Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 1101–1121, 2004.
# 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Endemic species of grasses in Mexico:
a phytogeographic approach
PATRICIA DÁVILA-ARANDA1,*, RAFAEL LIRA-SAADE1 and
JESÚS VALDÉS-REYNA2
1
Unidad de Biologı́a, Tecnologı́a y Prototipos, Facultad de Estudios Superiores-Iztacala, Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. De los Barrios 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla Edo. De México,
CP. 54090, Mexico; 2Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico; *Author
for correspondence (e-mail: pdavilaa@servidor.unam.mx)
Received 2 September 2002; accepted in revised form 4 April 2003
Key words: Biogeography, Conservation, Endemism, Mexico, Poaceae
Abstract. The Poaceae family includes approximately 700 genera and 10 000 species, and Mexico is
considered one of its most important centers of diversity and endemism. A total of 256 taxa (including 16
subspecific taxonomic units), belonging to 65 genera, are endemic to Mexico. Some of them are close
relatives of important crops, while others are used in different ways all over the country. The aim of this
paper is to discuss the distribution patterns at state level of the Mexican endemic species of Poaceae.
Using cluster strategies, the states are classified according to their floristic similarities. Later, hotspots of
endemism are identified, in order to discuss their role in conservation strategies. To evaluate the importance of each state in the conservation of the Mexican endemic Poaceae, two iterative complementarity methods were also used. Our results show that the largest concentration of endemic taxa
occurs in a few states, such as Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacán, Durango, Oaxaca, Veracruz, San Luis Potosi,
Chiapas, Chihuahua, Puebla, and Coahuila. The results also show that there are some patterns in the
relationship to its endemism that seem to reflect important diversification trends in the family. Accordingly, 31% of the grass genera of Mexico have at least one endemic species, and 16.7% of the genera
have only one endemic species. In contrast, six genera contribute 47.2% of the total number of grass
endemics in Mexico. The Chloridoideae contributes 42.9% of the total grass endemic species of Mexico,
whereas the Panicoideae includes 24.6%, and the Pooideae 19.8%. Thus, these three subfamilies contribute about 87% of the species endemism. On the basis of the habitat and distribution patterns of these
subfamilies, two main areas of endemicity can be identified. The first area is located in warm habitats,
whereas the second is related to temperate and high regions. The cluster analyses indicate the occurrence
of four state groups whose phytogeographical explanation is discussed on the basis of a floristic regionalization of Mexico. The results also indicate the need to establish a relatively high number of sites
and states for the conservation of 256 endemic taxa. The elevated number of sites required to conserve
the Mexican endemic Poaceae is mainly due to the fact that many taxa have a restricted distribution
pattern. On the basis of the patterns obtained, a few proposals are presented for undertaking the establishment of conservation priorities of these taxa.
Introduction
The widespread Poaceae family includes approximately 700 genera and 10 000
species (Clayton and Renvoize 1983), and Mexico is one of its most important
centers of diversity. According to recent taxonomic and floristic studies, 1000
species (940 wild and 60 cultivated) thrive in the Mexican territory (Valdés and
Dávila 1995).
1102
Over time many Poaceae species have had important biological, cultural, and
economic roles. Several species are among the plants that were first domesticated
by humans, and presently form part of the staple crops at world level. Some
Mexican and Latin American wild species have been identified as close relatives of
some of those crops, and others are employed in different ways by local people
(Mejı́a-Saules and Dávila 1992). On the other hand, many grass species are catalogued among the most aggressive existent weeds. A recently published catalogue
of Mexican weeds includes a total of 283 grass species (Villaseñor and Espinosa
1998).
Traditionally, species richness and levels of endemism have been considered
among the leading criteria for defining conservation strategies. Unfortunately, in the
case of the Poaceae these criteria rarely have been applied. Thus, although 65
genera and more than 200 out of the 940 Mexican wild species are endemic to the
country, and 60 of them are currently being used by rural people, they have not
been included in the inventories of Mexican endangered and/or threatened species.
Since determination of the geographical distribution patterns of organisms is an
essential requirement to propose strategies for their conservation, the aim of this
paper is to perform an analysis of the Mexican endemic Poaceae distribution at the
state level. With this information, we identify those states showing the highest
endemism rates, and discuss which states should have priority in implementing
conservation actions. The adoption of the state level for the analysis is based on the
fact that countries such as Mexico generally undertake conservation decisions
considering political, rather than natural boundaries.
Methods
Floristic and taxonomic bibliographic information, as well as a preliminary phytogeographical study of Mexican grasses (Delgadillo et al. 2003) and the database
of the first author are the main sources of information used in this work. The
classification followed in this work is according to Judziewickz et al. (2000),
Peterson et al. (2001) and the MO-w3 TROPICOS Database – New World Grasses
(http://mobot.mobot.org/W3T/).
In protected areas selection, hotspots are usually defined as areas of peak value in
terms of criteria such as species richness, endemism or rarity (Turpie et al. 2000).
Thus, we examined the patterns of endemism richness in the 32 Mexican states
(Figure 1), in order to evaluate whether any state hotspot could be identified for the
Mexican wild endemic genera and species in the Poaceae family.
A sound design of protected areas should take into consideration biogeographic
zonation (Turpie et al. 2000). Accordingly, a Mexican state zonation using cluster
analysis was produced. The analysis was performed by using the full distribution
data set of the Mexican endemic Poaceae. In order to identify hierarchical floristic
similarities among the 32 states, the Jaccard index of similarity, and the UPGMA
clustering method were used. The analysis was performed on a personal computer
using the statistical package NTSYS-PC (version 2.0), developed by Rohlf (1997).
