Un elemento clave para favorecer un manejo forestal sustentable es conocer las compensaciones, sinergias y relaciones de los servicios ecosistémicos generados por los bosques. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo describir la relación entre el manejo forestal y algunos servicios ecosistémicos, en particular la conservación de la diversidad vegetal, producción de madera, regulación de los flujos del agua y el secuestro y almacenamiento de carbono en bosques templados de México. Se revisaron varias bases de datos bibliográficos para encontrar los estudios más relacionados con estos temas, compilándose 57 trabajos. El manejo forestal se materializa a través de prácticas que incluyen aclareos, cortas de regeneración, selección y otros tratamientos complementarios. De manera general, el manejo forestal impacta de forma positiva el abastecimiento de madera (materia prima) y el secuestro y almacén de carbono. Tiene un efecto variable en la conservación de la diversidad vegetal y negativo en el abastecimiento de flujos de agua, al menos al inicio de la intervención silvícola. El impacto y resiliencia del ecosistema depende de la escala espacial y temporal de la perturbación. La identificación, cuantificación y evaluación de las interacciones de los servicios ecosistémicos en los bosques templados de México, puede ayudar a los tomadores de decisiones a minimizar los impactos posibles del manejo forestal sobre los servicios ecosistémicos.

Most potential habitat models have been built from WorldClim using low resolution variables, even for areas of high heterogeneity with few weather stations. The resulting models can be too general and lead to erroneous decisions when used for conservation purposes. Sciurus aberti is a tree squirrel inhabiting highlands in the SW US and the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) in Mexico, where it is considered a species of low concern. We examined the effect of resolution, variables, and algorithms on the predicted potential habitat of S. aberti in Mexico and compared the resulting models against a previous one created from WorldClim variables using GARP (Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production). Our best model, using Maxent, 30 m spatial resolution and topographic variables, predicted a fragmented distribution in pine and pine–oak forests, consistent with what is known about the species’ natural history. The area represented only 2% of the SMO (compared to 28% for the GARP model), of which only 0.33% lies within protected areas. The model suggests that the habitat is highly fragmented, which threatens population continuity. Therefore, we propose that the conservation status of Sciurus aberti must be reassessed and that forest management better consider the conservation of arboreal species.

The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) is the largest mountain range in Mexico, spanning nearly 1,400 km from northwest to southeast. It is a region of high ecological complexity, yet, few attempts at ecoregionalization are available. Using Maxent and five high-resolution (30 m) physiographic layers, we generated niche models for 33 species of small, non-flying mammals. We generated a proposal of regions based on the proportion of overlap of all possible pairs of species niches (ordinated using PCoA) and environmental data. We compared the resulting ecoregionalization with the most detailed regionalizations of the SMO available, based on floristic, vegetational, and bird distribution data. PCoA revealed two major axes of variation related to elevation and humidity, and therefore to vegetational composition. Our regionalization is consistent with previous regionalizations in recognizing a tropical and a xerophilous region, but not a transitional Madrean Tropical. We identified the highlands as a north-south continuum, and a transitional region was identified between the xerophilous and highland areas. Differences in ecoregional patterns in taxa as different as mammals and plants, are evidence that the SMO’s complexity goes beyond the more traditional Nearctic-Neotropical subdivision.

We report for the first time the presence of 2 shrew species (Sorex altoensis and S. emarginatus) and 4 rodent species (Peromyscus merriami, P. schmidlyi, Reithrodontomys zacatecae, and Sigmodon leucotis) in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, as well as the occurrence of P. carletoni and P. schmidlyi in Jalisco and Zacatecas. We extend the known distribution range of the squirrel Sciurus aureogaster to northern Nayarit and report the presence of 2 subspecies of P. eremicus and 3 of Neotoma mexicana in near sympatry. We also confirm the presence of Tlacuatzin sinaloae and P. micropus in Nayarit. Finally, we document the presence of Dasypus novemcinctus in the highlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Durango; these are the first records of the nine-banded armadillo in Durango in 57 years. Our results highlight the importance of continuing biological surveys and inventories in the least-explored areas of Mexico.

External ears in mammals direct and enhance perception of sound. In bats, where navigation and foraging are strongly contingent on reception of sound, we would expect correlations between bat external ear morphology and echolocation signal structure, acoustic and aerodynamic properties, and foraging strategies. Using Web search engines, we collected peer-reviewed literature on these relationships, with the aim of summarising the knowledge on these correlations and establishing general form-function patterns. The literature on the relationship echolocation-ear, and foraging strategy was scant (six and ten publications, respectively). Fifteen more examined the aerodynamic properties and 46 the acoustic properties. Because of the complexity of the subject, few attempts exist that examine ear properties (acoustic, aerodynamic, shape) at the same time for more than a few species. The number of species so far examined represents less than 15% of the total number of species of bats. Although the available information did not allow to propose general patterns of morphological response of external ears to the factors examined, our findings suggested that further analyses of the relationship form-function in bat ears should consider the study of ears as integrated, multivariate morphological entities in which shape, aerodynamic characteristics, and acoustic properties, are an integrated, multivariate whole that ultimately contributes to the bat foraging behaviour.