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Research Article
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Natural Distribution and Principal Characteristics of Lupinus in the Oriental Face of Tlaloc Mountain in Sierra Nevada, Mexico
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Angel Alderete-Chavez,
Vicente Espinosa Hernandez,
Enrique Ojeda Trejo,
Muhammad Ehsan,
Jesus Perez Moreno,
Victor Manuel Cetina Alcala,
Dante Arturo Rodriguez Trejo
and
Nancy De la Cruz-Landero
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ABSTRACT
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In the present study, a general description of 5 species
of Lupinus (Lupinus leptophyllus, L. montanus, L. potosinus,
L. uncinatus, L. versicolor) growing on the oriental face of Tlalóc
mountain in Sierra Nevada, México, is presented where growth of
different populations was found under diverse ecological conditions: crop
fields, areas disturbed by tree felling, natural aperture of the canopy
and areas disturbed by forest fires. The distribution of the different
species as well as its altitudinal range was determined through geo-referencing.
The reported species were found at altitudes of 2800-3700 m above sea
level growing in soils that range from loamy to sandy loam and sandy clay
loam, with different soil physical and chemical characteristics at each
site, which indicates that the species are growing in slightly acidic
soils.
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How
to cite this article:
Angel Alderete-Chavez, Vicente Espinosa Hernandez, Enrique Ojeda Trejo, Muhammad Ehsan, Jesus Perez Moreno, Victor Manuel Cetina Alcala, Dante Arturo Rodriguez Trejo and Nancy De la Cruz-Landero, 2008. Natural Distribution and Principal Characteristics of Lupinus in the Oriental Face of Tlaloc Mountain in Sierra Nevada, Mexico. Journal of Biological Sciences, 8: 604-609. DOI: 10.3923/jbs.2008.604.609 URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jbs.2008.604.609
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INTRODUCTION
The Lupinus species are extensively distributed around the world,
without certainly knowing its evolutionary origin; nevertheless, various
authors have suggested different centres of its origin. Ruiz et al.
(2006) and Walker et al. (2003) are of the opinion that its origin
lies in South America. The reports for Mexico indicate that mostly Lupinus
species are located in the central region of Mexico: in the Neovolcánic
axis at the intersection of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre
Occidental. The species of this genus have been studied from different
perspectives: Among them are the availability of P and N in soils low
in nutrients and phytoremediation of polluted soils (Bahmanyar and Ranjbar,
2008; Falkengren-Grerup and Schöttelndreir, 2004). The abundance,
distribution and life cycle of the populations of native plants are influenced
by climatic factors that mark the differences along the altitudinal slope
(Salem et al., 2007; Phillips et al., 2002). It has been
discovered, hence, that the reduction in abundance is related to the summer
average temperature and low temperatures before the commencement of the
winter season (Sugiyama, 2003; Diekmann and Falkengren-Grerup, 2002; Tozer
and Bradstock, 2002). The natural vegetation is constantly changing by
human activities and the change in climatic factors, so it is important
that the bio-geographical studies about the distribution and classification
of the native flora should involve environmental information, which is
expected to provide more precise data about natural distribution of native
species (Jalilvand et al., 2007; Jonas et al., 2002; Toft
and Elliott-Fisk, 2002; Townsend and Walsh, 2001). In recent studies about
classification and ordering of the vegetation in Sierra Nevada, (Sánchez-González
and López-Mata, 2003) L. montanus is reported as the only
species forming part of the herbaceous vegetation structure, associated
to different ecosystems present in this physiographical unit. Nevertheless,
other authors (Graham and Turkington, 2000) have found diverse wild species
of Lupinus growing and forming populations at slopes and the foothills
of mountainous places that grow and adapt well to altitudes ranging from
the sea level to 4000 m, being non-resistant to prolonged frosts. In the
mountainous regions all around the world the variation in the temperature
is very abrupt along the slopes with the increase in altitude, the reason
why this factor can be decisive for the production of fruits and seeds,
allowing the establishment of new populations of plants at such slopes
through seed dissemination by birds (Baret et al., 2004; Dracup
and Thomson, 2000). Vital importance is attached to the studies of native
species to help obtain valuable information for the rehabilitation of
natural vegetation (Robles et al., 2002). In this study we present
a general description of five species of Lupinus growing on the
oriental face of Tlalóc Mountain in Sierra Nevada, México.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study area is located on the oriental slope of the Sierra Nevada
in the Tláloc mountain in the State of Mexico, Mexico, between
19° 23' 43'' and 19° 28' 37'' North and between 98° 42' 51''
and 98° 48' 12'' West in an altitudinal range of 2800-4120 masl (meters
above sea level) (Fig. 1). The present study is based
on the samplings carried out in various field visits to the study area
between the months of August, 2006 to August, 2007, searching for sites
having Lupinus plantations.