1103
Figure 1. The 32 Mexican states. AGS ¼ Aguascalientes, BC ¼ Baja California, BCS ¼ Baja California
Sur, CAMP ¼ Campeche, CHIS ¼ Chiapas, CHIH ¼ Chihuahua, COA ¼ Coahuila, COL ¼ Colima,
DF ¼ Distrito Federal, DUR ¼ Durango, GTO ¼ Guanajuato, GRO ¼ Guerrero, HGO ¼ Hidalgo,
JAL ¼ Jalisco, MEX ¼ México, MICH ¼ Michoacán, MOR ¼ Morelos, NAY ¼ Nayarit, NL ¼ Nuevo
León, OAX ¼ Oaxaca, PUE ¼ Puebla, QR ¼ Quinatana Roo, QRO ¼ Querétaro, SLP ¼ San Luis Potosı́,
SIN ¼ Sinaloa, SON ¼ Sonora, TAB ¼ Tabasco, TAMP ¼ Tamaulipas, TLA ¼Tlaxcala, VER ¼Veracruz,
YUC ¼ Yucatán, ZAC ¼ Zacatecas.
In order to evaluate the importance of each state in the conservation of the
Mexican endemic Poaceae, two iterative complementarity methods were used.
Complementarity analysis is an iterative selection technique that identifies how a
target set of species can be conserved at the minimum number of sites (Pressey et al.
1993). The first method used was that proposed by Vane-Wright et al. (1991) and
the second by Rebelo (1994). Both methods were recently employed in a similar
study for the Mexican Asteraceae (Villaseñor et al. 1998) and Cucurbitaceae (Lira
et al. 2002).
The first method (Vane-Wright et al. 1991) selects areas to be protected on the
basis of the total taxa richness. In this case the following procedures were followed:
(1) the state with the greatest number of taxa was selected, and the taxa scored in
such a state were dropped from the analysis; (2) the procedure was repeated with
the remaining taxa (complement) that had not yet been selected in the former
procedure; (3) when in further iterations two or more states had the same complement, the state selected was that with the highest total number of taxa. If two or
1104
more states were still tied, the first state identified was selected; (4) the procedure
finished when all taxa had been selected.
The second method (Rebelo 1994) attempts to optimize a reserve system by
selecting the areas according to an endemicity score (ES). The ES is the sum of the
rarity values of all the attributes (in this study the Mexican endemic Poaceae taxa)
present in each unit or state. The rarity value of a particular taxon was calculated by
dividing, in each iteration, the total number of states by the number of states where
a particular taxon occurs. The following procedures were performed in sequence:
(1) the rarity value of each taxon and the ES of each state was determined; (2) the
state with the highest ES was selected, and the taxa already scored in the selected
state were dropped from the analysis; (3) the procedure was repeated with only
those taxa that had not yet been selected (complement), occurring in the nondropped states; (4) the procedure was replicated until all taxa were included at least
once in the selected states with higher ES. Following Villaseñor et al. (1998), when
the procedure yielded a tie, the state selection preference was done on the basis of
those states with the highest number of endemic taxa. When no endemic taxa were
present, the state with the highest number of taxa was selected.
Each state suggested by these methods as important for conservation, and the
cumulative numbers of total and endemic taxa were provided. In addition, the
protection frequency (occurrence frequencies) for each taxa was calculated, under
the assumption that at least one population of a taxon would be protected as many
times as it occurred in each selected state.
Results and discussion
Diversity and general distribution patterns
A total of 256 taxa (including 16 subspecific taxonomic units), belonging to 65
genera, were recorded as endemics (Appendix 1). The species figure represents the
25.6% of all the family’s diversity in the country, which is lower than the national
level of endemism (56%) (Rzedowski 1978, 1991) or that of several other families
well represented in the country, such as Asteraceae (65.7%) (Villaseñor 1990;
Villaseñor et al. 1998), Cucurbitaceae (49.6%) (Lira et al. 2002), Leguminosae
(51.8%) (Sousa and Delgado 1993), Lamiaceae (77%) (Ramamoorthy and Elliott
1998), or Acanthaceae (50%) (Daniel 1998). However, considering the cosmopolitan character and reproduction behavior of the family, the endemism rate can be
considered high.
Most of the endemic species of Poaceae distribute over almost all of its territory
(excluding the state of Tabasco, where no endemic species have been recorded).
However, the largest concentration of them occurs in several states (Table 1), such
as Jalisco (74 species), Mexico (61), Michoacán (49), Durango (46), Oaxaca (44),
Veracruz (42), San Luis Potosi (39), Chiapas (37), Chihuahua (36), Puebla (36), and
Coahuila (35). Besides their endemism richness, some of these states stand among
the floristically richest in the country (Table 2). For example, the states of Veracruz
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Table 1. Endemism level of the Poaceae family in the 32 Mexican states.
State
Total/endemic species
% Endemism
Jalisco
México
Michoacán
Durango
Oaxaca
Veracruz
San Luis Potosı́
Chiapas
Puebla
Chihuahua
Coahuila
Guanajuato
Nuevo León
Nayarit
Guerrero
Hidalgo
Tamaulipas
Distrito Federal
Morelos
Zacatecas
Sinaloa
Sonora
Colima
Aguascalientes
Querétaro
Baja California Sur
Tlaxcala
Yucatán
Baja California
Campeche
Quintana Roo
Tabasco
417/74
305/61
338/49
336/46
445/44
457/42
240/39
444/37
378/36
337/36
308/35
157/30
203/30
241/28
208/25
221/25
208/23
177/22
218/19
273/19
170/19
217/18
152/18
178/17
156/15
128/11
96/7
97/6
197/4
149/4
92/1
153/0
17.7
20.0
14.5
13.7
9.8
9.1
16.3
8.3
9.5
10.7
11.4
19.1
14.8
11.6
12.0
11.3
11.0
12.4
8.7
6.9
11.1
8.3
11.8
9.5
9.6
8.6
7.3
6.2
2.0
2.7
1.0
0.0
Table 2. The floristically richest Mexican states, ranked by the total number of
species and endemic taxa (between parentheses) of Poaceae and the other four
most important families they contain (ASTER ¼ Asteraceae, FABAC ¼ Fabaceae
s. l., ORCHI ¼ Orchidaceae, CUCUR ¼ Cucurbitaceae).
