Mexican Conifers

Pinus culminicola, Coahuila

With 110-120 species, the genus Pinus (pines) includes more living species than any other genus of conifer, and Mexico has more native pine species than any other country. Pinus is the most ecologically important tree genus in the Northern Hemisphere.

The number of pine species in Mexico is an active area of investigation. Recent treatments have included between 45 and 60 species.  An intermediate number may be more reasonable, somewhere around 50. A list of our currently recognized species can be found here.

Arbol del Tule (Taxodium mucronatum), Oaxaca.

The main research interest of our lab group is in the systematics and evolution of conifers, particularly New World members of the pine family (Pinaceae).

We sequence DNA and use the pattern of substitutions between different species (and individuals) to infer species relationships and to reconstruct their evolutionary history. We are also tying these DNA based inferences with the fossil record to estimate the time of diversification of Pinaceae lineages.

Guadalupe cypress (photo by Patricia Rosas).

For a century, the viability of the only population of the Guadalupe cypress (Callitropsis guadalupensis), located on Isla Guadalupe, Baja California, was threatened from grazing by introduced goats. The goats were eradicated a few years ago, but in September 2008 a large fire burned much of the forest.

Using chloroplast DNA markers, we have found high genetic diversity in the endangered Guadalupe cypress.  The study was published in PLoS ONE in 2011.