Different populations were found growing in diverse ecological conditions:
Fields of annual crops (Zea mays, Hordeum vulgare and Canavalia
ensiformis), areas disturbed by felling of trees, natural aperture
of the canopy and areas disturbed by forest fires. The sites were geo-referenced
locating the geographical coordinates to know the distribution of the
different populations, as well as their altitudinal range. The recently
developed taxonomical keys for the valley of Mexico were employed to identify
different species of Lupinus (Calderón and Rzedowski, 2005).
Moreover, experts of different national herbariums were consulted to correctly
identify the plant samples collected. A random soil sampling was carried
out, using three sub-samples (20x20x30 cm), to constitute a compound sample
for each site with different species of Lupinus. These samples
were placed in polyethylene bags of 4 kg and subsequently carried to the
laboratory, for the analysis of some physical and chemical soil characteristics
(Table 1). The data were subjected to one way ANOVA
followed by Tukey test for multiple comparison of means (Significance
level p<0.05) using STATISTICA (Stat-Soft Inc., 2003).
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Fig. 1: |
The study area is located on the oriental slope of the Sierra Nevada
in the Tláloc mountain in the State of Mexico, Mexico |
Table 1: |
Species, geographical coordinates and altitude, as well as the main
characteristics of associated soils for each species |
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
As it can be seen in Table 1, some species share the
altitudinal range among them, even in the case where only dispersed individual
plants of each one of them may exist. On the other hand different species
of Lupinus are found growing on sites with slopes ranging from
2 to 73% where the slope is abrupt with very difficult access. The species
reported in this study were found at altitudes of 2800-3700 masl.
Lupinus species found in the oriental part of the Tlalóc
mountain in Sierra Nevada, Mexico: Lupinus leptophyllus
Schlecht and Cham, can be found in plantations between 2981-3029 masl
and at slopes of 2-30%, exactly in the area which is border limit between
the cultivated fields and the plantations of L. uncinatus. L. leptophyllus
grows at 3170 masl in the forests of Abies religiosa. It`s
an annual plant, of short life having stems more than l m long with solid
marrow, erect or ramified, purple stipule 5 to 12 mm long, 4 to 8 cm long
leaf stalk, 6 to 8 leaflets (uptill 10 leaflets observed in this study)
4.5-8 cm long and 9-15 mm wide, widespread flowers with sharp and feathery
apex, that disappears with the age, of purple colour, with whitish wings,
the fruits are enclosed in hairy pods 4-5 cm long and 8-9 mm wide, containing
26 to 98 pods per branch and 2 to 9 mature seeds per pod, flowering initiates
since the last days of January and the first mature seeds (dark to dark
brown) appear in March (Fig. 2). This species is found
in the soils with higher pH (6.6), the soil Organic Matter content (OM)
is of 3.92%, contain 0.17% of total Nitrogen, 8.18 mg kg-1 of
soil Phosphorus (P) and 1.84 cmol g-1 of soil Potassium (K)
(Table 1).
Lupinus montanus H.B.K: Although this species can be found
on the road side at an altitude since 3100 masl, grows at altitudes ranging
between 3450-3556 masl in forests of Pinus hartwegii with a slope
of 15-73% where its dense plantations can be found. It is apparently the
most widespread species in the study area, forming compact plantations
of about 10 ha or more, mostly in the forest of Pinus hartwegii
subjected to intervention by forest fire. The plants of this species are
annual, biannual, or perennial of more than 1.5 m length, hollow stems
4 to 15 mm wide, stipules 3 to 10 cm long, 10 to 14 leaflets (in the present
study uptill 17 leaflets found), sharp apex, verticillate, purple, bigger
flowers than other species, feathery apex, thick floral pedicel, at times
bifurcated. Its fruits are pods, 4 to 5 cm long and 9 to 10 mm wide, containing
about 45-73 pods per branch, 3-9 dotted to black mature seeds per pod,
flowers at the end of May
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Fig. 2: |
Lupinus leptophyllus Schlecht and Cham |
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Fig. 3: |
Lupinus montanus H.B.K |
(Fig. 3) Lupinus montanus is found in the soils
with higher pH (6.2), the soil organic matter content (OM) of 8.91%, with
0.27% of total Nitrogen, 4.82 mg kg-1 of Phosphorus content
(P) and 0.91 cmol g-1 of soil Potassium (K) (Table
1).
