Sierra Madre Mountains Research Articles

Depositional histories of vegetation and rainfall intensity in Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains (northeast Mexico) since the late Last Glacial

An evaporite enriched sediment archive from the dry Sandia Basin located in the water-stressed western foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains (northeast Mexico) was studied to reconstruct depositional histories of vegetation and rainfall intensity in orbital to millennial-scales over the last ~32.5 cal ka. Surrounding vegetation had more C3 plants during the late last glacial and deglaciation and the expansion of more drought tolerant C4 plants occurred only after ~5 cal ka BP. Clastic minerals were sourced from different lithologies within the watershed and their abundances helped to infer runoff dynamics and hence the rainfall intensities. Deposition of more mixed-layer clay represented wetter intervals over the late last glacial and deglaciation. Transportation of clastics from the nearby lithology during these wetter intervals suggested that high-intensity rainfall events were less frequent. Response to the Heinrich stadials (H3, H2 and early H1) was mainly similar (drier) and erosion in the watershed remained less-than-average. Transportation of more quartz-rich sediments from distal lithologies during the late Bølling-Allerød (B/A) interstadial and between ~6.2 and 4 cal ka BP with a depositional hiatus between ~12.7 and 6.2 cal ka BP represented the intervals of more frequent high-intensity rainfall events, possibly related to short-lived storms. We hypothesize that the Gulf of Mexico sea surface temperature was a principal forcing. Total annual precipitation in this region decreased but the frequency of short-lived storms increased during the warmer Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) states. Warmer conditions also led to deposition of more gypsum. Our observation, however, needs further evaluation under the modern-day greenhouse warming scenario.

Detrital Zircon Geochronology of Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene Sandstones From South‐Central Wyoming: Evidence for Middle Campanian Laramide Deformation

AbstractLaramide deformation during the Late Cretaceous through early Eocene interrupted the east‐flowing drainage systems from the Sevier hinterland and segmented the Western Interior Foreland Basin in much of western North America into a series of intermontane basins and Precambrian basement‐cored uplifts. In Wyoming, the timing of Laramide deformation and its impacts on drainage patterns during the overlap in the Sevier and Laramide orogenies remain under debate. New detrital zircon U‐Pb geochronologic data from 11 outcrop samples (n = 3,085) in south‐central Wyoming suggest at least two provenance‐distribution phases, distinguished by a substantial increase in zircons of late Paleoproterozoic age (1800–1600 Ma) recorded at approximately 79 Ma. The most likely source of late Paleoproterozoic age zircons is Precambrian basement‐cored uplifts, specifically the Sierra Madre Mountains, signaling the possible middle Campanian initiation of Laramide uplift, earlier than previously recorded. When combined with complementary data sets from surrounding basins, the first provenance‐distribution phase is age discordant, with the earliest evidence of 1800–1600 Ma zircons in the Piceance Basin of Colorado (late Santonian to early Campanian). The second provenance phase shows repeating age distribution patterns that begin with significant contributions from 1800 to 1600 Ma zircon grains and end with much broader and evenly distributed population signatures, confirming previous interpretations of significant Laramide deformation during the Maastrichtian (approximately 70 Ma) as well as uplift and recycling of Upper Cretaceous formations at about 67 Ma.

Energopolitics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene by Dominic Boyer, and: Ecologics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene by Cymene Howe

