Antecedentes y Objetivos: Las especies de Araceae son conocidas por sus distintas formas de vida; sin embargo, la terminología relacionada con este grupo genera confusiones conceptuales dentro de la comunidad científica. Nuestro objetivo fue demostrar la confusión conceptual actual derivada de la literatura y ejemplares de herbario vs. observaciones y datos de campo. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión exhaustiva de fuentes de información relevantes sobre las formas de vida de aráceas, incluyendo floras y tratamientos taxonómicos, así como de ejemplares de herbario. Adicionalmente, se llevó a cabo un censo de seis especies de aráceas en la Estación de Biología Tropical “Los Tuxtlas”, Veracruz, México. Para cada individuo se buscaron las conexiones de sus raíces adventicias y tallos con el suelo, además se tomaron medidas de su longitud total y hojas para crear tres clases ontogénicas. Resultados clave: Se presentan las descripciones de formas de vida de 30 especies de Araceae trepadoras de Veracruz publicadas en nueve publicaciones, mostrando una marcada inconsistencia en el uso de la terminología. El análisis de los datos documentados en los ejemplares de herbario reveló para 17 especies, que todas fueron asignadas con al menos tres de ocho diferentes categorías de hábito, principalmente como epífita, hemiepífita y trepadora. De las seis especies censadas en campo, la mayoría de los individuos tiene conexión con el suelo. Conclusiones: Las asignaciones de formas de vida basadas en observaciones de campo sin tener datos cuantitativos sobre el contacto de las plantas con el suelo son problemáticas. Más bien, es necesario analizar y aclarar la ontogenia de las aráceas trepadoras, lo que puede contribuir a estructurar adecuadamente nuestros conceptos y evitar ambigüedades en la terminología. Asimismo, también se debería evitar que se agrupen a las especies de Araceae indistintamente en estudios sobre epífitas, lo cual lleva a sobreestimar la riqueza reportada.

Background and Aims: The species of Araceae are known for their diversity of life forms; however, the terminology regarding this group generates conceptual confusion within the scientific community. Our objective was to demonstrate the current conceptual confusion based on the literature, herbarium vouchers vs. observations and field data. Methods: A thorough review of relevant sources of information on aroid life forms was carried out, including floras and taxonomic treatments, as well as herbarium vouchers. Additionally, a census of six aroid species was conducted at the Tropical Biological Station "Los Tuxtlas", Veracruz, Mexico. For each individual we searched for the connections of its adventitious roots and stems with the soil, in addition we took measurements of its total length and leaves to create three ontogenic classes. Key results: We present descriptions of life forms of 30 species of climbing Araceae from Veracruz published in nine publications, showing pronounced inconsistency in the use of terminology. The analysis of the data documented in the herbarium specimens revealed for 17 species, that these were assigned to at least three of eight different habit categories, mainly as epiphyte, hemiepiphyte and climber. Of the six species surveyed in the field, most of the individuals have a connection with the soil. Conclusions: Life form assignments based on field observations without quantitative data on the contact of plants with the soil are problematic. Rather, it is necessary to analyze and clarify the ontogeny of climbing aroids, which can help to properly structure our concepts and avoid ambiguities in terminology. Likewise, it should also be avoided that Araceae species are lumped indiscriminately in epiphyte studies, which leads to an overestimation of the reported richness.

The aim of this work was to compile and synthesize information about the diversity and distribution of epiphytic angiosperms in Veracruz State to obtain updated data of this important plant group. Based on the revision of herbarium material and specialized literature, as well as the collection of botanical specimens, we recorded a total of 21 families, 142 genera and 569 species. The families with highest species richness were Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae and Piperaceae, whereas the genera with most taxones were Tillandsia, Peperomia and Epidendrum. Most of the species are distributed in the tropical rainforest (287) and humid montane forest (285), in an altitudinal range between 0 to 1,500 m asl. This information can be used for the study of specific epiphyte groups and to propose management and conservation plans, as many of these plants are particularly sensitive to changes caused by anthropic disturbances.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue compilar y sintetizar la información sobre la diversidad y distribución de las angiospermas epífitas del estado de Veracruz para obtener datos actualizados de este importante grupo vegetal. Con base en la revisión de material de herbario y literatura especializada, así como en la recolección de ejemplares botánicos, se registraron un total de 21 familias, 142 géneros y 569 especies. Las familias con mayor riqueza de especies fueron Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae y Piperaceae, mientras que los géneros con mayor número de taxones fueron Tillandsia, Peperomia y Epidendrum . La mayoría de las especies se distribuyen en el bosque tropical perennifolio (287) y bosque mesófilo de montaña (285), en un intervalo altitudinal que va de 0 a 1,500 m snm. Esta información puede ser utilizada para el estudio de grupos específicos de epífitas y para proponer planes de manejo y conservación, ya que un gran número de estas plantas son particularmente sensibles a los cambios ocasionados por perturbaciones antrópicas.

