Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad ISSN: 1870-3453 [email protected] Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México México Santos, Bráulio A.; Lombera, Rafael; Benitez-Malvido, Julieta New records of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) for the region of Chajul, Southern Mexico, and their potential use in biodiversity-friendly cropping systems Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, vol. 80, núm. 3, 2009, pp. 857-860 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Distrito Federal, México Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=42515996027 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 80: 857- 860, 2009 Research note New records of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) for the region of Chajul, Southern Mexico, and their potential use in biodiversity-friendly cropping systems Nuevos registros de Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) para la región de Chajul, sur de México, y su uso potencial en plantaciones amigables de la biodiversidad Bráulio A. Santos*, Rafael Lombera and Julieta Benitez-Malvido Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carr. a Pátzcuaro 8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, México. *Correspodent: [email protected] Abstract. We report 4 new records of Heliconia species (Heliconiaceae) for the region of Chajul, one of the most studied sites of the Mexican Lacandona. Records are for H. champneiana Griggs cv. Maya Gold, H. latispatha Bentham cv. Orange Gyro, H. vaginalis Bentham, and H. wagneriana Petersen. We provide a brief description of morphological and ecological traits of the species and demonstrate the high potential they have to be cultivated in biodiversity-friendly cropping systems. We suggest the use of Heliconia in the enrichment of secondary forests and forest fragments as an alternative of combining forest management with biological conservation. Key words: Heliconia aurantiaca, Heliconia champneiana, Heliconia collinsiana, Heliconia latispatha, Heliconia librata, Heliconia spissa, Heliconia vaginalis, Heliconia wagneriana. Resumen. Se registran por primera vez 4 especies de Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) para la región de Chajul, uno de los sitios más estudiados de la lacandona mexicana. Los nuevos registros son para H. champneiana Griggs cv. Maya Gold, H. latispatha Bentham cv. Orange Gyro, H. vaginalis Bentham, y H. wagneriana Petersen. Se presenta una breve descripción acerca de las características morfológicas y ecológicas de las especies y se demuestra el alto potencial que tienen para ser cultivadas en plantaciones amigables de la biodiversidad. Se sugiere el uso de Heliconia en el enriquecimiento de bosques secundarios y fragmentos de selva como una alternativa de combinar manejo forestal con conservación biológica. Palabras clave: Heliconia aurantiaca, Heliconia champneiana, Heliconia collinsiana, Heliconia latispatha, Heliconia librata, Heliconia spissa, Heliconia vaginalis, Heliconia wagneriana. Heliconiaceae is a plant family represented by a unique Heliconia interacts with a vast number of organisms tropical genus, Heliconia. These perennial herbs belong in tropical forests. Hummingbirds pollinate their colorful to the order Zingiberales and are phylogenetically close fl owers in the Neotropics, while bats pollinate their to Musaceae, Strelitziaceae, Marantaceae, Cannaceae, pale green fl owers in the Paleotropics (Berry and Kress, Zingiberaceae, and Lowiaceae (Berry and Kress, 1991). 1991). Fruits are blue in the Neotropics and red in the Heliconia traditionally belonged to Musaceae with the Paleotropics, but both are dispersed by many bird species genera Musa and Ensete. The unique combination of (Berry and Kress, 1991). Viruses, bacteria, and fungi are inverted fl owers, presence of a single staminode, and known to infect their roots, shoots, leaves, infl orescences, peachlike fruits led taxonomists to place Heliconia into fruits, and seeds (Assis et al., 2002). A myriad of insects a new family, Heliconiaceae Nakai. The overwhelming including fl ies, hispine and fl attened carabid beetles, majority of the 180 known species of Heliconia are in caterpillars, and ants feed on or live inside their water- the Neotropics, while only 6 are native to the Old World fi lled fl oral bracts and young rolled leaves (Seifert, 1982). tropics, especially from Samoa in the Pacifi c Ocean to the Such biotic interactions involving Heliconia demonstrates Indonesian island of Sulawesi (Berry and Kress, 1991). its ecological value in tropical communities. Heliconia is also an important ornamental genus. It Recibido: 04 noviembre 2008; aceptado: 24 abril 2009 has been long commercialized in European and American 858 Santos et al.