Reviewed by: Energopolitics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene by Dominic Boyer, and: Ecologics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene by Cymene Howe Anna J. Willow Dominic Boyer, Energopolitics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2019. 249 pp. Cymene Howe, Ecologics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene. Durham: Duke University Press, 2019. 241 pp. We live in troubling times. Our climate is changing rapidly. A sixth great extinction is well underway. We are approaching—or have already surpassed—countless critical ecological thresholds (if you still need convincing, see Steffen et al. 2015). Alongside other conscientious scholars, anthropologists are searching for constructive ways to contribute to an uncertain new world in which humans play a dominant (and largely destructive) role in influencing global climate, landforms, and ecosystems (Crutzen 2002). Dominic Boyer and Cymene Howe are among those who have stepped up to chart an innovative and inspiring course. Their Wind and Power in the Anthropocene duograph revolves around a central paradox of the Anthropocene epoch. Arguing from distinct but complementary theoretical perspectives, Boyer and Howe examine how it is that something we hoped could solve our most pressing problems can fail [End Page 1261] to achieve any significant transformation. Specifically, these books are about how wind power—a renewable, non-carbon energy source—can reproduce the inequitable and unsustainable structures of the neoliberal extractive economy. Boyer and Howe take readers to the towns and terrains of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where they conducted 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork. Here, air moving from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean passes through a gap in the Sierra Madre mountains, making southeastern Oaxaca the windiest place in Mexico as well as one of the windiest in the world. Identified by developers as an ideal location to harness the wind, “power” in this case refers not only to generated electricity, but also to the political struggles invoked by efforts to convert moving air into a commoditized resource. This conjoined pair of books invites readers to enter emerging conversations about wind power and extractivism, climate change and post-millennial precarity, natural resource developments and disputes, and anthropology’s potential roles in navigating the complex realities that await. In their co-authored preface, Boyer and Howe tentatively define a duograph as a “conversation between researchers that materializes in two texts, which do not require analytic synthesis or consensus” (viii). By adopting an experimental ethnographic form that demands readers’ active engagement, the authors aim to reveal “the multiplicity of stakes and attentions existing within the practice of research collaboration” (viii). While Wind and Power in the Anthropocene draws on long-term participant-observation, hundreds of interviews, and a door-to-door survey conducted as a team, it thus consists of two separate books that are intended to be read in tandem.1 Boyer and Howe worked together to obtain a comprehensive understanding of wind power in Oaxaca, taking the views and actions of multiple stakeholders throughout the region into account. However, the authors engage with separate theoretical frameworks and deploy different textual structures in their quest to advance their overlapping arguments. Dominic Boyer’s book, Energopolitics, takes impetus from theories of capital, biopower, and energopower—a neologism he proposed and defined in an earlier review as “a genealogy of modern power that rethinks political power through the twin analytics of electricity and fuel” (2014:325)—with the goal of generating “an anthropological theory of political power for use in the Anthropocene” (xi). Boyer correctly [End Page 1262] maintains that making sense of contemporary contestations over wind power in Oaxaca requires tracing the region’s history of land tenure, labor, sovereignty, and colonial imposition. He takes up the challenge of reforming anthropolitics (an inevitably human-centered understanding of political practice) in a way that facilitates addressing the unique conditions and challenges evoked by the Anthropocene context (1). Thus, while his examination of energy inevitably expands into the environmental realm of the more-than-human, his central focus is deeply and explicitly political. Following a richly theoretical introduction, Boyer opts to show rather than tell, demonstrating what an anthropology of Anthropocene power can look like through a detailed ethnographic account that only occasionally...

Thirty endangered languages in the Philippines

There are 6,809 languages spoken in the world today. Conservative estimates are that the world’s languages are currently dying at the rate of at least two languages each month, and linguists predict that most of today's languages will die out in the next 100 years. Since 1962, the author has been gathering field data on some of the smallest language groups in the world—the Philippine Negritos. This paper will explain why the thirty-plus Negrito languages in the Philippines are endangered, and what the projected future is for these numerically tiny postforaging societies in the 21 st century. The argument will be supported by a review of the population sizes, interethnic human rights problems, and the environmental destruction of the rainforests of these marginalized peoples. Thirty-two endangered Negrito languages There are between 100 and 150 languages spoken in the Philippines today. A fourth of these languages—thirty-two—are spoken by different Negrito ethnolinguistic populations scattered throughout the archipelago (Grimes 2000) 2 . They are considered to be the aborigines of the Philippines whose ancestors migrated into these islands over 20,000 years ago. In early Spanish times these Negrito peoples numbered 10% of the Philippine population, living by hunting, gathering and trading forest products with non-Negrito coastal peoples. The other 90% of the people were oriental-looking farmers, descendents of the early Austronesians who began migrating into the Islands much later, only about 5,000 years ago. Today the Negrito groups total some 33,000 people, comprising only 0.05% of the present national population. Clearly something has gone wrong with these tiny aboriginal foraging populations in the last 300 years (Bennagen 1977; Griffin and Headland 1994; Headland 1989; Eder 1987). All of these 32 Negrito groups speak endangered languages. Sixteen of these groups live in the Sierra Madre mountain range that extends north and south down the entire eastern side of Luzon Island. Each group speaks its own Austronesian language, which they call Agta. 3 Each Agta language (or dialect) is mutually intelligible with one or two of its closest neighboring Agta languages (see the Appendix). I briefly describe here the story of one of those 16 Agta groups.