We present an overview of the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of all 54 taxa of Araceae that are currently known from the state of Veracruz, Mexico. We provide a reference list that gives information about overall distribution, endemism, and occurrence in Mexican states and administrative regions/municipalities of Veracruz. For this latter state, we also provide information on life form, elevational range, habitat, uses, and distinguishing characters useful for species identification. We performed an assessment of conservation status at the regional and global level for 51 and three taxa, respectively, considering International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria. About 80% of aroid taxa from Veracruz belong to a threatened category, mainly because of the continued loss and fragmentation of their natural habitats caused by the lack of protected areas that include tropical humid and humid montane forests.

Las y los coautores retoman aquí la relación entre sociedades humanas y territorio, y presentan propuestas de producción sustentable sobre manejo de recursos naturales, basadas en experiencias de nuestro pasado mesoamericano. Estos saberes ancestrales, que afortunadamente sobreviven en la memoria colectiva, se convierten hoy en alternativas viables ante el grave deterioro ambiental de un modelo capitalista de extracción de la riqueza biológica y cultural que ya deviene “crisis de civilización”. Con un análisis sistémico de los fenómenos y en una progresión de la escala local a la regional, se abordan multitud de temas: soberanía alimentaria, manejo y restauración de ecosistemas para producción sustentable, agrobiodiversidad en el campo y en las ciudades, entre otros. Con una variedad de experiencias, contextos y niveles de análisis, este libro busca fomentar formas prácticas y eficientes de utilizar pero, al mismo tiempo, proteger la biodiversidad. Pone énfasis en dos aspectos: construir propuestas teóricas multidisciplinarias y reconocer y validar el enorme potencial que encierran los saberes de las culturas nativas con relación al territorio. En este trabajo colaboran investigadores y estudiantes universitarios, así como miembros de organizaciones campesinas, que son agrónomos, agroecólogos, historiadores, comunicadores, educadores, antropólogos, biólogos y ecólogos. Sus miradas teórico-analíticas se sustentan en la práctica de la relación de poblaciones humanas y territorio, abordando realidades donde son medulares el pensamiento complejo, la diversidad y la transdisciplina como medios para entender y atender los retos de esta problemática era de la humanidad.

El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) en México es el ecosistema con mayor riqueza de flora por área, donde destacan los helechos y licófitos por su riqueza y abundancia. Sin embargo, existen pocos estudios comparativos de cómo cambian la riqueza y composición de especies en las diferentes áreas de BMM, siguiendo una metodología estándar. Con este fin, se muestrearon 10-13 parcelas de 20 × 20 m cada una, en 3 áreas de BMM en los 2 volcanes principales de la región de Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. Se comparó la riqueza de especies y se analizó la similitud florística mediante Anosim y escalamiento multidimensional (NMDS); además, se identificaron las especies que contribuyen más a la disimilitud. Se registraron 71 especies de helechos y 3 de licófitos, en 37 géneros y 15 familias. Las diferencias en la riqueza en las 3 áreas no fueron significativas, mientras que la composición de especies sí mostró diferencias significativas. Estas diferencias se explican por especies exclusivas o con frecuencias contrastantes entre áreas, cuyas características parecen estar fuertemente relacionadas con el microclima y los suelos, así como con la intensidad de perturbación antropogénica. La alta variación en la composición florística por área constituye información relevante para plantear estrategias de conservación de estas plantas a nivel regional.

We studied species richness and community composition as well as the vertical distribution of ferns and lycophytes in three forest types along an elevational gradient in the region of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. We established 23 plots of 20 m x 20 m at 150-1650 m, recording presence-absence of all species in eight vertical distribution zones (terrestrial and seven epiphytic zones). We found 84 species, including 79 ferns and five lycophytes. Species richness patterns differed markedly between different vertical zones, with the forest understory having a high diversity of epiphytes, many of which were specialized to this habitat. Overall species richness increased with elevation, but the richness of ground-living, terrestrial species showed the lowest elevational increase by only 50%, whereas epiphytic richness increased fourfold to tenfold. These differences presumably reflect the stronger influence of increasing environmental humidity on the water-limited epiphytic assemblages. We also found that the degree of habitat specialization of epiphytes decreased with elevation. This probably is due to decreasing tree height and increasing overall humidity, reducing the microclimatic differences between the forest interior and canopy. This elevational decrease in habitat specialization raises important questions as to, e.g., the strength of competitive interactions or the possibility that the evolutionary transition from terrestrial to epiphytic growth forms is more easily achieved at higher elevations.

