Insect pests show phenotypic plasticity as a function of resource availability and limiting conditions. Although Rhynchophorus palmarum displays high variation in certain morphological traits, it is still not clear how and which of these are being filtered along agricultural management gradients in palm plantations. This study assesses the influence of biophysical structure of ornamental palm plantations and agrochemical use on morphological traits of adults in 15 permanent plots of ornamental palm plantations in Veracruz, Mexico. A total of 4972 adults were and their body length, pronotum width, rostrum length, and mesothorax depth were measured. Body length and mesothorax depth of adults of both sexes were greater in plantations with a high diversity of palm species and frequency of fertilizer use. Rostrum length of females increased as a function of palm density, and pronotum width of both sexes was positively related with the use of insecticides. Local characteristics of agricultural management of palm plantations might filter integrated, adaptative, and environment-specific phenotypes. This is the first ecological study of the south American palm weevil that provides new insights on the current intensive management of ornamental palm plantations that far from controlling, benefits current geographic expansion, demographic outbreak, and economic impact of this pest.

Species of the same trophic guild are thought to coexist through their differential use of resources, including food, space and time. Time understood as the pattern of activity is highly dynamic. Fourteen camera–traps were set up in the Pico de Orizaba National Park and active for 12 months. Frequency histograms were used to analyze their activity patterns (AP) and a coefficient of overlap (Δ) was used to determine the temporal overlap between two predators, Lynx rufus and Canis latrans, and the predators and their potential prey. A sampling effort of 5,110 traps/night obtained 217 independent records of L. rufus (45), . latrans (27) and eight potential prey species (145). The predators were cathemeral and four potential prey mainly lagomorphs and rodents were nocturnal. The temporal overlap between the predators Δ = 0.80, and the highest overlap between predators and prey were for C. latrans and rodents (Δ = 0.80), and L. rufus and lagomorphs (Δ = 0.58), with differences between the degree of overlap in dry and rainy seasons. The cathemeral habits of the predators likely increase their likelihood of hunting success, particularly for prey with variable activity patterns. The APs support information on dietary breadth and the differential use of resources and temporal differences as strategies for coexisting predators, continually adapting to a highly dynamic and changing environment

The understanding geography and ecology role in the distribution of Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme is essential for knowledge of areas with potential for tomato production and conservation. In the present work, we analyzed the environmental conditions of the center of origin of the species in South America and we compared them with records in Mexico, particularly in the state of Veracruz, tomato domestication region. We used eight climatic variables predictors and the latitude and longitude data of the species collections registered in literature and database to run two models, the first one for the south of America and the second one for Mexico. We evaluated the models by using the partial ROC method; we conducted a niche similarity and equivalency test to compare both models. We carried out a fieldwork to observe new records of the species and register the environmental conditions in which they growth. The main climatic variables of temperature were the most important for the ecological niche modeling of South America and the ecological niche modeling of Mexico. The models performed very well cause the partial roc test showed significant value for both models1.86 y 1.71 (p<0.0001). Based on our fieldwork, we registered 27 new records, we can find wild tomatoes between 14 and 2 100 amsl in areas with a range of temperature average 19-24 ºC and annual average precipitation 1 166-2 260 mm. Finally, we find out that there is climatic differentiation between South America and Mexico (most areas of the state of Veracruz) for the species.

El chile Manzano o Cera (Capsicum pubescens), es una planta perenne originaria de las tierras altas de América del Sur. Durante su almacenamiento, el principal problema que presenta es su testa, lo cual ocasiona una disminución de la germinación en condiciones naturales. Debido a que existe poca información sobre la germinación, es necesario implementar alternativas que garanticen el recurso dentro de un programa de mejoramiento genético. El objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de ácido sulfúrico (H2SO4), peróxido de hidrógeno (H2O2) y ácido giberélico-3 (C19H22O6) sobre el porcentaje de emergencia y características de plántulas de semillas de C. pubescens. El experimento se realizó en la Unidad de Manejo y Conservación de Recursos Genéticos de la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias de la Universidad Veracruzana. Se utilizaron semillas de C. pubescens provenientes de la localidad de Huatusco, Veracruz, México, almacenadas a temperatura ambiente durante un año. Los tratamientos estudiados fueron: inmersión en H2SO4 (100, 75, 60 %; 30 min); inmersión en H2O2 (20, 10, 15 %; 15 min), inmersión en C19H22O6 (25, 20, 15 mg; 24 h) y el tratamiento testigo. Los resultados en el presente estudio revelan diferencias estadísticas significativas (P ≤ 0,01) para todas las variables evaluadas. El mejor porcentaje de germinación se provocó con inmersión en C19H22O6 (15 mg; 24 h) y H2O2 (20 %; 15 min). El tratamiento con H2SO4 fue perjudicial ya que no hubo emergencia.

El Parque Nacional Pico de Orizaba (PNPO) es la montaña más elevada del territorio mexicano que protege ecosistemas templados. Tala clandestina, incendios forestales, cambio de uso de suelo e incremento en la afluencia turística, afectan la estructura de la comunidad de mamíferos y su estudio permitirá el diseño de estrategias oportunas de conservación. El objetivo fue analizar la riqueza de mamíferos del PNPO en la época de secas y lluvias, evaluar su estado de conservación y clasificarlos por gremios tróficos. De enero a diciembre del 2017, se activaron 14 cámaras-trampa (distancia promedio entre cámara de 0.5-2 km) para el registro de mamíferos. Las fotocapturas se clasificaron en registros independientes y se calcularon indicadores como cobertura del muestreo (Ĉn), riqueza, abundancia, gremios tróficos y categoría de riesgo. La Ĉn fue superior al 95% en cada época, indicador de un muestreo representativo al registrar 10 especies (^qD = 9 especies en época de lluvias; ^qD = 8 especies en época de secas) de ocho géneros y pertenecientes a seis familias. Los mamíferos presentaron distinta riqueza y abundancia entre épocas, pero no fue significativamente diferente cuando se comparó el índice de Shannon entre épocas (p > 0.05). El orden Carnívora fue el mejor representado con el 60% de mamíferos, resultado de una red trófica desbalanceada. Leopardus wiedii, Conepatus semistriatusy Sciurus oculatusse encuentran en riesgo, su conservación puede ser mediante prácticas de mejoramiento de su hábitat y la gestión del PNPO puede considerarlas bajo el concepto de especies bandera.