This article presents an analysis of plant species richness and diversity and its association with climatic and soil variables along a 1300‐m elevation gradient on the Cerro Tláloc Mountain in the northern Sierra Nevada in Mexico. Two 1000‐m2 tree sampling plots were created at each of 21 selected sampling sites, as well as two 250‐m2 plots for shrubs and six 9‐m2 plots for herbaceous plants. Species richness and diversity were estimated for each plant life form, and beta diversity between sites was estimated along the gradient. The relationship between species richness and diversity and environmental variables was modelled using simple linear correlation and regression trees. Species richness and diversity showed a unimodal pattern with a bias towards high values in the lower half of the elevation gradient under study. This response was consistent for all three life forms. Beta diversity increased steadily along the elevation gradient, being lower between contiguous sites at intermediate elevations and high – the species replacement rate was nearly 100%– between sites at the extremes of the gradient. Few species were adapted to the full spectrum of environmental variation along the elevation gradient studied. The regression tree suggests that differences in species richness are mainly influenced by elevation (temperature and humidity) and soil variables, namely A2 permanent wilting point, organic matter and horizon field capacity and A1 horizon Mg2+.

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The analyses of the individual species suggest that each one takes advantage in a different way of the environment in which they are growing, allowing them to coexist.

Characteristics developed by Cactaceae for adaptation to climates where water is limited include crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a thick cuticle, and spines and trichomes that intercept a proportion of solar radiation. A few studies consider morpho-anatomical and physiological characteristics of Cactaceae seedlings, which may help understand their establishment, growth, and eventual reproduction. In this study, photosynthetic metabolism (titratable protons) and morpho-anatomical features of Stenocereus beneckei seedlings were examined under limiting water conditions. Soil moisture treatments consisted of -0.03, -0.5, -1.5, and -3.0 MPa, and seedling samples were taken at 3 h intervals on one day at 7 and 9 months of age with three replicates per treatment. The results show irregular fluctuations in acidity concentrations during the first 6 and 7 months of age; at 9 months, an increase in titratable proton values was observed during the night, and it seems that soil moisture does not determine CAM expression. Seedlings from smaller seeds are less tolerant to water stress, they had poor growth in all treatments, and at -3.0 MPa after 3 months of drought none survived. Anatomical observations show collapsed cells associated with a high accumulation of calcium oxalate crystals and starch grains, as a response to water deficit. Titratable acidity concentration increased with seedling age, and CAM expression did not accelerate with soil water deficit.

<p>El objetivo de este trabajo fue conocer la estructura, heterogeneidad de estadios y el patrón de dispersión espacial de diez poblaciones de <em>Dioon holmgrenii </em>De Luca, Sabato &amp; Vázq. Torres, especie en peligro de extinción y endémica al sur de Oaxaca, con fines de conservación. Se establecieron once y nueve unidades de muestreo en sitios sin cambio aparente y con cambio de uso de suelo, respectivamente. Los individuos se clasificaron en reproductivos y no reproductivos, y en cada uno los estadios de desarrollo. La densidad promedio de individuos fue mayor en sitios sin cambio aparente que en sitios con cambio (782 <em>vs.</em> 353 plantas ha^-1). En sitios sin cambio aparente se determinó alta proporción de plántulas y adultos, y escasos juveniles y pre-reproductivos; en sitios con cambio se encontró alto porcentaje de adultos, baja proporción de plántulas, juveniles y pre-reproductivos. La heterogeneidad de estadios fue mayor en sitios sin cambio aparente que sitios con cambio (<em>H´</em> = 1.57 <em>vs</em>. 1.38, <em>P</em> = 0.048). La semejanza dentro de sitios sin cambio aparente (<em>I_M-H</em> = 0.93, <em>IS_ct</em> = 0.81) y dentro de los sitios con cambio (<em>I_M-H</em> = 0.83, <em>IS_ct</em> = 0.61) fue mayor que entre ambas condiciones (<em>I_M-H</em> = 0.70, <em>IS_ct</em> = 0.53). El patrón de dispersión espacial de los individuos fue principalmente agregada (65%). Los individuos reproductivos y no reproductivos se distribuyeron en agregados en 12 y 14 de 20 unidades de muestreo, respectivamente. Los resultados muestran que la agricultura y el pastoreo afectan en la estructura, heterogeneidad de estadios y dispersión espacial; esto debe considerarse en el manejo futuro de las poblaciones.</p>

Variation in the wood and bark anatomy of the dominant species of a mangrove forest community in Mexico was evaluated in relation to some environmental factors, and their physiological adaptations to salinity and flooding period are discussed. The forest is characterized by three zones according to the presence of dominant tree species and flooding periodicity. Vessel arrangement and wood and bark ray height are strongly associated with flooding zones where trees are growing. Variance analyses revealed significant differences among zones for these anatomical characteristics. Soil texture and water salinity were the most useful parameters for the prediction of values of anatomical characteristics. More abundant vessels in radial multiples in a shorter flooding period suggest a functional advantage of multiple vessel groups. Taller wood and bark rays in response to prolonged flooding period can be attributed to anoxic conditions. Among zones, significant differences in the vulnerability index of the species were detected, but not with respect to relative conductivity. Significant differences among zones exist for wood and bark characteristics involved in vertical and horizontal water transport, photosynthates and gas exchange.

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