Se presenta un listado actualizado de los helechos y licófitos de la Reserva de la Biosfera Los Tuxtlas, producto tanto de trabajo de campo como de la revisión de 1,380 ejemplares de herbario y literatura. Se registraron 246 taxones, distribuidos en 73 géneros y 24 familias, los cuales representan el 43 y 24% de la pteridoflora del estado de Veracruz y de México respectivamente. Se encontraron 35 nuevos registros para la Reserva, incluyendo dos para Veracruz (Elaphoglossum glabellum y E. pringlei). Las familias más numerosas fueron Polypodiaceae (39 especies), Dryopteridaceae (32) y Pteridaceae (31), mientras que los géneros más numerosos fueron Asplenium (22), Thelypteris (18), Trichomanes (13) y Elaphoglossum (12). Se registró un bajo porcentaje de especies de amplia distribución (7%), el 58% crecen de México hasta Sudámerica, el 23% en México y Centroamérica y el 7% son endémicas de México. La distribución altitudinal muestra una mayor riqueza entre 760 y 1,200 m; los tipos de vegetación con mayor número de especies fueron el bosque mesófilo de montaña (134) y la selva alta perennifolia (115); la alta riqueza de especies en esta última formación vegetal destaca su valor para la conservación. La Reserva presenta un alto nivel de epifitismo (37.4%), particularmente en el bosque mesófilo de montaña. Se considera que el 65% de los taxones son raros o muy raros, probablemente por la especificidad de su hábitat.

Veracruz, with 542 recorded species, is the third richest state in Mexico in terms of total fern diversity. Field work, herbarium studies, and a revision of literature during the last decade revealed 22 new state records. Five of these belong to Elaphoglossum, four are filmy ferns, and three are grammitids. Most of the new taxa were collected in the endangered humid montane and pine-oak forests of the central and Los Tuxtlas area during recent research projects. Another 13 species, mainly within Elaphoglossum and Selaginella, have been published as new records in the literature. Whereas several of these might possibly be confirmed in the future, others form part of poorly known species complexes that require specific studies, and we consider them as doubtful or unverified. Our study highlights the need of more fern inventories in remote and mostly unexplored areas, as well as revisions of national and local herbaria, both of which may reveal additional species new to science or range extensions.

Altitudinal changes of composition and richness of montane plant assemblages are complex, depending on the taxonomic group and gradient conditions, with different factors involved that are directly altitude-dependent (e.g., temperatures, air pressure) and altitude-independent (e.g., precipitation, cloud cover, area). In order to assess the relative impacts of temperature, precipitation, air humidity, and area of altitudinal belts on plant diversity, we analyzed diversity patterns of five species-rich groups, mostly herbaceous plants, in 74 forest plots along three climatically contrasting elevational transects from humid tropical lowland vegetation up to cloud forests at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. We recorded 278 plant species, with ferns being the most species-rich group followed by orchids, bromeliads, aroids, and piperoids. The most striking results were the contrasting patterns and model results for terrestrial and epiphytic taxa. Whereas the richness of all terrestrial species taken together did not change significantly with elevation, vascular epiphytes showed increasing species numbers with altitude. However, a number of individual terrestrial taxa showed also significant elevation-related changes: aroids showed a marked decline with hight, orchids and piperoids increased, and ferns displayed a hump-shaped pattern with highest richness in mid-altitudes. Among the epiphytes, aroids declined while most other groups increased with altitude. This distinction is relevant for projections of responses of plant communities to climate change, which will lead to increased temperatures and to changing precipitation and cloud condensation regimes and thus will likely affect terrestrial and epiphytic species in different ways.

Grammitid ferns are a group of about 750 species, which have been treated as a distinct family (Grammitidaceae) or as part of the Polypodiaceae. Generic concepts have been in great flux, and especially in the last two decades, several new genera have been segregated on the basis of morphological and molecular data. There are 37 species of grammitids known from Mexico, of which 18 species distributed in seven genera (Alansmia, Cochlidium, Galactodenia, Melpomene, Moranopteris, Stenogrammitis, and Terpsichore) are currently known from Veracruz. Most grammitids in Veracruz and Mexico seem to be rare, and occur generally very locally in montane rain and cloud forests, which are one of the country's most threatened ecosystems and have been widely replaced due to human activities. We provide a taxonomically updated species list for Veracruz and an evaluation of conservation status considering the IUCN regional criteria for each species, based on 132 specimens. About 72% of grammitid species from Veracruz belong to a threatened category, mainly because of a very limited number of known populations either in Los Tuxtlas or central area, whose humid montane forests have suffered major habitat destruction within the last decades or still are under severe anthropogenic pressure.