State
ASTER
FABAC
POACE
ORCHI
CUCUR
Oaxaca
Chiapas
Jalisco
Michoacán
Veracruz
Puebla
1(2)
5(9)
2(1)
3(3)
4(6)
8(5)
1(1)
2(6)
4(2)
5(3)
3(5)
9(7)
2(5)
1(8)
4(1)
6(5)
1(6)
5(9)
2(1)
1(2)
5(5)
6(6)
3(4)
7(7)
1(2)
2(11)
3(1)
4(3)
5(9)
8(5)
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Table 3. Species frequencies of Mexican Cucurbitaceae, grouped
on arithmetic scale units (x2 scale or log2) according to state
occurrences.
Number of states
Endemic species
1
2–4
5–9
10
102
93
49
12
and Oaxaca occupy the first and second place, respectively in relation to its endemism richness of Poaceae. In addition, they also rank within the first places for
its floristic richness in Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, and Fabaceae (Villaseñor 1990;
Rzedowski 1991; Lira et al. 2002; Villaseñor, personal communication).
The geographic distribution of Mexican endemic Poaceae allowed us to recognize relatively well defined patterns. Table 3 shows the number of state occurrences for each endemic species of Poaceae, based on a log2 scale (Octave scale
of Preston 1948). Thus, we considered four sets of species, on the basis of their
distribution patterns: (1) scarcely distributed (those species found only in one state);
(2) narrowly distributed (in 2–4 states); (3) normally distributed (in 5–9 states); (4)
widely distributed (recorded for 10 or more states).
Most of the members of the first group, such as Festuca hintoniana, are only
known from one or a few localities, while others are only known from just the type
collection, for example Schaffnerella gracilis. On the largest part of the scale are
found species that might be considered the widespread taxa. Interestingly, most of
the so-called widespread endemic species belong to the Chloridoideae and Panicoideae subfamilies occurring in the country. In the Chloridoideae, the most
widespread endemic species are: Bouteloua scorpioides, Hilaria ciliata and Muhlenbergia puebescens, among others. Within the Panicoideae the most widespread
species are: Pennisetum crinitum, Panicum decolorans and Urochloa meziana,
among others. Several of these grasses correspond to weedy or ruderal species that
can inhabit disturbed habitats or edges of modified plant communities, such as
pine–oak forests or tropical deciduous forests. Urochloa meziana seems to be the
endemic species most widely distributed (19 states), and in some regions it is
considered a weed that can hardly be eradicated.
Despite the cosmopolitan character of the Poaceae, our results show that grass
endemism reflects important diversification trends in some genera of the family.
Accordingly, the data of this work shows that 31% of the grass genera of Mexico
have at least one endemic species. In addition, 16.7% of the genera have only one
endemic species, whereas another six genera contribute 47.2% to the total Poaceae
endemism in Mexico. These genera are: 1. Muhlenbergia (47); 2. Bouteloua (23); 3.
Paspalum (16); 4. Festuca (15); 5. Sporobolus (10); 6. Aristida (10).
At the subfamily level, some general endemism patterns can be observed. The
Chloridoideae contributes 42.9% of the total grass endemic species of Mexico,
1107
Figure 2. Floristic similarities among 31 Mexican states based on Mexican Poaceae endemic species.
Similarity coefficient used: Jaccard; clustering method: UPGMA.
whereas the Panicoideae includes 24.6% and the Pooideae 19.8%. Accordingly,
with these three subfamilies about 87% of the species endemism for the whole
family is explained. On the basis of the habitat and distribution patterns of these
subfamilies, it seems that two areas of endemism can be observed. The first one
reflects an endemicity region located in warm habitats, which can be dry (in
Chloridoideae) or humid (in Panicoideae). On the other hand, the second endemicity area is related to temperate and high regions such as the mountains of the
country (Pooideae).
State regionalization
The results of the cluster analyses indicate the occurrence of several state groupings
(Figures 2 and 3), which show some relationship with the hierarchical arrangement obtained when using the crude data (Table 1). Thus, the dendrogram in
Figure 2 distinguishes four main groups, which are described in the following
paragraphs.
Group 1. This group includes most of the Mexican states (20). Three main subgroups can be distinguished. The first subgroup (1A) includes nine states from
northern-central and central Mexico. Most of these states (Aguascalientes, San Luis
Potosı́, Durango, Zacatecas, etc.) are part of the so-called Mexican High Plateau
Province proposed by Rzedowski (1978), where arid and semi-arid zones are very
1108
Figure 3. Distribution of the groups derived from the cluster analysis.
1109
Figure 4. Floristic regionalization of Mexico, according to Rzedowski (1978).
well represented. The second subgroup (1B) includes states from southern and
southeastern Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, and Puebla). Finally, the third
subgroup (1C) is formed by states from central and western Mexico (Distrito
Federal, México, Michoacán, Jalisco, Guerrero, and Morelos). The state of Colima
is also joined to group 1, although at a relatively low similarity value. Some of the
species represented in group 1 are Agrostis rosei, A. bourgaei, Andropogon pringlei,
Blepharoneuron shepherdii, Chaboissaea ligulata, and Olmeca reflexa.
