Ecology of the Mexican Abies durangensis Martínez

Abstract

The genus Abies has about 40 species, which are mainly distributed in boreal or subalpine areas. In Mexico as a diversity center for this genus, all eight species of Abies are protected. Six of them are endemic and mainly distributed in the Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental. The often isolated relict Abies durangensis Martinez, also known as Durango Fir, is located in the states of Durango, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Jalisco and usually grows on slopes with well-drained and shallow lithosols, where the climate is humid and cool. A. durangensis is specifically associated with species such as Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pseudotsuga lindleyana, Pinus strobiformis, Picea chihuahuana, Pinus durangensis, Cupressus lusitanica (lindleyi), and Juniperus deppeana. In the state of Durango, the species has a restricted geographic distribution between 23.2° and 25.7°N and 105° to 107°W and elevations varying from 2,195 m to 2,955 m (mean 2,690 m). The species’ habitat has a mean annual temperature that ranges from 8.6 °C to 12.2 °C (mean 10.6 °C) and a mean annual rainfall of 1,088 mm to 1,395 mm (mean 1,224 mm). According to the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the species is in low risk and does not depend on conservation efforts.