Publications

@article{Martínez2024,

title = {Malezas ruderales como biomonitores del depósito de nitrógeno urbano},

author = {D. N. Martínez and H. Vibrans and F.J. Espinosa-García and M. Camacho-Cervantes and E. de la Barrera},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-02-29},

urldate = {2024-02-29},

journal = {Ecosistemas},

abstract = {The production of reactive forms of nitrogen has surpassed safe planetary boundaries, jeopardizing the proper functioning of ecosystems. Their deposition is a threat to both biodiversity and public health. Monitoring systems to quantify nitrogen deposition are often lacking, making biomonitoring a potential alternative. In biomonitoring, physiological variables responsive to nitrogen availability are identified, along with organisms tolerant to high nitrogen availability. Although epiphytic organisms are frequently used as biomonitors, many are confined to humid climates and areas with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. The aim of this review is to identify potential nitrogen deposition biomonitors for sites under anthropic disturbance. Ruderal weeds persist and thrive in urban areas, where disturbance, pollutant emissions, and nitrogen deposition rates are often high. Moreover, several weeds are identified as nitrophilic, and within a well-represented group among them, grasses, tolerance to high nitrogen deposition rates has been documented. The use of these organisms has allowed for the identification of contributions from nitrogen sources and the increase of nitrogen in environments that are restrictive for other plants.},

keywords = {anthropocene, biomonitoring, invasive species, nitrogen, nitrogen deposition, plant nutrition, pollution, urban ecology},

pubstate = {forthcoming},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{delaBarrera2022,

title = {The role of CAM ecophysiology in the Anthropocene},

author = {E. de la Barrera},

url = {http://agro.mx/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/071-delaB-CAM-Anthropocene.pdf},

doi = {10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1343.35},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-09-19},

urldate = {2022-09-19},

journal = {Acta Horticulturae},

volume = {1343},

pages = {267-281},

abstract = {Human impact on the planet is such that geologists have acknowledged the start of a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, which is characterized by an environmental emergency with multiple open fronts such as climate change, biodiversity loss, decreased fresh water availability, alterations to the nitrogen cycle, and chemical pollution. Activities such as food production and the increasing aggregation of people in urban areas are simultaneously major drivers and vulnerable points of such environmental change. For example, climate change represents a major threat to food production, considering that a reduction of annual precipitation, in addition to temperature increases, is likely to occur especially in tropical agricultural regions. The use of CAM crops has been recognized as a useful strategy for climate change adaptation, owing to their tolerance of high temperatures and their inherently high water use efficiency. The potential performance of Opuntia ficus-indica and Agave tequilana is modeled as an application of the Environmental Productivity Index for identifying potential areas for cultivation under climate change. Regarding alterations to the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle, CAM epiphytes can be useful to characterize environmental pollution in tropical environments, especially when electrochemical monitoring networks are lacking. Indeed, CAM epiphytes are particularly promising to characterize the prevalent levels of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and, especially, nitrogen deposition. This is illustrated with the use of the orchid Laelia speciosa and the bromeliad Tillandsia recurvata as biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. From fundamental research on the mechanisms behind plant responses to environmental change to applications in agriculture and biomonitoring, CAM ecophysiology will be essential in the Anthropocene.},

keywords = {anthropocene, arid, arid agriculture, atmospheric pollution, biomonitors, climate change, environmental productivity index, food security, nitrogen, nitrogen deposition, planetary boundaries},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Martínez2021c,

title = {Ephemeral visitors or permanent residents? — Decadal change in the ruderal vegetation from a periurban university campus},

author = {D. N. Martínez and L. López-Toledo and F. Espinosa-García and M. Camacho-Cervantes and E. de la Barrera},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S161886672100399X},

doi = {10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127372},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-10-11},

urldate = {2021-10-11},

journal = {Urban Forestry and Urban Greening},

volume = {65},

pages = {127372},

abstract = {Highlights

• Anthropogenic disturbance (built area) increased in the study site over the years.

• Species richness and the proportion of exotic species increased with disturbance.

• The most diverse families of ruderal flora were Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae.

• The 16 species that disappeared after 2008 were native.

• Thirteen of the exotic species found in the study site are invasive in Mexico.



Abstract

Urbanization creates environmental conditions that hinder the growth of natural vegetation. We surveyed the ruderal vegetation from a periurban university campus in west-central Mexico during the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2016–2018, time during which the campus underwent intensive construction. The built area grew from 4 ha in 2009 to 12.6 ha in 2017. We identified 234 different Angiosperms belonging to 165 genera and 43 families and the community composition changed over time. For example, Asteraceae was replaced by Poaceae as the richest family in 2018. Also, 16 native species found in 2008 disappeared from the study site, 9 of which have been related with low disturbance. In contrast, 98 new species were observed in the latter years, including some that are commonly found in cities. Overall, species richness increased with time, including that of exotic species that increased from 16 % of the total species in 2008 to 24 % in 2018. Thirteen of such exotic species are invasive in Mexico, including Digitaria velutina, Asphodelus fistulosus, Mercurialis annua, and Senecio inaequidens, for which this was their first record in the city of Morelia (population 849,053), where the campus is located. These results suggest that environmental conditions imposed by disturbance can favor the proliferation of various species, especially grasses and several exotic species of different families.},

keywords = {anthropocene, biodiversity, biodiversity threats, Bioindicator, disturbance, invasive species, land-use change, urban ecology, urban sprawl},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cooke2021,

title = {One hundred questions in conservation physiology for generating actionable evidence to inform conservation policy and practice},

author = {S. J. Cooke and J. N. Bergman and C. L. Madliger and R. L. Cramp and J. Beardall and G. P. Burness and T. D. Clark and B. Dantzer and E. de la Barrera and N. A. Fangue and C. F. Franklin and A. Fuller and L. A. Hawkes and K. R. Hultine and K. E. Hunt and O. P. Love and H. A. MacMillan and J. W. Mandelman and F. C. Mark and L. B. Martin and A. E. M. Newmann and A. B. Nicotra and G. D. Raby and S. A. Robinson and Y. Ropert-Courdet and J. L. Rummer and F. Seebacher and A.E. Todgham and S. Tomlinson and S. L. Chown },

url = {https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article/9/1/coab009/6214572},

doi = {10.1093/conphys/coab009},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-04-07},

journal = {Conservation Physiology},

volume = {9},

pages = {coab009},

abstract = {Environmental change and biodiversity loss are but two of the complex challenges facing conservation practitioners and policy makers. Relevant and robust scientific knowledge is critical for providing decision-makers with the actionable evidence needed to inform conservation decisions. In the Anthropocene, science that leads to meaningful improvements in biodiversity conservation, restoration and management is desperately needed. Conservation Physiology has emerged as a discipline that is well-positioned to identify the mechanisms underpinning population declines, predict responses to environmental change and test different in situ and ex situ conservation interventions for diverse taxa and ecosystems. Here we present a consensus list of 10 priority research themes. Within each theme we identify specific research questions (100 in total), answers to which will address conservation problems and should improve the management of biological resources. The themes frame a set of research questions related to the following: (i) adaptation and phenotypic plasticity; (ii) human–induced environmental change; (iii) human–wildlife interactions; (iv) invasive species; (v) methods, biomarkers and monitoring; (vi) policy, engagement and communication; (vii) pollution; (viii) restoration actions; (ix) threatened species; and (x) urban systems. The themes and questions will hopefully guide and inspire researchers while also helping to demonstrate to practitioners and policy makers the many ways in which physiology can help to support their decisions.},

keywords = {anthropocene, biodiversity, biodiversity threats, conservation decisions, conservation physiology, ecophysiology},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}