Ria Celestun Research Articles

Carbon stock in different ecological types of mangroves in a karstic region (Yucatan, México): an opportunity to avoid site scale emissions

Mangroves are coastal ecosystems recognized by their capacity to store organic carbon, even more so than tropical and temperate forests. Therefore, they contribute to the local adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Mangroves have different characteristics that origin mangrove ecological types. There are few studies on mangroves in karstic environments, where there is spatial heterogeneity associated with topography-hydroperiod-nutrient interactions. To estimate the total carbon stock in mangroves and determine whether carbon storage differs according to the mangrove ecological type in a natural protected area in the karstic region of the Yucatan Peninsula (northern Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve), a study was conducted following the recommendations of the IPCC Good Practice Supplement for wetlands and standardized methods used in mangroves studies around the world. According to the results, mangroves associated with springs, called “petenes” or hammock mangroves, showed higher total ecosystem carbon stock (683.7 Mg C ha–1) than fringe, basin, and dwarf mangrove ecological types (429, 385, and 214 Mg C ha–1, respectively). Above- and below-ground carbon stock was different between mangrove ecological types. Carbon stock variation was related to environmental hydrology variables (flooding level, interstitial water salinity, and redox potential). According to the δ13C analysis from the surface soil, carbon accumulated in mangrove sediments in a karstic scenario is mainly autochthonous and predominantly originates from mangrove leaves. Carbon stock in mangroves in the northern Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve was 9.7 Tg C, of which 40.7% comes from dwarf mangroves due to their extension. These results could be used as a tool for developing specific management actions at regional or local scales for mangrove restoration and conservation.

Mosquito Fauna in the Mangroves of Yucatan, Mexico, and Identification of Alphavirus RNA.

The surveillance of arboviruses in mangrove mosquitoes is a neglected topic in Mexico. The Yucatan State is part of a peninsula and, therefore, is rich in mangroves along its coast. The purpose of the study was to identify alphavirus in the mosquito fauna of mangroves. Mosquitoes were captured in mangrove settings in seven communities in Yucatan between June 2019 and August 2021. From 1900 to 2200 h and from 0500 to 0800 h, mosquitoes were captured with a backpack-mounted aspirator. In total, 3,167 female mosquitoes of five genera and nine species were captured. Aedes taeniorhynchus and Anopheles crucians were the most abundant mosquitoes collected. Mosquitoes were sorted into 210 pools and tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for alphavirus ribonucleic acid (RNA). Alphavirus RNA was found in Ae. taeniorhynchus, An. pseudopunctipennis, and An. crucians collected in the Celestun Mangrove. The community is part of the Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve, and the presence arbovirus-infected mosquitoes could pose a health risk to residents and visitors alike in the area.

Distribución potencial actual y futura e identificación de áreas aptas para la conservación de Cedrela odorata L. en la península de Yucatán

Introduction: Red cedar (Cedrela odorata L.) is appreciated for its wood, a situation that has caused poor forest management and, therefore, a decrease in its areas of distribution. Objective: To delimit the current and future potential distribution of C. odorata and to identify suitable seed-producing areas for the conservation of the species in the Yucatan Peninsula. Materials and methods: Records of the presence of C. odorata were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the National Forest and Soil Inventory (INFyS in Spanish) and the book “Arboles tropicales de Mexico”. The modeling was done in MaxEnt using current environmental variables and future (2030) climate change scenarios at 1 km2 spatial resolution. Seventy-five percent of the records were used to train the models and 25 percent to validate them. The variables with the greatest contribution were determined by the jackknife test. Results and discussion: The estimated current potential distribution of C. odorata was 404917 ha. Climate change simulations predict a reduction (31 to 44.8 %) of the suitable habitat, where the natural protected areas (ANPs) of Calakmul, Los Petenes and Ria Celestun would serve as climate refuges, conserving about 76472 ha. The important variables in the distribution were: vegetation (34.7 %), precipitation of the wettest month (14.6 %), edaphology (8.8 %), average temperature of the coldest quarter (8.6 %) and slope (7 %). Conclusion: The models allowed the identification of suitable areas with habitat quality of C. odorata. In view of the threats of climate change, the distribution of C. odorata in ANPs would help conservation and restoration programs in situ.

Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) of coastal lagoons from the northern Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

We present the first records of ophiuroids found in 6 tropical coastal lagoons of the northern Yucatan Peninsula. Specimens were collected from Ria Celestun, Chelem, Dzilam, Ria Lagartos, Yalahau, and Nichupte-Bojorquez lagoons, during May and June 2010. Six species belonging to the families Amphiuridae, Ophionereididae, and Ophiodermatidae were recorded. Amphiodia pulchella was recorded in all lagoons; Ophiostigma isocanthum was recorded only in Yalahau, and Ophionereis olivacea and Ophioderma appressa were recorded only in Nichupte-Bojorquez. Amphiodia cf. planispina was recorded in all the coastal lagoons except in Yalahau; all the individualsof this species were juveniles. Finally, Ophiophragmus filograneus was recorded in Ria Celestun, Ria Lagartos, and Nichupte-Bojorquez, being a new record for the southern Gulf of Mexico. The range of distribution of these species is extended and their presence in brackish waters is recorded, an environment that has not been properly studied concerning ophiuroids.

A new species and the first record of the genus Micrapemon Edwards (Diptera: Keroplatidae) from Mexico.

The first record of the genus Micrapemon Edwards from Mexico is presented, with the description and illustration of a new species, Micrapemon maya spec. nov., based on adult males collected with Malaise traps from Yucatan (natural reserves of Ria Celestun and Ria Lagartos). The new species from Mexico is compared with the two previously known species from the Neotropical region, Micrapemon majusculum (Edwards) and Micrapemon parvum (Williston). A key is included to the species of the genus.

Brominated Flame Retardants in Sediments of Four Coastal Lagoons of Yucatan, Mexico.

We examined the sediments of four coastal lagoons (Ria Lagartos, Bocas de Dzilam, Laguna de Chelem and Ria Celestun) from the state of Yucatan, Mexico, for three widely used commercial polybrominated diphenyl ethers formulations (penta-, octa- and deca-BDE). The most commonly found congeners in all four lagoons were BDEs 47, 99 and 100 (all in the penta-BDE formulation) and BDE209 (deca-BDE formulation). The greatest variety and highest concentrations of brominated flame retardants were found in Ria Lagartos, which also showed the highest BDE 100 concentration (24.129ng/g). Hexabromocyclododecane was found in all lagoons, but at lower concentrations than those of the various polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Dispersal routes of these compounds are discussed, such as a ring of sinkholes (cenotes) adjacent to the lagoons. Moreover, electronic waste is a serious problem because municipal landfills have been the primary disposal method for these wastes and therefore represent a reservoir of brominated fire retardants.

Organización e impacto territorial de la actividad pesquera comercial ribereña en la Reserva de la biosfera Ría Celestún (México)

Coastal commercial fishing is a common economic practice for local populations of natural protected areas which encompass both maritime and terrestrial environments. The aim of this paper is to describe the organizational pattern of coastal commercial fishing in the Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve (northeast of the Yucatan peninsula). It explains how the organization and official regulations of the above-mentioned activity are completed by the distribution of spaces of utilization, which is embedded in its socio-cultural context, and is currently being modified by the demand conditions of international markets (US, European and Asian). The research is based on quantitative data provided by public institutions and private entities, as well as on qualitative data obtained during the field work.

Estructura y productividad de los manglares en la reserva de biosfera Ría Celestún, Yucatán, México

Una zona importante de distribución de manglares en Yucatán está asociada al sistema lagunar de la Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún, localizada al noroeste de la Península. Los principales impactos hacia este ecosistema son la interrupción de flujos de agua, el crecimiento urbano no controlado, el cambio en el uso del suelo y la deforestación. El suelo de la región es cárstico y altamente permeable; al no existir ríos, la única fuente de agua son la precipitación pluvial (760 mm año-1) y las descargas de agua subterránea las cuales tienen su mayor influencia en la parte interna de la laguna, reflejándose en un gradiente de menor a mayor salinidad hacia la boca de la laguna que la conecta con el Golfo de México. Debido a este gradiente se observaron diferentes grados de estructura, dominancia de especies y productividad, registrándose las mayores estructuras y valores de caída de hojarasca de 4,09 g m2 día-1 en la parte interna y de 2,59 g m2 día-1 en la zona de la boca. Temporalmente la productividad de la laguna está relacionada con la variabilidad climática de la región (nortes, secas y lluvias). Los diferentes patrones de estructura y producción de hojarasca fueron determinados por características del suelo como la salinidad y del clima. Por lo tanto las estrategias de manejo deben considerar estos aspectos, así como la variabilidad espacial y temporal de la hidrología, ya que modificaciones, incluso pequeñas, de este aspecto producirían impactos negativos de mayor escala, sugiriendo la vulnerabilidad de este ecosistema a los cambios hidrológicos y ambientales climáticos.