Lupinus potosinus rose: This plant is found rarely in the
area, growing in isolated form at altitudes of 3610 to 3640 masl and slope
of 5-17%, in disturbed forests of Pinus hartwegii and on the roadsides,
its height ranges from 45-75 cm with pubescence in the stem, slightly
ramified, petioles 5-7 cm long with 5 to 7 leaflets, pubescent pods with
abundant hair, 3-4 cm long, 15 to 35 pods per branch and 4-7 seeds per
pod, the flowers are little, of blue colour and white wings at the tip,
flowers from May to August (Fig. 4). This species is
found in the soils with higher pH (6.2), the soil Organic
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Fig. 4: |
Lupinus potosinus Rose |
Matter (OM) content is of 4.15 %, with 0.14 % of total Nitrogen, 8.46
mg kg-1 of soil Phosphorus (P) and 0.98 K cmol g-1
of soil Potassium (K) (Table 1).
Lupinus uncinatus schlecht: Dense populations of this species
were found in cultivated fields and on the roadside between 2932-2994
masl and slope of 2-23%. It is an annual, biannual, or perennial plant,
more than 1 m tall, herbaceous, of hollow stems, stipules 7 to 9 mm long
(not always), petiole of 1.5-12.5 cm length, 5 to 8 leaflets 3 to 4 cm
long and 6 to 8 mm wide, slightly sharp apex, widespread deciduous flowers
with feathery apex of dark purple colour, the fruits are dehiscent pods
4.5 to 5.5 cm long, containing 9 to 49 pods per branch and 1 to 7 mature
seeds per pod, flowering starts since March and the first mature seeds
(whitish to ash grey) appear in the middle of May, the seeds being of
an orthodox type, rare in this genera (Fig. 5). It is
found in the soils with higher pH (6.3), 3.32% soil Organic Matter (OM)
content, 0.13% total Nitrogen, 14.7 mg kg-1 soil Phosphorus
(P) and 1.46 cmol g-1 soil Potassium (K) (Table
1).
Lupinus versicolor sweet: It can be found at 3016-3257
masl and slope of 7 to 21% on the roadsides and in disturbed forests of
Abies religiosa, its height is less than 1 m, with 3 to 3.5 cm
long petioles and from 6-7 oblong to obtuse slightly hairy leaflets, verticillate
flowers, 32 to 64 pods per branch and 4 to 9 seeds per pod of dark brown
color, flowers in the months of April to August (Fig. 6)
Lupinus versicolor is found in the soils with higher pH (6.7),
the soil Organic Matter content (OM) of 7.07%, containing 0.23% of total
Nitrogen, 7.52 mg kg-1 of soil Phosphorus content (P) and 1.09
cmol g-1 soil Potassium (K) (Table 1).
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Fig. 5: |
Lupinus uncinatus Schlecht |
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Fig. 6: |
Lupinus versicolor Sweet |
CONCLUSIONS
The Lupinus species are distributed widely in the oriental part
of Tlaloc mountain found in an altitudinal range varying from 2932 to
3640 m above sea level. In two earlier studies regarding genus Lupinus
in this area, two species have been reported: L. uncinatus
(Ehsan et al., 2007) and L. montanus (Sánchez-González
and López-Mata, 2003). In the present research, we described three
additional species of this genus growing in the study area. The given
species have well adapted to the climatic and edaphic conditions of the
area including soils with varying contents of NPK and organic matter and
are associated to various ecosystems with different degrees of intervention
(Forest fire, tree felling, traditional cropping and animal grazing areas)
(Reyes and Casal, 2004; Valbuena and Trabaud, 2001). The soils in the
study area with Lupinus growth range from loamy to sandy loam and
sandy clay loam where different soil chemical characteristics may be related
to the presence of the diverse reported species in this study (Andrist-Rangel
et al., 2007; Watt and Evans, 1999; Gardner et al., 1982).
Future studies on different aspects of this genus including agronomy,
breeding, phytochemistry and classification is required to fully harness
its potential.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors express their gratitude to the National Council of Science
and technology (CONACYT) for the grant of the scholarship number 177441
and to the Program of Improvement for the Faculty for the grant of the
scholarship for studies of high quality (PROMEP/103.5/06/1973) without
which the present study would not have been possible.
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