Group 2. This group includes three states from northeastern Mexico that are
geographically very close together (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas). Some
of the species that are exclusive to this group are Brachypodium pringlei, Bromus
densus, Festuca pinetorum, F. valdesii, Piptochaetium angustifolium, and Achnatherum editorum.
Group 3. This group includes five states from northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Nayarit, and Sinaloa). Some representative
species of this group are Bouteloua annua, B. reflexa, and Distichlis palmeri.
Group 4. This group is placed in the lower part of the dendrogram, and it is joined
at a relatively low similarity value to the remaining groups. It is formed by three
states of the Yucatan Peninsula (Campeche, Yucatán, and Qintana Roo) in southeastern Mexico. The most representative species of this group are Gounia papillosa, Paspalum sparsum, P. mayanum, and Schizachyrium gaumeri.
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Table 4. Hierarchical arrangement of Mexican states according to the results obtained with the iterative
methods of Vane-Wright et al. (1991) and Rebelo (1994). The numbers in parentheses correspond to the
accumulated taxa in each iteration.
State
Vane-Wright et al.’s method
State
Rebelo’s method
Jalisco
México
Coahuila
Veracruz
Durango
Chiapas
Oaxaca
Chihuahua
Baja California Sur
Colima
Nayarit
Nuevo León
San Luis Potosı́
Michoacán
Baja California
Guerrero
Tamaulipas
Yucatán
Puebla
Aguascalientes
Sinaloa
Sonora
Zacatécas
74
34
30
19
15
12
10
8
8
6
6
6
6
4
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
Jalisco
Coahuila
México
Veracruz
Chihuahua
Chiapas
Oaxaca
Durango
Colima
Nayarit
Baja California Sur
Nuevo León
San Luis Potosı́
Michoacán
Guerrero
Tamaulipas
Baja California
Yucatán
Aguascalientes
Sinaloa
Sonora
Zacatecas
Puebla
74
32
32
19
14
11
10
10
6
7
7
6
6
4
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
2
(74)
(108)
(138)
(157)
(172)
(184)
(194)
(202)
(210)
(216)
(222)
(228)
(234)
(238)
(241)
(244)
(247)
(250)
(252)
(253)
(254)
(255)
(256)
(74)
(106)
(138)
(157)
(171)
(182)
(192)
(202)
(208)
(215)
(222)
(228)
(234)
(238)
(241)
(244)
(247)
(250)
(251)
(252)
(253)
(254)
(256)
Floristic regionalization
The groups obtained by the cluster analysis (Figure 2) can be broadly explained,
from the biogeographical point of view, when the floristic regionalization proposed
by Rzedowski (1978) is used (Figure 4). Group 1 includes different phytogeographical kingdoms, regions and provinces that are arranged in a complex topographic, climatic and floristic mosaic. Indeed, it represents the well known
complexity of the country, in relation to its geological and biological history.
Subgroup 1A basically belongs to the Mexican High Plateau Province of the
Xerophytic Region, in the Neotropical Kingdom. With respect to subgroups 1B and
1C, they are located in two different floristic kingdoms (Holartic and Neotropical)
and consequently, various regions and provinces are involved.
Group 2 belongs to two different floristic provinces (Mexican High Plateau and
Northeastern Coast Plateau) that are part of the Mexican Xerophytic Region of the
Neotropical Kingdom. In contrast, Group 3 is located in both the Mexican Xerophytic and Caribbean Region of the Neotropical Kingdom. Finally, Group 4 belongs to the Yucatan Peninsula Floristic Province in the Caribbean Region of the
Neotropical Kingdom.
1111
Accordingly, although the biogeographical explanation of the Mexican grass endemism is complex, it is possible to observe that, except for subgroup 1C, the
remaining groups have a strong biogeographical affinity to the Mexican Xerophytic
Region. In addition, there is also an important biogeographical affinity to the
Caribbean Region (subgroups 1B and 1C, Groups 3 and 4). Finally, a lower affinity to
the Mesoamerican Montane Region (only subgroups 1B and 1C) is also observed.
Complementarity analyses
The results obtained from the two complementarity analyses were strongly consistent (Table 4). Thus, in both cases the same 24 states were required to establish
an adequate conservation strategy that can enable the protection of the Mexican
endemic Poaceae. The only difference observed is the hierarchical arrangement of
some states. These results are also strongly correlated with the general distribution
patterns of endemism shown in Tables 1 and 2. They suggest that for this family, at
least at the state level, there is an important correlation between total plant diversity
and endemism rates. Similar results have been recorded in the country for other
plant groups, such as genera of Asteraceae (Villaseñor et al. 1998) and wild Cucurbitaceae (Lira et al. 2002).
Conclusions
The results obtained from the three methods used are strongly consistent, although
the most useful seem to be the iterative ones. Most of the results can be broadly
explained by floristic arguments. However, the fact that the state assemblages are not
biologically based, limits a clear understanding of their biogeographical affinities.
The results also indicate the need to establish a relatively high number of sites
and states (24) for the conservation of 256 taxa. However, if the raw data or the
biogeographic regions were used directly, the number of taxa will be still higher.
The elevated number of sites required to conserve the Mexican endemic species of
Poaceae is mainly due to the fact that 102 taxa out of 256 have a restricted
distribution pattern (Table 3). Accordingly, an optimal reserve system for this plant
group can only be obtained by the establishment of conservation priorities for
various taxa or plant groups. A first possibility, for undertaking a feasible conservation strategy for the endemic grasses of Mexico, will be by combining our
results with those similarly obtained for other plant or animal groups. However, this
kind of information is still scarce. With respect to plants, useful data can be obtained from Villaseñor et al. (1998) on the Asteraceae and Lira et al. (2002) on the
Cucurbitaceae, but as far as we know, not many other useful data are available.