Monstera florescanoana (Araceae), a new species in section Monstera, endemic to central Veracruz, Mexico, is described and illustrated. This species appears to be most closely related to Monstera siltepecana Matuda and Monstera dubia (Kunth) Engl. et K. Krause.Se describe e ilustra Monstera florescanoana (Araceae), una nueva especie de la sección Monstera, endémica de la región central del estado de Veracruz, México. Esta especie parece estar más cercanamente relacionada a los taxones Monstera siltepecana Matuda y Monstera dubia (Kunth) Engl. et K. Krause.

Monstera florescanoana (Araceae), a new species in section Monstera, endemic to central Veracruz, Mexico, is described and illustrated. This species appears to be most closely related to Monstera siltepecana Matuda and Monstera dubia (Kunth) Engl. et K. Krause.

In Bolivia, the plant families Araceae and Bromeliaceae offer numerous non-timber products, including ornamental plants, medicines, foods, and fibers. The economic potential for the utilization of these resources depends critically on the distribution of potentially useful species in different ecoregions in Bolivia. We conducted both a bibliographical revision of uses and ecological field work at 43 sites in the Bolivian Andes and lowlands to assess the potential for sustainable use as suggested by the Rapid Vulnerability Assessment method. The ecological criteria used for the evaluation were abundance (frequency), life form, geographical distribution, and habitat preference. We found that Bolivia has a striking number of potentially useful species of both families but that their potential use differs among ecoregions. Araceae were most species-rich and frequent in the humid lowland and montane forests. In these ecoregions, this family has a particular local importance mainly as traditional medicines and a great potential as ornamental plants. In contrast, economically useful bromeliads are best represented in seasonally dry forest habitats, especially for the production of fibres. Many species of bromeliads, which also occur in humid montane forests, although rare, are potentially important for commercialisation as ornamental species. This study shows that the uses of Araceae and Bromeliaceae are manifold and could be greatly increased through efficient management, although with different strategies according to the different ecoregions.

ESTE ESTUDIO DOCUMENTA LA DIVERSIDAD, DISTRIBUCION ALTITUDINAL Y GEOGRAFIA DE ARACEAE EN LA REGION DE LOS TUXTLAS, VERACRUZ. SE ESCOGIO UN TRANSECTO ALTITUDINAL EN BOSQUE TROPICAL PERENNIFOLIO Y BOSQUE MESOFILO DE MONTANA BIEN CONSERVADO DESDE LOS 100 M DE ALTITUD HASTA LA CIMA DEL VOLCAN SAN MARTIN TUXTLA A LOS 1 700 M. EN CADA COTA ACTITUDINAL DE 100 M DE ELEVACION SE REALIZARON MUESTREOS EN 3-4 PARCELAS DE 400 M². EL LISTADO DE ARACEAS PRESENTADO PARA LA REGION DE LA RESERVA DE LA BIOSFERA LOS TUXTLAS SE BASA EN DATOS PROPIOS, COMPLEMENTADO CON INFORMACION DE LISTAS PUBLICADAS, BASES DE DATOS Y REVISION DE HERBARIOS. SE REGISTRARON 34 ESPECIES REPRESENTADAS EN 9 GENEROS, DE LAS CUALES 5 SON ENDEMICAS DE MEXICO. LAS ARACEAS (HEMI-) EPIFITAS REPRESENTAN APROXIMADAMENTE EL 11% DE LA FLORA EPIFITICA DE LA ESTACION DE BIOLOGIA TROPICAL LOS TUXTLAS. A LO LARGO DEL GRADIENTE ALTITUDINAL SE OBSERVO UN DESCENSO CONSTANTE DEL NUMERO DE ESPECIES RESPECTO AL INCREMENTO DE LA ALTITUD. EL HALLAZGO DE 3 NUEVOS REGISTROS DE ARACEAS PARA LA REGION DE LOS TUXTLAS Y EL ESTADO DE VERACRUZ DEMUESTRAN QUE LA REALIZACION DE MAS INVENTARIOS FLORISTICOS SERIA IMPORTANTE.

We describe and illustrate Thelypteris tuxtlensis, a new species in subgenus Goniopteris (Thelypteridaceae), from the biogeographic region of Los Tuxtlas, in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. This species appears to be most closely related to T. hatchii and T. biolleyi.

We identified 69 and 55 useful species of the plant families Araceae and Bromeliaceae, respectively, in humid montane forest at 400-3,500 m of elevation. In this forest type, most species in both families have mainly an ornamental value. We present a case study to evaluate the potential for sustainable use of ornamental species in the Bolivian Cotapata National Park. Ecological data of 127 floristic inventories that were carried out in plots of 20 x 20 m in zonal forest at 1,400-3,500 m were analyzed. In order to obtain information about the actual abundance and technical criteria about the harvest, we determinated the frequency, maximum value of cover, and the vertical distributions of the species with ornamental value. Several species with ornamental potential were relatively frequent, but with low cover values, probably due to certain habitat preferences. In both