Chronic Disturbance Affects the Demography and Population Structure of Beaucarnea inermis, a Threatened Species Endemic to Mexico

Beaucarnea inermis is a threatened plant of the seasonally dry tropical forests of the northeastern Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. It has been affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, mainly from changes in land use and poaching. The number of B. inermis plants, sexual proportion, and structural parameters were recorded in natural populations inside the Sierra del Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve and unprotected sites. Effects of chronic disturbance on demography parameters and asymmetry coefficient were estimated. Average population density is 280 ind*ha−1 inside the protected area and 186 ind*ha−1 in unprotected sites. Life tables indicate a high seedling to juvenile mortality rate, but life expectancy increases in juveniles, suggesting a survival type III curve. Population size distribution skewness indicates differences associated with disturbance. Sex ratio was 0.93:1 (m:f) inside the protected area and 0.76:1 (m:f) in unprotected sites. Anthropogenic disturbance affects life expectancy and the survival and mortality rates mainly in early life classes; however, once the adult stage is reached, mortality rate is reduced and survival rate increases. The natural protected area represents a refuge for the species from the effects of anthropogenic disturbance and illegal poaching. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the genetic diversity in B. inermis in protected and unprotected sites, and how it is affected by disturbance. Also, it is important to highlight other species inside the protected area such as Dioon edule, Zamia fischeri, and Stanhopea tigrina, which are considered as endangered or threatened.

Formation of a coastal barrier jet in the Gulf of Mexico due to the interaction of cold fronts with theSierraMadreOriental mountain range

The passage of three cold fronts (CFs) over the Gulf of Mexico was simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting model to study the mechanisms associated with the formation of a jet parallel to the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMOr) mountain range near the port of Veracruz. Dew‐point temperature (Td= 20 °C) and available convective potential energy best simulated the horizontal propagation of the intenseCFsover the Gulf, and equivalent potential temperature helped identify the vertical position of the fronts. Additional simulations with reduced topography showed that mountain heights exceeding 2.5 km, where theSMOris closest to the coast, were crucial for the formation of a coastal barrier jet. The Froude number (Fr < 1) and the ageostrophic component of the wind at low levels were used to identify the formation of the jet; the Rossby radius of deformation determined its horizontal extent which was 81 km into the Gulf of Mexico in agreement with scatterometer winds during one of theCFs. The interaction of the northeasterly winds (known as Nortes) with the topography produced a blocking effect resulting in a stable region of cold air, a rain‐shadow and a coastal barrier jet of northwesterly direction, which generated strong cold air advection and subsidence in comparison with adjacent zones. The jet region appears as a minimum in the winter precipitation climatology indicating that the barrier jet is an important intraseasonal feature. In two of the case‐studies, maximum jet velocities reached those of a tropical storm (>18 m s−1) and occurred near the surface (<1 km above mean sea level), consistent with observations and similar to other barrier jets in the world. For the first time the jet near the port of Veracruz is documented as a coastal barrier jet. TheCFsalso produced strong Tehuano gap winds.

Samuel Wiebe: new President of the International League Against Epilepsy

Say Treasure of the Sierra Madre and most people will think of John Huston's 1948 film classic starring Humphrey Bogart. Neurologists, however, might think these words a fitting accolade for Samuel Wiebe. Born in 1958 into a Hispanic–German–Dutch community in Nuevo Ideal among the foothills of Mexico's Western Sierra Madre mountains, Wiebe is now Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and Associate Dean of Clinical Research at the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, Canada), and was recently elected President of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)—positions for which he has all the right badges.