A second possibility for undertaking a conservation strategy of these endemic
species can be targeted by using the combination of those results obtained by iterative
methods with those obtained from the cluster analysis. For instance, the cluster
analysis results of this work highlight the importance of western and northwestern
1112
Mexico (states of Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Baja California). Consequently, it
seems feasible to propose a reserve system mostly focused to protect those species
inhabiting the tropical deciduous forest, thorn forest or xerophytic shrublands of
western and northwestern Mexico (Xerophytic Region). On the other hand, conservation strategies in the southern and eastern portion of the country (states of
Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, and Veracruz) mostly should focus on the
protection of those species inhabiting the tropical forests, including both the rain
(Caribbean Region) and cloud forests (Mesoamerican Montane Region).
An additional difficulty for establishing conservation priorities in the Poaceae is
the lack of biological and ecological information on most of the endemic species,
including data on their population status and complete knowledge of their distribution patterns. On the other hand, a conservation proposal that might include
several endemic species of Poaceae can be strongly criticized, due to the fact that
several species are considered weeds, at least locally. However, it is important to
know that at least 60 of them are currently used in the rural areas of Mexico and
their abundance could probably be related to traditional management strategies. It is
worthwhile to remember that many of these species have been recognized as close
relatives of economically important cultivars, and undoubtedly represent potential
genetic resources for their further genetic improvement. Finally, at least the geographically restricted endemic species and those shared with the southern region of
the United States and northern Central America should be analyzed in a biological
study by which relevant conservation data will surely be obtained.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the National commission for the knowledge and use of biodiversity
from Mexico (CONABIO) for the financial support to undertake the research leading
to this article (project CONABIO U031). In addition, we are also grateful to Dr. José
Luis Villaseñor (Instituto de Biologı́a, UNAM) for sharing some grass diversity state
data that helped us to perform part of the analysis used in this paper. Figure 4 was
done by Adriana Espinosa and Miguel Pérez, from the Coordinación de Recursos de
Apoyo a la Práctica Académica of FES-Iztacala, UNAM.
Appendix
List of the Mexican endemic taxa of Poaceae and their distribution in the Mexican
states. See Figure 1 for the acronyms of the state names.
Achnatherum acutum (Swallen) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth: COA.
A. altum (Swallen) Hoge & Barkworth: COA.
A. bracteatum (Swallen) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth: BC.
A. constrictum (Hitchc.) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth: HGO, MEX, NL, OAX,
TAMP, VER.
1113
A. editorum (E. Fourn.) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth: COA, NL, TAMP, VER.
A. hirticulme (S.L. Hatch, Valdés-Reyna & Morden) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth:
COA, NL.
A. multinode (Scribn. ex Beal) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth: CHIH, COA, NL, PUE.
Aegopogon solisii G.A. Levin: COL.
Agrostis bourgeaei E. Fourn.: DF, GTO, HGO, MEX, MICH, TLA.
A. calderoniae Acosta: MEX.
A. ghiesbreghtii E. Fourn.: CHIS, GRO, HGO, MOR, OAX, PUE, VER.
A. liebmannii (E. Fourn.) Hitchc.: DUR, MEX, OAX, PUE, QRO.
A. novogaliciana McVaugh: JAL.
A. rosei Scribn. & Merr.: DUR, ZAC.
A. schaffneri E. Fourn.: CHIS, DF, MEX, MICH, MOR, OAX, PUE, QRO, TLA.
Andropogon liebmannii Hack.: JAL, MEX, MICH, NAY, OAX, PUE, VER.
A. pringlei Scribn. & Merr.: CHIS, DF, JAL, MEX, MICH, OAX, PUE, VER.
A. spadiceus Swallen: COA.
Anthaenantia villaregalis (McVaugh & R. Guzmán) Espejo & López-Ferrari: JAL.
Aristida appressa Vasey: CAMP, CHIS, DF, DUR, GTO, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR,
OAX, PUE, YUC.
A. curvifolia E. Fourn.: CHIS, COA, DUR, NL, PUE, SLP, ZAC.
A. eludens Allred & Valdés-Reyna: CHIH, COA, DUR, GTO, NL, OAX, QRO,
SLP.
A. gypsophila Beetle: CHIH, COA, SLP.
A. hitchcockiana Henrard: GTO, JAL, NAY, OAX, PUE, QRO, ZAC.
A. jaliscana R. Guzmán & V. Jaram.: GTO, JAL.
A. petersonii Allred & Valdés-Reyna: OAX.
A. scribneriana Hitchc.: AGS, DUR, GTO, GRO, JAL, MICH.
A. tenuifolia Hitchc.: COL.
A. tuitensis Sánchez-Ken & Dávila : JAL.
Aulonemia fulgor Soderstr.: OAX, VER.
Axonopus arsenei Swallen: COL, DF, MEX, MICH.
A. deludens Chase : JAL, NAY.
A. multipes Swallen: VER.
A. poiophyllus Chase: CHIS, VER.
A. rosei (Scribn. & Merr.) Chase: NAY.
Bealia mexicana Scribn. ex Beal: CHIH, DUR.
Blepharoneuron shepherdii (Vasey) P.M. Peterson & Annable: CHIH, DUR, SON.
1114
Bothriochloa hirtifolia (J. Presl) Henrard: CHIS, DF, GTO, GRO, JAL, MEX,
MICH, MOR, OAX, PUE, VER.
B. saccharoides (Sw.) Rydb. ssp. reevesii (Gould) Allred & Gould: COA.
Bouteloua annua Swallen: BCS, SON.
