International audienceKey messageWe present a comprehensive database of 478 allometric equations to estimate biomass of trees and other life forms in Mexican forest and scrubland ecosystems.ContextAccurate estimation of standing biomass in forests is a prerequisite for any approach to carbon storage and a number of additional applications.AimsTo provide a comprehensive database with allometric equations applicable to a large number of tree and shrub species of Mexico.MethodsAn intensive literature search was carried out to pull together all publications related to allometric equations in the libraries of the most important forest research institutes across Mexico and the neighboring countries.ResultsA total of 478 equations were compiled. Four hundred fourteen equations included a detailed analysis of all compartments of the trees; 7 equations applied to shrubs, 15 to bamboos, and 2 to palms. The collected equations are applicable to a wide variety of forest ecosystems in Mexico ranging from desert scrublands in the North to lowland evergreen rainforests in the South. The attached database of allometric equations is possibly the most extensive compilation of equations currently available for Mexico.ConclusionThe database covers almost 100 % of the individuals recorded in the National Forest Inventory
Insect species, especially those considered to be pests, can be exploited for human consumption. One of the most devastating pest insect species in central Mexico is the grasshopper Sphenarium purpurascens. Here we develop a sustainable exploitation strategy that produces a considerable biomass of S. purpurascens while minimising the damage they cause to agricultural fields by changing the chemical control methods to a mechanical method. In this model the biomass-per-stage of grasshoppers that can be extracted annually using the mechanical method was calculated and their potential abundance was estimated using Maxent. With a calculated population density of 10-55 individuals of S. purpurascens per m2 over approximately 1,050,000 ha of the agroecosystems in Mexico, the estimated biomass of this insect averaged 350,000 tons per year (generating a gross income of US$ 3.5×108 million). Unlike chemical control methods, mechanical control has no toxic effects on human populations or other species inside or outside of the agroecosystems. Promoting a change from chemical to mechanical control methods of pest species could greatly impact on the health of millions of people globally and on the environment, reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions, land clearing and the use of pesticides while obtaining economic profit.
Abstract:The methods for measuring vegetation cover in Mexican forest surveys are subjective and imprecise. The objectives of this research were to compare the sampling designs used to measure the vegetation cover and estimate the over and understory cover in different land uses, using digital photography. The study was carried out in 754 circular sampling sites in central Mexico. Four spatial sampling designs were evaluated in three spatial distribution patterns of the trees. The sampling designs with photographic captures in diagonal form had lower values of mean absolute error (MAE < 0.12) and less variation in random and grouped patterns. The Carbon and Biomass Sampling Plot (CBSP) design was chosen due to its smaller error in the different spatial tree patterns. The image processing was performed using threshold segmentation techniques and was automated through an application developed in the Python language. The two proposed methods to estimate vegetation cover through digital photographs were robust and replicable in all sampling plots with different land uses and different illumination conditions. The automation of the process avoided human estimation errors and ensured the reproducibility of the results. This method is working for regional surveys and could be used in national surveys due to its functionality.
La dendroecología es una subdisciplina de la dendrocronología, que se refiere al estudio de los procesos ecológicos en un bosque por medio del análisis de anillos de crecimiento de los árboles de un rodal. Esta subdisciplina es útil para comprender la dinámica de crecimiento en condiciones naturales y de manejo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue hacer una revisión sobre la aplicación de la dendroecología como herramienta en manejo forestal. Se identificaron 78 trabajos que involucraron 118 especies. Los países donde se ha realizado un mayor número de estudios dendroecológicos son Estados Unidos de América, España y Argentina. Las prácticas de manejo que fueron mayormente beneficiadas con el uso de métodos dendroecológicos son la estimación del tiempo de turno en la fase de planeación. el aclareo en la fase de ejecución. y las evaluaciones de crecimiento y rendimiento, así como los impactos de plagas y enfermedades sobre el crecimiento en la fase de monitoreo. La investigación en manejo forestal se sustenta principalmente en el seguimiento de parcelas permanentes de medición y puede ser fortalecida por el análisis de anillos de crecimiento. Los métodos dendrocronológicos proporcionan información relevante sobre la estructura del bosque, el estado fitosanitario, las tasas de crecimiento de especies arbóreas y su variación temporal. Las experiencias de la investigación dendroecológica llevada a cabo en otros países pueden aplicarse también en México, incluyendo el estudio de especies latifoliadas. El uso de la dendroecología como herramienta para el manejo forestal contribuiría a optimizar la producción maderable y favorecería la conservación de los ecosistemas forestales en el país.
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