Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico
<i>Melothria pendula</i> L., a wild relative of cucurbit crops, is also used for food and as a medicinal plant in Mexico. The objective of this study was to ecogeographically characterize the known populations of <i>M. pendula</i> in Mexico, determining its adaptive range and...
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2024-09-01
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| author | Rosalinda González-Santos Luis Hernández-Sandoval Mauricio Parra-Quijano |
| author_facet | Rosalinda González-Santos Luis Hernández-Sandoval Mauricio Parra-Quijano |
| author_sort | Rosalinda González-Santos |
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| description | <i>Melothria pendula</i> L., a wild relative of cucurbit crops, is also used for food and as a medicinal plant in Mexico. The objective of this study was to ecogeographically characterize the known populations of <i>M. pendula</i> in Mexico, determining its adaptive range and possible sites for in situ and ex situ conservation. To achieve this goal, we compiled a dataset of 1270 occurrences of <i>M. pendula</i> from herbarium and botanical databases and individual observations. Adaptive scenarios were generated through the development of an ecogeographic land characterization (ELC) map, preceded by the identification of abiotic variables influencing the species’ distribution. Eleven bioclimatic, edaphic, and geophysical variables were found to be important for the species’ distribution. The ELC map obtained contained 21 ecogeographic categories, with 14 exhibiting the presence of <i>M. pendula.</i> By analyzing ecogeographic representativeness, 111 sites of high interest were selected for the efficient collection of <i>M. pendula</i> in Mexico. Eight high-priority hotspots for future in situ conservation of <i>M. pendula</i> were also identified based on their high ecogeographic diversity, with only three of these hotspots located within protected natural areas. In this study, ecogeographic approaches show their potential utility in conservation prioritization when genetic data are scarce, a very common condition in crop wild relatives. |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0cda13520aa24bd2b19a39191a65a88d2025-08-20T01:55:48ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-09-011318257210.3390/plants13182572Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in MexicoRosalinda González-Santos0Luis Hernández-Sandoval1Mauricio Parra-Quijano2Laboratorio de Botánica, LANIVEG, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro C.P. 76230, MexicoLaboratorio de Botánica, LANIVEG, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro C.P. 76230, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Ciudad Universitaria, Bogotá 14490, Colombia<i>Melothria pendula</i> L., a wild relative of cucurbit crops, is also used for food and as a medicinal plant in Mexico. The objective of this study was to ecogeographically characterize the known populations of <i>M. pendula</i> in Mexico, determining its adaptive range and possible sites for in situ and ex situ conservation. To achieve this goal, we compiled a dataset of 1270 occurrences of <i>M. pendula</i> from herbarium and botanical databases and individual observations. Adaptive scenarios were generated through the development of an ecogeographic land characterization (ELC) map, preceded by the identification of abiotic variables influencing the species’ distribution. Eleven bioclimatic, edaphic, and geophysical variables were found to be important for the species’ distribution. The ELC map obtained contained 21 ecogeographic categories, with 14 exhibiting the presence of <i>M. pendula.</i> By analyzing ecogeographic representativeness, 111 sites of high interest were selected for the efficient collection of <i>M. pendula</i> in Mexico. Eight high-priority hotspots for future in situ conservation of <i>M. pendula</i> were also identified based on their high ecogeographic diversity, with only three of these hotspots located within protected natural areas. In this study, ecogeographic approaches show their potential utility in conservation prioritization when genetic data are scarce, a very common condition in crop wild relatives.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/18/2572representativenessunderutilized specieshotspotELC mapsabiotic adaptation |
| spellingShingle | Rosalinda González-Santos Luis Hernández-Sandoval Mauricio Parra-Quijano Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico Plants representativeness underutilized species hotspot ELC maps abiotic adaptation |
| title | Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico |
| title_full | Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico |
| title_short | Spatial Analysis of the Ecogeographic Diversity of Wild Creeping Cucumber (<i>Melothria pendula</i> L.) for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation in Mexico |
| title_sort | spatial analysis of the ecogeographic diversity of wild creeping cucumber i melothria pendula i l for in situ and ex situ conservation in mexico |
| topic | representativeness underutilized species hotspot ELC maps abiotic adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/18/2572 |
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