In the pine forests of Mexico, disturbances are primarily due to cattle, horses, goat, and sheep grazing, particularly in communal grazing lands. The most evident disturbances are low tree recruitment, invasive shrubs establishment, species composition changes, and invasion of weeds dispersed mainly by livestock. The Sierra de Zapalinamé is a mountain range and natural protected area of northeast Mexico. We conducted the current study in this area in a forest stand of Pinus cembroides excluded from grazing in the last 25 years (1200 ha with pine forest vegetation and mountain chaparral) and another area nearby subjected to livestock grazing. Forest structure (basal area and density), tree species richness, total understory species richness, and understory species composition were analyzed at the control and grazed sites. Our results revealed that grazing has modified the understory species composition and reduced the evenness in the control plots. Therefore, to maintain species diversity and forest structure, we concluded that extensive grazing should be restricted for some areas or the number of animals reduced in zones of high ecological value.

Abandonment of agricultural land is currently one of the main land use changes in developed countries. This change has an impact at the economic level and from the point of view of conservation. Therefore, recovering these areas after abandonment is, in many cases, necessary for ecological restoration, especially as they can be invaded by exotic or dominant species, preventing recovery of the original plant species community. The objective of this study is to examine changes in plant species richness and composition after the application of different treatments to eliminate Amelichloa clandestina, a species that dominates pastures abandoned 12 years ago in an area located in northern Mexico. The area is a semi-desert grassland dominated by buffalo grass Bouteloua dactyloides. We used different eradication techniques such as burning, herbicides, and clipping. Although the treatments had significant effects on species richness and composition and resulted in a relative reduction of the target species, the abundance of Amelichloa clandestina was still substantial. Burning is effective, favoring the increase of species richness and provoking a lower presence of A. clandestine but with a dominance of annuals. The most important impact on the total cover of A. clandestina is shown by the herbicide treatment. However, monitoring of these areas will still be required to consider the long-term impact and success of treatments.

A well-managed grazing system improves the productivity and health, and it is important to promote sustainability. We analyzed the impact of grazing on the Sierra de Zapalinamé protected area in north Mexico. Our hypothesis was that grazing modifies species composition, richness, and nutrients after grazing exclusion for five years. In this area, eight plots were excluded from grazing, and species richness, evenness, and plant functional types for five years were monitored. This monitoring was also carried out on eight control plots adjacent to the excluded plots. Soil samples were collected from each plot in the fifth year of exclusion for nutrient content analysis. Grazing discriminated plant species composition after five years between excluded and control plots, but not species richness and evenness. In addition, exclusion increased grass cover and decreased forb cover. Indicator species for excluded and control sites were identified. It was concluded that part of the pastures can be excluded from grazing as a way to analyze changes in this protected area and promote greater plant diversity.

Grazing is one of the most important land management activities worldwide, and cases of overgrazing increase erosion, land degradation, and plant invasion. The objective of this study was to assess the effect on individual species and species composition in response to groups of plants removals or grass seeding after four years of vegetation transformation in a microphyllous desert shrubland excluded from cattle grazing. Nine treatments involved (1) clearing of vegetation and seeding of Bouteloua curtipendula (BOCU), a native grass, (2) clearing and seeding of Chloris gayana (CHGA), an introduce grass from Africa, (3) clearing except for grasses (GRA), (4) clearing except for grasses and fodder shrubs (GRA-SHR), (5) free grazing by cattle (GRAZ), (6) clearing except fodder shrubs (SHR), (7) no modification (CON), (8) clearing of all plants (BARE), and (9) clearing except plants not eaten by cattle (UND). Treatments were replicated five times each in 10 m × 10 m experimental plots. Plots were surveyed for density, cover of all plants, and standing forage. Total plant cover was higher in CON and UND than the other treatments. Except for BOCU, where forage production was the highest, forage production ha⁻¹ was low among all other treatments. Plant density was highest in SHR and lowest in CON. Results after four years of transformation indicate that seeded Chloris gayana failed to become established, but seeding of Bouteloua curtipendula was able to persist, and had the greatest influence on the vegetation restoration, which is what we consider the most appropriate restoration treatment.

Grasslands and pastures are extensively studied due to their geographic variation, species richness, ecological functioning, and economic importance. They are vital components of land use in many parts of the world. The impact of grassland management on species diversity and species composition has also been widely discussed, but results have been contradictory. It is well known that the relationship between species richness and the sampled area is perhaps one of the most consistent rules in plant ecology. This relationship is particularly important in biodiversity studies as it helps to predict richness at larger scales. Additionally, species richness is also influenced by absolute plant abundance, spatial patterns, and the degree of species mixing. However, species richness also depends on absolute plant abundance, spatial patterns, and the degree of mixing species. To assess this relationship, we analyzed the impact of cattle grazing on species richness at a sampling scale in the Sierra of Zapaliname, a protected area in northern Mexico. Our results revealed that the increase in plant species concerning the sampling area significantly differed in the plots excluded from grazing from the control (grazed) plots, and these relationships are differently detected in the function of the scale. Despite the lack of differences in previous studies on species richness without considering the scale, once the scale is incorporated, differences arise among both treatments. As indicated in previous studies, grazing exclusion can lead to a decrease in species richness, but we suggest that some areas of the pasture could be excluded from grazing for longer periods, as long as it is compatible with the economic needs of the local inhabitants, to investigate changes and promote diversity, especially for plant species associated with areas excluded from grazing.

Desde la antigüedad la relación del hombre con los recursos naturales ha sido estrecha, en especial con el uso de las plantas, como alimento, vestido, material de construcción para curar enfermedades. El objetivo del presente estudio fue registrar los usos de las plantas medicinales más comunes en la zona metropolitana de Saltillo, Coahuila. De octubre 2021 a mayo del 2022 se entrevistaron 113 informantes (17 hombres y 96 mujeres, de 20 a 70 años) a través de un cuestionario etnobotánico semiestructurado dividido en dos partes: aspectos socioeconómicos y conocimiento tradicional de plantas medicinales. El reporte de usos obtenido se dividió en 13 categorías basadas en las Clasificación Estadística Internacional de Enfermedades y Problemas de Salud de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Se registro un uso promedio de 4.6 plantas y cinco usos por planta. Las mujeres registraron 4.9 plantas en promedio, a comparación de los hombres con un 3.1. El análisis de regresión, mostro correlación positiva entre edad y número de planta. Se utilizan 82 plantas para tratamiento de enfermedades distribuidas en 37 familias botánicas. Las enfermedades que más afectan son del sistema respiratorio, gastrointestinal y nervioso. Las especies medicinales con mayor Índice de Valor de Uso fueron: Matricaria chamomilla (IVU=0.65) y Litsea parvifolia (IVU=0.35). Las familias más representativas fueron Asteraceae (10 especies, 125 reportes de uso), Lamiaceae (12 especies, 119 RU) y Lauraceae (cuatro especies, 64 RU). La forma de preparación más comunes fueron la infusión (88.6 %) y emplasto (3.68 %).