Multiscale Dynamics of the February 11-12, 2010, Deep South US Snowstorm Event

This study investigates the synoptic/mesoscale dynamics responsible for an unusually heavy southern US snowstorm that occurred on February 11-12, 2010, using reanalysis, observations, and numerical simulations. This record breaking snowfall event represents an example of multiple upper level and low-level jets (LLJs) and their accompanying baroclinic zones. The analysis reveals the following synoptic scale processes as significant contributors: (1) upper level jet splitting and merging, (2) advection of cold arctic air at low levels by a large anticyclone, and (3) an incoming upper level shortwave trough. In addition to the synoptic scale processes, the following mesoscale features played a major role in this snowstorm event: coexisting potential (convective) instability and conditional symmetric instability, terrain blocking, and a double LLJ development process. Sensitivity experiments including (1) limiting the orographic effects of elevated plateau in Texas and the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico by reducing the terrain height to 225 meters, (2) the microphysics/latent heating effects, and (3) surface fluxes on the development and intensity of the snowstorm were also conducted by turning these options off in the numerical model. Of all three experiments, the surface flux experiment displays the least amount of influence on the developing frozen precipitation bands.

Additive biomass equations for pine species of forest plantations of Durango, Mexico

Statistical analysis between three weighted additive biomass equations are presented for planted pine species typical of the coniferous forests of the Western Sierra Madre mountain range of Durango, Mexico. Statistical and graphical analyses were used to select the best single and multiple individual biomass component equation. Linear equations better fitted the biomass components. Therefore, three linear additive procedures were tested: (i) the conventional, (ii) a harmonization, and ( iii) the seemingly-unrelated regression in two types of equations of component biomass estimation using both simple regression and multiple regression techniques. These tests were performed at two scales: (a) each of three pine species and (b) all three species. For both the simple linear and best multiple regression equation, the seemingly-unrelated equations provided more precise biomass component estimates, with tendencies consistent with the conventional non-additive non-linear regression procedures, and provided average biomass component estimates when equations were applied to a data set of 23 sample quadrants.

A contribution to the knowledge of the mountain entomofauna of Mexico with a description of two new species of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae).

Recent intensive samplings carried out across the mountainous regions of El Pinal (Puebla, Mexico) have provided new insights into the main environmental factors that affect the geographic distribution of the scarabaeinae beetles of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt above 2500 m a.s.l. This study is part of an ongoing project investigating the diversity and biogeography of copro-necrophagous beetles (Scarabaeinae, Aphodiinae, Geotrupinae and Silphidae) in the easternmost areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.Previous experience allows us to propose a series of predictions that we expect will provide possible explanations for current distribution patterns observed in Scarabaeinae and other groups of insects found in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. This mountain range has a primarily biogeographic importance, limiting the Mexican High Plateau in the South and connecting the western and eastern Sierra Madre mountain chains, which are considered the most important routes for dispersal of mountain fauna of northern origin. The taxonomic and biogeographic study of the species collected so far in El Pinal (including Onthophagus clavijeroi sp. n. and Onthophagus martinpierai sp. n. described here), along with their possible relationships with other known species, allows us to answer the preliminary assumptions proposed.

Two New Species ofMalayotyphlopsfrom the Northern Philippines, with Redescriptions ofMalayotyphlops luzonensis(Taylor) andMalayotyphlops ruber(Boettger)

Abstract As a first step toward making sense of an infamously enigmatic and taxonomically problematic group of Philippine blind snakes, we redescribe Malayotyphlops luzonensis (Taylor, 1919) and Malayotyphlops ruber (Boettger, 1897) and clarify their taxonomic status with respect to each other and to additional phenotypically similar taxa. We also describe two other new species of Malayotyphlops from the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of northern Luzon Island, each on the basis of a single specimen. We suspect that species diversity of the typhlopid fauna of the Philippines is severely underestimated, with progress towards a comprehensive understanding of this group most hampered by a lack of sufficient comparative material available in biodiversity repositories.

