La fitodiversidad y sus servicios ecosistémicos en un gradiente natural-urbano de una cuenca periurbana a la Ciudad de México

Phytodiversity and its ecosystem services in a natural-rural-urban gradient in a periurban watershed of Mexico City

Abstract

The Guadalupe dam watershed (GDW) is located in the central-southern region of Mexico, in an area favored by the presence of phytodiversty and ecosystem services (ES), because two biogeographical regions converge here, it is peri-urban to Mexico City and it is still possible to find speakers from 14 Mexican ethnic languages, which favors the maintenance and generation of traditional ecological knowledge. This research documents the ES and the native and exotic phytodiversity that provides them. The GDW was divided into three zones to know the spatial distribution of phytodiversity and ES, considering population density and land use. Through field work in forest sampling sites, agricultural lands and gardens of rural and urban houses, as well as interviews with local stakeholders and literature review, it was possible to recognize the presence of 977 plants and 200 ES. The results on the phytodiversity show that in the natural zone (32% of the area), 694 plants were identified (424 native, 211 endemic and 59 exotic), in the rural area (31%) 331 plants were identified (114 native, 35 endemic and 182 exotic) and in the urban area (37%) 216 plants were identified (63 native, 19 endemic and 134 exotic). Similarly, the results on the ES show that the natural zone has 61 ES, classified into six categories and provided by 231 plants; the rural area had 166 ES, classified into eight categories and provided by 321 plants; the urban area had 45 ES, classified into seven categories and provided by 215 plants. This is the first study that shows the phytodiversity of a peri-urban watershed that contrasts plant richness and ES provision in a natural-rural-urban gradient, inside of and close to the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City.