‘Thanks God, this is not Cancun!’ Alternative tourism imaginaries in Yucatan (Mexico)

This paper analyses the role of tourism imaginaries as generative social practices in the production of places as tourist places. This will be accomplished through an ethnographical analysis detailing the production of two distinct alternative tourist imaginaries in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Firstly, this paper will explore how the ecotourist imaginary of a ‘pristine natural resort’ is performed at the Biosphere Reserve Ria Celestun through very specific tourism practices that veil other tourist uses and alternative imaginaries of the place. Secondly, it will explore how the tourist imaginary of a ‘golden past’ and a ‘taste of luxury’ at Hacienda Temozon Sur is performed through various highly selective material arrangements and practices that veil contemporary social inequalities as well as a problematic past. The detailed analysis of these processes will reveal these alternative tourism imaginaries as powerful forces in the reproduction of contemporary patterns of spatial segregation, social marginalization, and uneven development in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Breeding Phenology and Nesting Success of the Yucatan Wren in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Yucatan Wren (Campylorhynchus yucatanicus) is a highly restricted endemic species inhabiting the coastal scrub at the northern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula. We describe the breeding phenology and nesting success of this endangered species from April to September 2007 for a population at Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve. We found 232 nests of which only 110 (47%) were active at either incubation or nestling stages. Yucatan wrens initiated nest building in late April, but clutch initiation occurred in early June and lasted until the end of July, resulting in a breeding season of 2 months. Nests were exclusively in coastal scrub and the transition between coastal scrub and black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) forest. Eleven species of trees were used as nesting substrate, but three included 75% of all nests found. Clutch size (x¯ ± SD) was 3 ± 1.5 eggs with incubation and nestling periods averaging 16 ± 1.0 days, and 16.5 ± 1.9 days, respectively. Mayfield estimates of daily survival rate for incubation and nestling periods were 0.968 ± 0.005 and 0.975 ± 0.005, respectively with nesting success of 46%. The average number of fledglings per successful nest was 2.5 ± 1.3. Predation was the main cause of nest mortality accounting for 54% of the active nests. Parental care was provided by both parents, but participation of a third individual feeding nestlings was recorded at three nests, providing evidence for occasional cooperative breeding. Increasing human development in the coastal region of the Yucatan Peninsula may represent a serious threat to conservation of the Yucatan Wren due to habitat restriction and high dependency on three species of trees as nesting substrate.

Contentious Hotspots: Ecotourism and the Restructuring of Place at the Biosphere Reserve Ria Celestun (Yucatan, Mexico)

Tourism mobilities, conservation, and development planning are central social processes in the restructuring of places. This paper will argue that this is especially manifest in Biosphere Reserves where global agendas are spatially articulated through the creation of ‘contentious hotspots’ or ‘heated spots’, that is, sites within the local in which global mobilities are condensed and constantly at play through the performance of disruptive practices. The paper draws evidence from the ethnographical account of two disputes at the Biosphere Reserve Ria Celestun (Yucatan, Mexico) where tourism mobilities and conservation planning have established the ria and the beach as those contentious hotspots where mobilities are concentrated, space and resources are appropriated, and locals and institutions fight to stay still.

Community Member Viewpoints on the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan, Mexico: Suggestions for Improving the Community/Natural Protected Area Relationship

The results of an analysis of the viewpoints of Celestun community members regarding the Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, are used as the basis for recommendation to improve the community/natural protected area (NPA) relationship. Participant observation was used to record the opinions of 80 people (8–83 years of age) between April and August 2002. Twenty semistructured interviews were held with local young people randomly selected from the participant observation group and their fathers; one interview was held with a municipal officer. Results indicate that the informants perceived a lack of communication between community members and the Reserve concerning its objectives and action areas, minimal community participation in Reserve regulation development, an absence of alternative productive activities and unjustified restriction of natural resources. These perceived conditions can potentially generate conflict between the community and the Reserve administration, preventing fulfillment of the Reserve’s environmental protection mission and negatively affecting community welfare. It is suggested that communication between the Reserve and the community be mutual and free-flowing, that Reserve objectives be identified in conjunction with the community, that community members be included in Reserve activities and administration, that interdisciplinary teams be formed to encourage communication and participation and that alternative productive activities be developed. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to listen to and address the concerns of young people because they will define the community/Reserve relationship in the near future.

A new species of predaceous midge of the genus Monohelea Kieffer from Mexico (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

A description and illustrations of Monohelea maya, new species, based on male and female characteristics are provided. The specimens were collected in the special biosphere Reserves of Ria Lagartos and Ria Celestun, Yucatan State, Mexico.