Migration timing and routes, and wintering areas of Flammulated Owls

Determining patterns in annual movements of animals is an important component of population ecology, particularly for migratory birds where migration timing and routes, and wintering habitats have key bearing on population dynamics. From 2009 to 2011, we used light-level geolocators to document the migratory movements of Flammulated Owls (Psiloscops flammeolus). Four males departed from breeding areas in Colorado for fall migration between ≤5 and 21 October, arrived in wintering areas in Mexico between 11 October and 3 November, departed from wintering areas from ≤6 to 21 April, and returned to Colorado between 15 and 21 May. Core wintering areas for three males were located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Mountains in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, and Puebla in central and east-central Mexico, and the core area for the other male was in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains in Tamaulipas. The mean distance from breeding to wintering centroids was 2057 ± 128 km (SE). During fall migration, two males took a southeastern path to eastern Mexico, and two males took a path due south to central Mexico. In contrast, during spring migration, all four males traveled north from Mexico along the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains to the Rio Grande Valley and north through New Mexico. The first stopovers in fall and last stopovers in spring were the longest in duration for all males and located 300–400 km from breeding areas. Final spring stopovers may have allowed male Flammulated Owls to fine tune the timing of their return to high-elevation breeding areas where late snows are not uncommon. One male tracked in both years had similar migration routes, timing, and wintering areas each year. Core wintering and final stopover areas were located primarily in coniferous forests and woodlands, particularly pine-oak forests, suggesting that these are important habitats for Flammulated Owls throughout their annual cycle.

Divergence and evolution of reproductive barriers among three allopatric populations of Rhagoletis cingulata across eastern North America and Mexico

AbstractGeography is often a key factor facilitating population divergence and speciation. In this regard, the geographic distributions of flies in the genus Rhagoletis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in temperate North America have been affected by cycles of Pleistocene glaciation and interglacial periods. Fluctuations in climatic conditions may have had their most dramatic effects on geographically isolating Rhagoletis flies in the central highland region of Mexico. During past periods of allopatry, a degree of post‐zygotic reproductive isolation appears to have evolved between hawthorn‐infesting populations of Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) in the central Eje Volcanico Trans Mexicano (EVTM) and those from the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains (SMO) of Mexico, as well as hawthorn flies from the eastern USA. Here, we investigate the generality of this finding in the genus Rhagoletis by testing for reproductive isolation among populations of Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) collected from infested domesticated sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) in the USA and black cherry [Prunus serotina Ehrh. (both Rosaceae)] from the SMO and EVTM. We report evidence for marked post‐mating reproductive isolation among certain R. cingulata populations. The high levels of reproductive isolation were observed between R. cingulata flies from populations in the USA and SMO differed from the pattern seen for R. pomonella, primarily involving the EVTM. In addition, egg hatch was significantly reduced for crosses between SMO males and EVTM females, but not greatly in the opposite direction. We discuss potential causes for the different patterns of post‐mating reproductive isolation among Rhagoletis flies.

A new species of soft-winged flower beetles of the genus Platyebaeus Wittmer, 1995 (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Malachiidae) from Philippines.

A new malachiid species of the genus Platyebaeus Wittmer is described: P. quirinicus sp. n., from the Sierra Madre mountain range in Quirino province, Luzon Island, Philippines. Figures of male habitus, elytral apical third profile, genitalia, and a map showing the type locality are given for the new species. A determination key to the 3 species belonging to Platyebaeus is also provided.

Primer registro de Tlacuatzin canescens, (Mammalia, Didelphimorphia: Marmosidae) en Veracruz, México

Introduction: The Mexican Mouse Opossum ( Marmosa mexicana ) and the grayish mouse opossum ( Tlacuatzin canescens ) were the only two known species of tribu Marmosini (Mammalia, Didelphimorphi, Didelphidae) in Mexico. The genus Tlacuatzin and its species Tlacuatzin canescens are endemic. Its distribution extends from the south of the State of Sonora to the State of Chiapas. It is also found on the Islas Marias, in the state of Jalisco, in the Yucatan Peninsula, and in the State of Puebla. So far, T. canescens has not been previously sighted in the State of Veracruz or in the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico. This report describes the first official sighting of T. canescens from Veracruz, Mexico. Methods: The records were obtained: a) from voucher specimens deposited at the Coleccion Mastozoologica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas, Universidad Veracruzana, and b) by accidentally trapping these mammals in botanical surveys conducted at the El Centro de Investigaciones Costeras La Mancha, Instituto de Ecologia A.C. and its surroundings. Results: The presence of T. canescens in Veracruz State was documented by nine records collected at three different localities, from the central region of Veracruz, Mexico. All the locations were found in deciduous forest areas. Discussion and Conclusions: These new records increase the species’ known geographic distribution in 139 km, on a straight line from the nearest locality found in the state of Puebla. It is important to recall that these locations are all located on both sides of the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain system (average altitude higher than 2000 meters above sea level, between localities), which serves as a barrier between the populations of Puebla and Veracruz. Key words: Didelphimorphia, geographic distribution, local distribution, marsupial, opossum-souris cendre