- Heliconia from Chajul, and its use in cropping systems markets as cut fl owers, potted plants, and in interior (Castillo 3779 – XAL). Our results highlight the occurrence landscape. To give an example, Hawaiian Heliconia of 4 other species in the same region: H. champneiana production generated about 2.8 million dollars between Griggs cv. Maya Gold (see Stevens 25585 – MO, Davidse 1987 and 1988 with a production of 370 000 stems (Berry 36370 – BRH, MO), H. latispatha Bentham cv. Orange and Kress, 1991). In 2000 and 2001, Colombia exported 16 Gyro (see Ibarra 265 – MO), H. vaginalis Bentham (see species, cultivars, and varieties of Heliconia to 44 countries, Breedlove 47357 – MO), and H. wagneriana Petersen (see with incomes reaching about 440 million dollars (Diaz et Stevens 25115 – MO). al., 2002). Both Hawaiian and Colombian Heliconia where According to Kress (2001), H. champneiana is found produced in small cultivation areas (<1 km2 for Hawaii), from Southern Mexico to Nicaragua, but no detailed indicating how these plants can maximize the use of space. information on the species distribution in Mexico was Despite their ecological and economic values, geographic provided. Here, we complement his data by demonstrating distribution of native Heliconia remains poorly understood that the species is found in the region of Chajul, Chiapas. in Mexico. Heliconia latispatha occurs throughout the Neotropics, In this work we include 4 species of Heliconia that from Mexico to South America (Berry and Kress, 1991; represent the fi rst records for one of the most studied sites Gutiérrez-Baéz, 2000). In Mexico, this species can of the Mexican Lacandona: the Chajul Biological Station be found in the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, Oaxaca, (16°08’ N, 90°55’ W) and its vicinity in the southern limit Campeche, and Chiapas (Gutiérrez-Baéz, 2000). In the of the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (hereafter region state of Chiapas, particularly, there are records for the of Chajul). Species were observed in the localities of Chajul localities of Ostuacan, Tonalá, Escuintla, Yajalón, Tres (16°07’ N, 90°55’ W), Loma Bonita (16°06’ N, 90°59’ Picos, Huixtla, and Tapachula (Gutiérrez-Baéz, 2000). We W), Playón (16°10’ N, 90°53’ W) and in both margins of add the region of Chajul to this list. Heliconia vaginalis is the Lacantún River. A brief description of morphological found from Mexico to Colombia (Berry and Kress, 1991; and ecological traits of species is provided and its potential Gutiérrez-Baéz, 2000). In Mexico, it has been recognized use in biodiversity-friendly cropping systems is discussed. in Veracruz, Tabasco, Guerrero, and Chiapas. In Chiapas, New records were observed during a long-term research there are records for Palenque, Ursulo Galván, La Libertad, on Heliconia-pathogen-herbivore interaction. and now for the region of Chajul. Heliconia wagneriana To guarantee that fi ndings were actually new records, has the same distribution as H. vaginalis (from Mexico to we searched the recorded species in Berry and Kress (1991), Colombia) (Martínez et al., 1994; Berry and Kress, 1991), Martínez et al. (1994), and Gutiérrez-Baéz (1996, 2000). but in Mexico it has been only documented in Tacotalpa These publications provide useful information on the (Tabasco) and La Libertad (Chiapas) (Martínez et al. botany and ecology of Heliconia, permit accurate species 1994; CONABIO database). We expand southward its identifi cation in the fi eld, and join the available information distribution in Chiapas. on Heliconia distribution in Mexico. Because these studies Expanding the geographic distribution of plant species are more than 10 years old, we used ISI Web of Science, in highly diverse tropical rain forests is a signifi cant Google Scholar, the Missouri Botanical Garden database contribution toward the success of conservation initiatives. (Mesoamerica projects), and the CONABIO database With accurate geographic distributions we are able to (World Biodiversity Information Network – REMIB) to identify local biodiversity hotspots and conserve more search for recent records of Heliconia in Mexico. Since it species in smaller areas. Our bibliographic review revealed is easy to identify reproductive individuals of Heliconia that the Mexican Lacandona houses 14 native species of in the fi eld (see Berry and Kress, 1991), no botanical Heliconia (H. adfl exa, H. aurantiaca, H. champneiana, collection was done. Nevertheless, species determination H. collinsiana, H. dielsiana, H. latispatha, H. librata, was also supported by specialists in Heliconiaceae (W. J. H. psittacorum, H. rostrata, H. schiedeana, H. spissa, Kress)