B. barbata Lag. var. sonorae (Griffiths) Gould: BCS, SIN, SON.
B. bracteata (McVaugh) Columbus: MICH.
B. chasei Swallen: COA, NL, SLP, ZAC.
B. chihuahuana (M.C. Johnst.) Columbus: CHIH.
B. curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. var. tenuis Gould & Kapadia: JAL, ZAC.
B. distans Swallen: OAX.
B. elata Reeder & C. Reeder: CHIS, COL, GRO, JAL, NAY, OAX.
B. eriostachya (Swallen) Reeder: COA.
B. johnstonii Swallen: COA.
B. karwinskii (E. Fourn.) Griffiths: COA, NL, SLP, TAMP, ZAC.
B. multifidum (Griffiths) Columbus: GRO, MEX, OAX, TAMP.
B. nervata Swallen: HGO, MEX.
B. parryi (E. Fourn.) Griffiths var. gentryi (Gould) Gould: SIN.
B. pedicellata Swallen: HGO, PUE, TLA.
B. polymorpha (E. Fourn.) Columbus: AGS, COL, DUR, GTO, GRO, HGO, NAY,
PUE, SLP, SON, TLA.
B. purpurea Gould & Kapadia: DF, GTO, HGO, MEX, MICH, QRO, SLP.
B. quiriegoensis Beetle: SON.
B. reederorum Columbus: AGS, DUR, OAX, PUE, SLP, ZAC.
B. reflexa Swallen: BCS, NAY, SIN, SON.
B. scorpioides Lag.: AGS, CHIH, DF, DUR, GTO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MOR, OAX,
PUE, QRO, SLP, TAMP, TLA, ZAC.
B. uniflora Vasey var. coahuilensis Gould & Kapadia, AGS, COA, NL, SLP, TAMP,
ZAC.
B. varia (Swallen) Columbus: OAX, PUE.
Brachypodium pringlei Scribn. ex Beal: COA, NL, TAMP.
Bromus attenuatus Swallen: HGO, NL.
B. densus Swallen: COA, NL, TAMP.
B. meyeri Swallen: NL.
Calamagrostis erectifolia Hitchc.: COL, JAL, PUE.
C. orizabae Steud.: DF, MEX, MOR, OAX, PUE, VER.
C. valida Sohns: JAL, MICH, SIN.
Cenchrus palmeri Vasey: BC, BCS, SIN, SON.
Ctenium planifolium (J. Presl) Kunth: CHIS, OAX.
1115
C. plumosum (Hitchc.) Swallen: JAL, NAY, SIN.
Chaboissaea decumbens (Swallen) Reeder & C. Reeder: CHIH.
C. ligulata E. Fourn: AGS, CHIS, DF, DUR, GTO, JAL, MEX, SLP.
C. subbiflora (Hitchc.) Reeder & C. Reeder: DUR.
Chusquea aperta L.G. Clark: OAX.
C. bilimekii E. Fourn.: MEX.
C. circinata Soderstr. & C.E. Calderón: MICH, OAX.
C. galeottiana Rupr. ex Munro: OAX.
C. glauca L.G. Clark: VER.
C. mulleri Munro: VER.
C. perotensis L.G. Clark, G. Cortés & Cházaro: OAX, VER.
C. repens L.G. Clark & Londoño ssp. oaxacensis: L.G. Clark & Londoño: OAX.
C. repens L.G. Clark & Londoño ssp. repens: CHIS.
Danthonia filifolia F.T. Hubb.: CHIS, HGO, PUE.
Deschampsia liebmanniana (E. Fourn.) Hitchc.: DF, JAL, MEX, MICH, PUE, VER.
Dichanthelium dichotomum (L.) Gould var. dichotomum: HGO, MEX.
D. macrospermum Gould: SLP.
Digitaria breedlovei R.W. Pohl & Davidse: CHIS.
D. distans (Chase ex Hitchc.) Fernald: JAL.
Distichlis palmeri (Vasey) Fassett: BC, SON.
D. spicata (L.) Greene var. mexicana Beetle: DUR.
Echinochloa jaliscana McVaugh: GTO, JAL, MEX, MICH.
Elymus pringlei Scribn. & Merr.: COA, GTO, HGO, MEX, NL, PUE, QRO, SLP,
TAMP.
Enteropogon brandegei (Vasey ex Brandegee) Clayton: BCS.
E. chlorideus (J. Presl) Clayton: CHIS, MOR, VER.
Eragrostis glandulosa L.H. Harv.: GRO.
E. hirta E. Fourn. var. longiramea (Swallen) Whiterspoon: TAMP.
E. plumbea Scribn. ex Beal: AGS, COL, GTO, MICH, PUE, SLP, VER.
E. pringlei Mattei: CHIH, DUR, JAL, MICH, ZAC.
Festuca bajacaliforniana M. González & S.D. Koch: BC.
F. bidenticulata E.B. Alexeev: VER.
1116
F. coahuilana M. González & S.D. Koch: COA.
F. diclina Darbysh.: CHIH.
F. hintoniana E.B. Alexeev: COA, NL.
F. jaliscana E.B. Alexeev: COL, JAL.
F. livida (Kunth) Willd ex Sprengel: CHIS. MEX, PUE, VER.
F. orizabensis E.B. Alexeev: CHIS, DF, DUR, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR, VER.
F. pinetorum Swallen: COA, NL, TAMP.
F. pringlei St.-Yves: CHIH, DUR, JAL.
F. roblensis M. González: ZAC.
F. rosei Piper: AGS, CHIS, DF, DUR, GRO, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR, PUE, QRO,
SLP, TLA, VER.
