successional response of Lepidoptera communities in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range

Anthropogenic forest fire accounted for 63% of fire activity in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park between 2000 and 2017. Changing forest fire regimes may have serious implications for forest health, impacting the local economy which depends heavily on ecosystem services in the park. Lepidoptera are important forest pollinators and are potentially useful indicators due to their sensitivity to ecological disturbances, therefore their response to disturbance merits study. The objectives of the current study were 1. to characterize changes in canopy openness, understory cover and flower diversity and 2. to characterize diurnal Lepidoptera communities in terms of species diversity, and proportions of specialist and generalist species in early post-fire succession. Forest structure and butterfly diversity were surveyed in an area recently affected by anthropogenic forest fire and an unburned control site. Four 200m transects were established in each site with two 2 × 2m plots on either end of each transect. Habitat assessments in these plots provided data on understory vegetation and canopy cover. Walkand-count transect surveys and Van Someren-Rydon traps were employed to measure Lepidoptera species richness and abundance. Canopy openness and understory cover were significantly lower in the control site (p<0.001). Rarefied species richness and diversity indices of butterfly communities measured by transect method were not significantly different, but the observed butterfly abundance (p=0.002) and species richness (p=0.005) per sampling day was significantly higher in the burned site throughout the year. Generalist species were significantly more abundant (p=0.037) in the burned site. The differences in forest structure post-fire reflect well-studied successional processes. Changes in butterfly community composition post-fire support the theory that butterflies are early colonizing species and are sensitive to forest disturbances. However, generalist species abundance tends to increase in open habitats while specialist species are more sensitive to disturbances. Specialists A. troglodyta and P. pilumnus are suggested as potential indicator species for this ecosystem RESUMEN Incendios forestales antropogénicos comprendieron el 63% de incendios en Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey entre los años 2000 y 2017. Cambios en el régimen de incendios forestales podrían tener impactos importantes en la salud del bosque y la económica local, cual depende sobre los servicios ambientales del parque. Los lepidópteros son polinizadores importantes y podrían ser especies indicadores útiles por su sensibilidad a disturbios ecológicos y por lo tanto, su responsorio a disturbios merece estudio. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron 1. caracterizar cambios en la cobertura del dosel, cobertura del sotobosque y la diversidad de flores y 2. caracterizar comunidades diurnas de lepidópteros en cuanto diversidad y proporciones de especies generalistas y especialistas en la sucesión temprana post-incendio. Estructura forestal y diversidad de mariposas se muestrearon en un área recientemente afectada por un incendio antropogénico, y un área control no quemado. Cuatro transectos de 200m se establecieron en cada sitio con parcelas de 2 × 2m al inicio y el final de cada transecto. Muestreos de hábitat en estas parcelas proporcionaron datos sobre la cobertura del dosel y del sotobosque. Transectos caminar-y-contar y trampas Van Someren-Rydon se emplearon para muestrear la riqueza de especies y abundancia de Lepidópteros. La cobertura del dosel fue más alta, y la cobertura del sotobosque fue más bajo en el sitio control (p<0.001). Las diferencias entre riqueza de especies e índices de diversidad Shannon y Simpson enrarecidos medidos por el método transecto no fueron significativas, pero las diferencias entre la abundancia (p=0.002) y riqueza (p=0.005) de especies observadas por fecha fueron más altas en el lugar quemado. Especies generalistas fueron más abundantes en el sitio quemado (p=0.037). Las diferencias en la estructura del bosque post-incendio reflejan procesos de sucesión de bosque bien conocidos. Cambios en la comunidad de mariposas apoyan la teoría que las mariposas son especies de colonizadores tempranos y son sensibles a disturbios. Sin embargo, especies de generalistas tienden a incrementar en hábitats abiertos mientras especialistas son más sensibles a disturbios. Las especialistas A. troglodyta y P. pilumnus se sugieren como especies indicadores potenciales para este ecosistema

Ethnobotany in Iturbide, Nuevo León: The Traditional Knowledge on Plants Used in the Semiarid Mountains of Northeastern Mexico

Iturbide is in the northeast of Mexico and has a rich native and exotic flora; however, there are no ethnobotanical records, therefore, it requires attention in the documentation of traditional knowledge and practices of its botanical resources. In 2021, twelve field trips were carried out, applying 110 semi-structured interviews. Plant samples were collected, identified and deposited in an herbarium. We used the Chi-square test to compare the anthropocentric categories concerning others reported in Mexico. To determine the cultural importance, three ethnobotanical indices were applied (UVI, ICF and FL). We recorded 250 species with ethnobotanical implications associated with 121 genera and 83 families, including 140 native and 110 exotic species. The most common plant families were Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Fabaceae. The main categories of uses were: ornamental, medicinal and food. The species with the highest UVI values were Lepidium peruvianum, Ocimum basilicum and Salvia rosamrinus. The multifunctionality of the native and exotic flora demonstrates the extensive knowledge associated with botanical resources. For example, the role of ornamental plants, with a direct impact on human well-being, the resilience of healers and traditional inhabitants by using different species for the treatment of various ailments or indigenous edible plants in the daily diet