The Role ofCanthon humectus hidalgoensis(Bates) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Dung Removal from a Cattle Pasture

Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieriaUniversidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo km 4.5C.P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, MEXICOcmoreno@uaeh.edu.mxAs rearing livestock spread in Mexico, cattledung became the main alternative food source fordung beetles in pastures (Amezquita and Favila2010). The role of these beetles is fundamental toecosystem functioning and recovery, given theircontribution to several ecological processes includ-ing dung removal, nutrient cycling, secondary seeddispersal, and soil aeration (Nichols et al. 2008). Inthe cattle pastures of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico,Canthon humectus(Say)isoneofthemostcommondung beetle species. In the Barranca de MeztitlanBiosphereReserve,thesubspecies Canthonhumectushidalgoensis (Bates) is a generalist dung feeder thatrepresents up to 94% of the total number of dungbeetles(Verduetal.2007),sostudyingthebehaviorof this beetle will allow us to describe its possibleimpact on ecological processes, especially that ofdung removal in pastures.Canthonhumectushidalgoensisisadiurnalbeetlethat makes dung balls and rolls them from the cowpat to another site. Lone beetles do this to feed andmatingpairsdoitfornesting.Fornesting,theballisrolled by the male who pulls the ball with his hindlegs. Thefemale isattractedby hispheromones andtakes her place atop the ball to help the male roll it.The male buries the dung ball in the nesting site,and the female transforms it into a brood ball(Moron 2004). This species is common in xerophi-lous scrublands, in forests ranging from 1,400 to2,000 m above sea level, as well as in open and iso-lated livestock areas (Halffter et al. 2011).The purposeofthisstudy was todescribe someofthe characteristics of the dung removal process per-formed by individuals and pairs (male and female)of C. humectus hidalgoensis. We measured: 1) thelinear distance (m) from the source and duration(minutes) of dung rolling; 2) the size (mm) andweight (g) of the dung ball; and 3) the abundanceand density of this species in order to estimate itsimpact on the ecosystem. The study was done innorthern Hidalgo, Mexico, in the vicinity of Jacala(21°1′1.17″ N 99°12′2.35″ W). The area is locatedin the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, at1,376 m elevation. Native vegetation is temperatemixed forest dominated byJuniperus flaccidaSchltdl., Juniperus deppeana Steud., and Cupressussp. (all Cupressaceae). Mean annual temperature is17.8 °C, and the rainy season occurs from June toSeptember. The study site is a 44.37-ha ranch, ofwhich 60% preserves temperate forest remnants.The rest of the property has been induced pasturefor livestock for at least the last 38 years. During thesampling period, there were approximately 20 headof cattle and 65 sheep on the property. We stud-ied the dung relocation behavior of C. humectushidalgoensis in the cattle pasture during 10 daysin July 2010. At this site, the mean length ofC. humectus hidalgoensis was 10.11 mm (n =50,range = 7.8–16.1 mm) and mean weight was 0.18 g(n = 50, range = 0.06–0.8 g).To determine the linear displacement of dungand the total rolling time, we followed individualsfrom the source cow pat to the burying site. Displa-cement trajectories were complex, changing direc-tions, but mean linear distance from the source tothe burying site was 2.6 m (n = 24, range = 0.28–9.65 m). Ball rolling lasted on average 23.6 minfrom departure from the cow pat until the buryingprocessbegan(n=25,range=5–65minutes;Fig.1a).This suggests that this beetle species may be remov-ing each dung pat, which is approximately 0.10 m