F. rzedowskiana E.B. Alexeev: MEX.
F. tancitaröensis M. González & S.D. Koch: MICH.
F. valdesii M. González & S.D. Koch: COA, NL, TAMP.
Gouldochloa curvifolia Valdés-Reyna, Morden & Hatch: TAMP.
Gouinia isabelensis J.J. Ortiz: NAY.
G. mexicana (Scribn.) Vasey: SLP.
G. papillosa Swallen: QR, YUC.
G. virgata (J. Presl.) Scribn. var. robusta J.J. Ortı́z: GRO.
Hilaria annua Reeder & C. Reeder: COL.
H. ciliata (Scribn.) Nash: BCS, CHIH, COL, GTO, GRO, JAL, MICH, NAY, OAX,
QRO, SLP, SON, TAMP, VER.
H. hintonii Sohns: GRO, MEX, MICH, MOR, QRO.
H. semplei Sohns: MICH.
Ixophorus unisetus (J. Presl.) Schltdl.: COL, JAL.
Leersia ligularis Trin. var. ligularis: VER.
Leptochloa aquatica Scribn. & Merr.: GRO, JAL, MICH, MOR, NAY, SIN.
Luziola fluitans (Michx.) Terrell & H. Rob. var. oconnorii (R. Guzmán) G.C.
Tucker: JAL.
Metcalfia mexicana (Scribn.) Conert: CHIS, COA, HGO, MEX, NL, OAX, PUE,
QRO, SLP, TAMP.
Muhlenbergia aguascalientensis Y. Herrera & De La Cerda-Lemus: AGS.
M. alamosae Vasey: AGS, BCS, CHIH, DF, GTO, JAL, MEX, SIN, SON.
M. annua (Vasey) Swallen: CHIH, DUR.
M. argentea Vasey: CHIH.
1117
M. brandegei C. Reeder: BCS.
M. brevifolia Scribn. ex Beal: DUR, GTO, JAL, NAY.
M. breviseta Griseb. ex E. Fourn.: GRO, JAL, MEX, MICH, NAY, VER.
M. brevivaginata Swallen: JAL, NAY, ZAC.
M. capillipes (M.E. Jones) P.M. Peterson & Annable: CHIH.
M. cualensis Y. Herrera & P.M. Peterson: JAL.
M. durangensis Y. Herrera: DUR.
M. elongata Scribn.: CHIH, SON.
M. eriophylla Swallen: DUR, MEX, MICH.
M. flavida Vasey: CHIH, DUR, JAL, NAY, SIN, SON.
M. flaviseta Scribn: CHIH, DUR.
M. gigantea (E. Fourn.) Hitchc.: CHIS, GRO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MICH, OAX,
PUE, SLP, SIN, VER.
M. grandis Vasey: JAL, NAY, SIN, SON.
M. gypsophila C. Reeder & Reeder: COA, NL, SLP.
M. hintonii Swallen: MEX, VER.
M. iridifolia Soderstr.: JAL.
M. jaime-hintonii P.M. Peterson & Valdés-Reyna: NL.
M. jaliscana Swallen: JAL.
M. laxa Hitchc.: VER.
M. longiglumis Vasey: AGS, DUR, JAL, ZAC.
M. lucida Swallen: CHIH.
M. macroura (Kunth) Hitchc.: CHIS, MICH.
M. majalcensis P.M. Peterson: CHIH.
M. michisensis Y. Herrera & P.M. Peterson: DUR.
M. mutica (Rupr. ex E. Fourn.) Hitchc.: CHIS, VER.
M. pilosa P.M. Peterson, Wipff & S.D. Jones: GRO, MEX.
M. pubescens (Kunth) Hitchc.: AGS, CHIH, COL, DF, DUR, GTO, HGO, JAL,
MEX, OAX, PUE, SLP, ZAC.
M. pubigluma Swallen: COA, NL.
M. purpusii Mez: CHIH, COA, SLP, TAMP.
M. reederorum Soderstr.: DUR.
M. schimtzii Hack.: CHIH, HGO, MEX, MICH.
M. scoparia Vasey: CHIH, JAL, MICH, NAY, SIN, SON.
M. seatonii Scribn.: DF, PUE.
M. speciosa Vasey: CHIH, DUR, JAL, NAY, SIN.
M. spiciformis Trin.: CHIS, HGO, MICH, OAX, QRO, VER.
M. stricta (J. Presl) Kunth: COL, GTO, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR, NAY, VER,
ZAC.
M. strictior Beal: CHIH, DUR, MEX, SON.
M. subaristata Swallen: DUR, JAL, MEX, OAX, VER.
M. villiflora Hitchc. var. villiflora: TAMP.
M. virescens (Kunth) Trin.: AGS, COA, DUR, GTO, JAL, SLP, ZAC.
M. virletii (E. Fourn.) Soderstr.: DUR, MEX, MICH, MOR, PUE, SLP, TLA, ZAC.
1118
M. watsoniana Hitchc.: JAL, SLP.
M. xanthodas Soderstr.: CHIS.
Nassella mexicana (Hitchc.) R.W. Pohl: CHIS, DF, HGO, MEX, PUE.
Olmeca recta Soderstr.: VER.
O. reflexa Soderstr.: CHIS, OAX, VER.
P. aztecanum Zuloaga & Morrone: DF, JAL, MEX, MICH, SIN.
P. crateriferum Sohns: GRO, OAX.
P. decolorans Kunth: CHIH, DUR, GTO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MICH, OAX, PUE,
QRO, SLP, SIN.
