Trace analysis for the establishment of conservation areas in the Transmexican Volcanic Belt

Abstract

The Transmexican Volcanic Belt is recognized as a province based on geologic, tectonic, geomorphologic and biogeographic characteristics. The Belt is a volcanic arch extending from the Pacific coast in Jalisco and Nayarit states to the Atlantic coast in Veracruz. Its formation began in the middle Miocene, with a final episode in the last Pliocene-Quaternary, where most of the volcanic complex was formed. A trace analysis of 136 organisms (birds, mammals, reptiles, ferns and oaks) was undertaken, and 8 generalized traces and 15 nodes were found. Six of them were found in the Cuencas de Toluca-Mexico-Puebla region. Several of the nodes found were reported in previous works, and many of them coincide with priority terrestrial regions and important bird conservation areas. Using complementarity analysis, four conservation priority areas are proposed, following the criteria of conserving the lowest number of areas with a large number of species. These areas are, in order of importance: Valle de Mexico-Sierra de Chichinautzin-Sierra Nevada corridor, Cofre de Perote-Canon de Rio Blanco corridor, Volcan de San Juan node, and Patzcuaro node.