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In situ Management and Patterns of Morphological Variation of Ceiba aesculifolia subsp. parvifolia (Bombacaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley

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Abstract

In situ Management and Patterns of Morphological Variation of Ceiba aesculifolia subsp. parvifolia (Bombacaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Archaeological studies in Mexico’s Tehuacán Valley that were conducted during the 1960s revealed that the prehistoric use of “pochote” Ceiba aesculifolia was mainly for its edible roots and seeds. Recent ethnobotanical studies in the villages of Coxcatlán, San Rafael, and San José Tilapa, municipality of Coxcatlán, Puebla, documented that currently seeds are the most important plant parts of this tree used in the region. Local people recognize three morphological types of pochote trees: the purple-reddish, the pale green, and the dark-green reddish fruit variants, the first two being preferred because of their larger and more abundant seeds. This study documents the patterns of morphological variation of C. aesculifolia in human-managed and unmanaged populations in the communities just mentioned in order to analyze whether management has been directed to favor abundance of morphological types preferred by people. The main morphological types named by people were characterized by morphometric studies, and their frequencies in populations under different management intensity were evaluated through vegetation sampling. The morphometric studies corroborated that the morphological types recognized by people are identifiable groups, whereas vegetation sampling revealed that pochote variants preferred by people (the purple-reddish fruit type) were relatively more abundant in human-managed areas than in natural vegetation. This information suggests the occurrence of artificial selection associated with in situ management of this plant species.

Resumen

Manejo in situ y patrones de variación morfológica de Ceiba aesculifolia subsp. parvifolia (Bombacaceae) en el Valle de Tehuacán–Cuicatlán. Estudios arqueológicos en el Valle de Tehuacán realizados durante los 1960s revelaron que el “pochote” Ceiba aesculifolia, fue usado en la prehistoria principalmente por sus raíces y semillas comestibles. Estudios etnobotánicos recientes en las comunidades de Coxcatlán, San Rafael y San José Tilapa, municipio de Coxcatlán, Puebla, han documentado que actualmente las semillas son la parte de este árbol que es más usada en la región, y que la gente local reconoce tres tipos morfológicos de frutos producidos por árboles de pochote: púrpura rojizo, verde pálido y verde obscuro rojizo, siendo los dos primeros los que son preferidos debido a que producen más semillas y de mayor tamaño. Este estudio documentó los patrones de variación morfológica de Ceiba aesculifolia en poblaciones no manejadas y manejadas por la gente de las comunidades anteriormente mencionadas, con el fin de analizar si el manejo ha favorecido la abundancia de los tipos morfológicos preferidos por la gente. Los principales tipos morfológicos reconocidos por la gente fueron caracterizados mediante estudios morfométricos y sus frecuencias en las poblaciones bajo diferentes intensidades de manejo fueron evaluadas a través de muestreos de vegetación. El estudio morfométrico reveló que los tipos morfológicos reconocidos por la gente corresponden a grupos identificables, mientras los muestreos de vegetación revelaron que las variantes preferidas por la gente (frutos púrpura rojizos) fueron relativamente más abundantes en las áreas manejadas que en la vegetación natural. La información sugiere la existencia de selección artificial asociada a manejo in situ de esta especie.

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Acknowledgements

This investigation was funded by the “Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología” through the project CONACyT 400389G35-450 under the responsibility of the last author during the period 2002–2006. We also thank the “Consejo Mexiquense de Ciencia y Tecnología” COMECYT for the funds provided to the first author. We would like to express our deep gratitude towards the people of Coxcatlán, San Rafael, and San José Tilapa, as well as to Dr. Raúl Cueva Del Castillo, Dr. Héctor Godínez Alvarez (UBIPRO, FES Iztacala, UNAM) for support on statistical analyses, and Edgar Pérez-Negrón for producing the map.

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  1. Laboratorio de Recursos Naturales, UBIPRO., F.E.S.-Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, Edo. de México, México

    Aidé Avendaño, Patricia Dávila & Rafael Lira

  2. Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, (Campus Morelia), Morelia Michoacán, México

    Alejandro Casas

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  1. Aidé Avendaño
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Correspondence to Rafael Lira.

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Avendaño, A., Casas, A., Dávila, P. et al. In situ Management and Patterns of Morphological Variation of Ceiba aesculifolia subsp. parvifolia (Bombacaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Econ Bot 63, 138–151 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-009-9083-6

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