P. longum Hitchc. & Chase: VER.
P. manantlense R. Guzmán: JAL.
P. multiglandulosum Sánchez-Ken & Dávila: JAL.
P. tamaulipense F.R. Waller & Morden: SLP, TAMP.
P. vaseyanum Scribn. ex Beal: AGS, CHIS, CHIH, DF, GTO, GRO, JAL, MEX, MICH.
Paspalum arsenei Chase: JAL, MICH, NAY, PUE.
P. crinitum Chase ex Hitchc.: COA, DUR, JAL, NL, PUE, SLP.
P. erectum Chase: COL.
P. guayanerum Beetle: NAY, SIN.
P. hintonii Chase: MEX, MICH, NAY.
P. leptachne Chase: NAY.
P. longicuspe Nash: CHIS, GRO, JAL, MICH, MOR, NAY, OAX, SIN, VER.
P. longum Chase ex I.M. Johnst.: COL.
P. luxurians R. Guzmán & L. Rico: COL, JAL, MEX.
P. mayanum Chase ex Swallen: CAMP, YUC.
P. mutabile Chase: HGO, OAX, TAMP, SLP.
P. nelsonii Chase: CHIS.
P. palmeri Chase: JAL, MOR, SON.
P. sparsum Chase ex Swallen: CAMP, YUC.
P. tolucencis R. Guzmán: MEX.
P. virletii E. Fourn.: CHIS, GTO, SLP, SON.
Pennisetum crinitum (Kunth) Spreng.: AGS, CHIS, DUR, GTO, JAL, MEX, MICH,
MOR, NAY, PUE, VER, ZAC.
P. durum Scribn. ex Beal: CHIH, OAX.
P. prolificum Chase: GRO, OAX, VER.
Peyritschia koeleroides (Peyr.) E. Fourn.: MEX, MICH, OAX, PUE, VER.
Piptochaetium angustifolium (Hitchc.) Valencia & Costas: COA, NL, TAMP.
P. brevicalyx (E. Fourn) Ricker: DF, DUR, GTO, HGO, MEX, NL, PUE, SLP.
1119
Poa mulleri Swallen: NL.
P. sharpii Swallen: VER.
Reederochloa eludens Soderstr. & H.F. Decker: DUR, SLP.
Rhipidocladum martinezii Davidse & R.W. Pohl : CHIS.
Schaffnerella gracilis (Benth.) Nash: SLP.
Schizachyrium gaumeri Nash: CAMP, CHIS, MEX, YUC.
Setaria latifolia (Scribn.) R.A.W. Herrm.: DUR, JAL.
S. palmeri Henrard: BCS.
Setariopsis latiglumis (Vasey) Scribn.: CHIS, CHIH, MICH, MOR, PUE.
Soderstromia mexicana (Scribn.) C.V. Morton: GRO.
Sohnsia filifolia (E. Fourn.) Airy Shaw: QRO, SLP.
Sorghastrum pohlianum Dávila, L.I. Cabrera & Lira: COL.
Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr subsp. regis (I.M. Johnst.) Wipff & S.D. Jones:
COA.
S. atrovirens (Kunth) Kunth: BCS, DUR, TAMP, YUC.
S. coahuilensis Valdés-Reyna: COA.
S. hintonii T.G. Hartley: MEX.
S. palmeri Scribn.: COA, DUR, SLP.
S. potosiensis Wipff & S.D. Jones: SLP.
S. spiciformis Swallen:, CHIH, COA, NL.
S. splendens Swallen: CHIS, JAL, NAY, OAX.
S. trichodes Hitchc.: CHIH, GTO, GRO, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR, VER.
S. viscidus Sohns: MEX.
Steinchisma cuprea (Hitchc. & Chase) W.V. Br.: DUR, GTO, MEX, MICH,
PUE.
Triniochloa talpensis M. González & Gómez-Sánchez: JAL.
Tripsacum manisuroides de Wet & J.R. Harlan: CHIS.
Trisetum curvisetum Morden & Valdés-Reyna: NL.
T. filifolium Scribn. ex Beal: CHIH, COA, DUR, HGO.
T. mexicanum (Swallen) S.D. Koch: JAL, MEX.
T. virletii E. Fourn.: CHIS, DF, GTO, GRO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MICH, VER.
1120
Tristachya angustifolia Hitchc.: NAY.
T. contrerasii R. Guzmán: JAL.
T. laxa Scribn. & Merr.: DUR, NAY, SIN.
T. papilosa R. Guzmán: NAY.
Tuctoria fragilis (Swallen) Reeder: BCS.
Urochloa discifera (E. Fourn.) Morrone & Zuloaga: AGS, DUR, GTO, JAL, MICH,
OAX, SLP.
U. meziana (Hitchc.) Morrone & Zuloaga: AGS, CHIH, COA, COL, DF, DUR,
GTO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MICH, NL, OAX, PUE, QRO, SLP, TAMP, VER, ZAC.
U. ophryodes (Chase) Morrone & Zuloaga: NL, TAMP.
U. venosa (Swallen) Morrone & Zuloaga: MICH.
Zea diploperennis H.H. Iltis, Doebley & R. Guzmán: JAL.
Z. mays L. ssp. mexicana (Schrad.) H.H. Iltis: CHIS.
Z. perennis (Hitchc.) Reeves & Mangelsd.: JAL.
Zeugites capillaris (Hitchc.) Swallen: GRO, JAL, MEX, MICH, OAX, VER.
Z. hackelii Swallen: JAL, SIN.
Z. hintonii T.G. Hartley: MEX.
Z. latifolia (Rupr. ex E. Fourn.) Hemsl., CHIS, GRO, JAL, OAX.
Z. sagittata T.G. Hartley: MEX.
Z. smilacifolia Scribn.: GRO, HGO, JAL, MEX, MICH, MOR.
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