Implementation of an orographic/nonorographic rainfall classification scheme in the GSMaP algorithm for microwave radiometers

We incorporate an orographic/nonorographic rainfall classification scheme into the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation algorithm for passive microwave radiometers. It improves rainfall estimation over the entire Asian region. However, low verification scores over the United States and Mexico result because vertical profiles of rainfall over the Sierra Madre Mountains are high even for orographic rainfall conditions. In this region, lightning activity is vigorous, with large amounts of solid particles such as graupels, occurring with strong convections. Hence, the orographic/nonorographic rainfall classification scheme is switched off for regions where strong lightning activity occurs in the rainfall type database. The revised zonal mean rainfall amounts obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager are now in better agreement with those from the version 7 of the TRMM Precipitation Radar over the United States and Mexico, as well as Asia.

Fine-scale factors influence fire regimes in mixed-conifer forests on three high mountains in Mexico

We investigated the influence of broad- v. fine-scale factors on fire in an unusual landscape suitable for distinguishing the drivers of fire synchrony. Our study was conducted in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, in north-eastern Mexico. We worked in nine sites on three parallel mountains that receive nearly identical broad-scale climatic influence, but between which fires are unlikely to spread. We collected and cross dated samples from 357 fire-scarred trees in nine sites in high-elevation mixed-conifer forests and identified fire dates. We used Jaccard similarity analysis to evaluate synchrony among sites and quantified relationships between climate and fire occurrence. Fires were historically frequent (mean fire interval ranged from 8 to 16 years in all sites) and dates of fire exclusion ranged from 1887 to 1962. We found low fire synchrony among the three mountains, indicating a strong influence of fine-scale factors on fire occurrence. Fire regime attributes were similar across mountains despite the independence of fire dates. La Niña events were associated with fire over time, although not significantly since the 1830s. Our results highlight the importance of scale in describing fire regimes and suggest that we can use fire history to understand controls on complex ecosystem processes and patterns.

Begonia tandangii (Begoniaceae, section Baryandra), a new species from Luzon Island, the Philippines

We describe Begonia tandangii, a new species of Begonia sect. Baryandra from the Sierra Madre Mountain Range of Luzon Island, the Philippines. Begonia tandangii has a close resemblance to B. fenicis in gross morphology, differing in having leaf margin sparsely fringed with minute hairs (vs. glabrous or with minute hairs only on teeth) and capsules with broadly-ovate outline and an acuminate apex (vs. capsules with broadly-obovate outline and a rounded to truncate apex). Phylogenetic analyses of Philippines species of sect. Baryandra based on ITS sequences revealed that B. tandangii was clearly separated from B. fenicis. Begonia tandangii is currently known only from the type locality in a coastal forest of Baler, Aurora Province, which is in the neighborhood of Aurora Memorial National Park.

Diversity and biogeographical makeup of the dung beetle communities inhabiting two mountains in the Mexican Transition Zone

The role of horizontal and vertical colonization on the diversity and integration of the dung beetle fauna of two mountains in the Mexican Transition Zone (Los Tuxtlas and La Chinantla) are analyzed and compared. On each mountain standardized sampling was done using pitfall traps baited with dung and carrion along elevation gradients. On both mountains diversity decreased linearly with increasing elevation. The decrease in the number of genera and species was not different between mountains, but the cumulative total number for both taxonomic levels was significantly higher on La Chinantla. There, three well-defined groups were identified for which species turnover was mainly a result of species gain. On Los Tuxtlas there was no evident grouping pattern, and species turnover was determined by species loss. For both mountains the dominant biogeographic distribution pattern was Neotropical; however, at the higher elevations of La Chinantla, a clear replacement by lineages of Holarctic affinity was observed. We suggest that for La Chinantla—a mountain that is geographically connected to the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range and is of ancient geological origin—the processes of horizontal and vertical colonization have had relatively different weights in terms of their effect on the pattern of diversity and the biogeographic integration of the beetle community, while on Los Tuxtlas, the limited role of horizontal colonization appears to be a consequence of its isolation and more recent geological origin. We discuss the potential use of these models for studying the effects of climate change on elevation gradients.