"A test of the biogeographical regionalization of the Mexican Transition Zone (MTZ) is presented, resulting from a Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) based on the distributional patterns of 575 species of the family Curculionidae. The analysis was carried out in three stages. First, a PAE was carried out to define a general regionalization scheme for the MTZ, identifying areas and microareas of endemism for the entire area. Then PAEs were undertaken for each province. Third, a PAE was carried out to determine the relationship between the provinces of the MTZ. The analysis of the entire MTZ resulted in four areas and 57 microareas of endemism, while in the independent analysis of each province, five areas and 67 microareas of endemism were obtained. Both analyses coincide basically in the location of the areas and microareas of endemism, which are subordinated to biogeographic units defined by different authors. In the consensus cladogram of the third stage of the analysis, the Transmexican Volcanic Belt (TVB) is the sister area to the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMOC); then, they are the sister area to the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMOR); and finally the previous provinces are united in a trichotomy with the Sierra Madre del Sur (SMS) and the Chiapas Highlands (CHIS). It is assumed that the differences found when comparing our results with different cladistic biogeographic studies of the MTZ reflect the complexity of the study area. Since the data used to perform the analyses are not uniform, and both geographical units and taxa are different, the comparison between different analyses is difficult. Keywords: Areas of endemism, Mexico, natural areas, PAE, provinces"--Page 3.

This book presents an evolutionary biogeographic analysis of the Mexican Transition Zone, which is situated in the overlap of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. It includes a comprehensive review of previous track, cladistic and molecular biogeographic analyses and is illustrated with full color maps and vegetation photographs of the respective areas covered. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to students and researchers whose work involves systematic and biogeographic analyses of plant and animal taxa of the Mexican Transition Zone or other transition zones of the world, and to ecologists working in biodiversity conservation, who will be able to appreciate the evolutionary relevance of the Mexican Transition Zone for establishing conservation areas..

Global Advances in Biogeography brings together the work of more than 30 scientific authorities on biogeography from around the world. The book focuses on spatial and temporal variation of biological assemblages in relation to landscape complexity and environmental change. Global Advances embraces four themes: biogeographic theory and tests of concepts, the regional biogeography of individual taxa, the biogeography of complex landscapes, and the deep-time evolutionary biogeography of macrotaxa. In addition, the book provides a trove of new information about unusual landscapes, the natural history of a wide array of poorly known plant and animal species, and global conservation issues. This book is well illustrated with numerous maps, graphics, and photographs, and contains much new basic biogeographical information that is not available elsewhere. It will serve as an invaluable reference for professionals and members of the public interested in global biogeography, evolution, taxonomy, and conservation.

Mexico is among the richest countries in the world in terms of the number of native animal and plant species. Found in a wide variety of habitats--from alpine meadows and tropical forests to vast stretches of desert and isolated pockets of biogeographical uniqueness--these species comprise a fascinating, important, and vastly underutilized biological laboratory. This volume presents a collection of selected papers that explore this marvelous biological abundance. The book is divided into six parts. The first section sets the stage with geological and paleobotanical overviews; the succeeding five sections employ a strong taxonomic base to document species richness, endemism and distribution for animals and plants, followed by reviews of contrasting ecosystems and plants that are closely associated with humans. The last section summarizes the disheartening rate of habitat destruction which threatens to diminish this diversity. In addition to the purely scientific value of this important work, it provides the much-needed basic data that will help conservation policymakers assess and respond to Mexico's ecological evolution.