Background
Materials and methods
Study area
Distribution of Agavespecies
Ethnobotanical and vulnerability studies
Variable | Criterion | Value |
---|---|---|
Useful part
| Use of dead plant parts | 0 |
Use of vegetative parts (leaves, fiber, spines) | 1 | |
Use of sap and reproductive parts (flower buds, inflorescences | 2 | |
Use of the entire plant | 3 | |
Management
| Cultivated, domesticated, and introduced species (no wild populations occurring in the region) | 0 |
Wild native species cultivated ex-situ by seeds | 1 | |
Wild native species cultivated ex situ through vegetative propagules | 2 | |
Wild native species tolerated and protected in situ in modified originally natural areas | 3 | |
Wild native species under simple gathering of vegetative parts (leaves) and vegetative sprouts. | 4 | |
Wild native species under simple gathering of reproductive parts (flowers and inflorescences) and entire individual plants before sexual reproduction | 5 | |
Demand in markets
| Not interchanged in markets | 0 |
Commercialized or bartered in markets | 1 | |
Ecological status
| Cultivated introduced species | 1 |
Wild and cultivated species | 2 | |
Only wild populations | 3 | |
Propagation
| Seeds, caespitose and rhizomatous suckers and/or bulbils | 1 |
Seeds and multiannual rhizomatous suckers | 2 | |
Seeds and low production of early rhizomatous suckers | 3 | |
Seeds and axilar suckers | 4 | |
Exclusively seeds | 5 | |
Distribution in regional vegetation types
| Occurring in five or more vegetation types | 1 |
Occurring in four regional vegetation types | 2 | |
Occurring in three regional vegetation types | 3 | |
Occurring in two regional vegetation types | 4 | |
Occurring in one single regional vegetation type | 5 | |
Distribution in other regions of Mexico
| Cultivated broadly distributed species | 0 |
Occurring in more than six states of Mexico | 1 | |
Occurring in two to five states of Mexico | 2 | |
Endemic to the region | 3 |
Data analyses
Results
Uses
Species | Ecological status | Vegetation types occurrence | Distribution | Life cycle | Reproduction forms | Management types | Sites proximity | Collective regulations | Artificial selection | Use types | Used parts | Harvest type | Commercial value | Medicinal use |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A. americana var. americana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. a. var. marginata | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. a. var. oaxacensis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. angustiarum
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
A. angustifolia
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
A. angustifolia var. angustifolia
| 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. applanata
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
A. atrovirens
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
A. atrovirens var. atrovirens | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. atrovirens var. mirabilis | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
A. chiapensis
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
A. convallis
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
A. ghiesbreghtii
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
A. karwinskii
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
A. kerchovei
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
A. macroacantha
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. mapisaga
| 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. marmorata
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
A. nussaviorum subsp. nussaviorum | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
A. peacockii
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
A. potatorum
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
A. salmiana subsp. salmiana | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
A. salmiana subsp. tehuacanensis | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
A. scaposa
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
A. seemanniana
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
A. stricta
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
A. titanota
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
A. triangularis
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Useful parts
Economic value
Management
Vulnerability index, species in risk and management intensity
Species | Vulnerability | Management intensity |
---|---|---|
A. nussaviorum subsp. nussaviorum | 1.83122 | 1.708526199 |
A. peacockii
| 1.1645 | 0.594045546 |
A. convallis
| 1.04956 | 1.126756957 |
A. potatorum
| 0.91661 | −0.502843702 |
A. triangularis
| 0.89015 | 1.801632007 |
A. titanota
| 0.82558 | 0.380721625 |
A. atrovirens
| 0.73993 | −0.136474466 |
A. kerchovei
| 0.5566 | 0.12302843 |
A. angustiarum
| 0.45358 | 0.923424365 |
A. scaposa
| 0.43271 | 0.098578612 |
A. marmorata
| 0.41184 | 0.12302843 |
A. stricta
| 0.40192 | 0.925191476 |
A. ghiesbreghtii
| 0.3376 | 1.512068797 |
A atrovirens var. mirabilis | 0.30958 | −0.229081914 |
A. chiapensis
| 0.25838 | 1.298744876 |
A. atrovirens var. atrovirens
| 0.24885 | 0.113410498 |
A. salmiana subsp. tehuacanensis
| 0.20267 | −0.483614095 |
A. macroacantha
| 0.01962 | −0.034892874 |
A. seemanniana
| 0.00464 | −0.611475086 |
A. applanata
| −0.06403 | 0.312134623 |
A. salmiana subsp. salmiana
| −0.58286 | −0.552045154 |
A. karwinskii
| −0.67297 | −0.055894786 |
A americana var. oaxacensis
| −1.3218 | −1.366667488 |
A. mapisaga
| −1.4866 | −1.361323377 |
A. angustifolia
| −1.48899 | −1.182096381 |
A. angustifolia var angustifolia
| −1.61646 | −1.361323377 |
A. americana var. americana
| −1.79597 | −1.483920345 |
A. americana var. marginata
| −2.02585 | −1.6796394 |
Management, ecological and sociocultural factors variable | Df | Chisq | F | Pr(>F) | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ecological status | 1 | 0.0204 | 5.1775 | 0.018 | * |
Vegetation types where species occurs | 1 | 0.0047 | 1.1888 | 0.301 | |
Distribution | 1 | 0.0101 | 2.5752 | 0.08 | |
Life cycle | 1 | 0.0144 | 3.6426 | 0.047 | * |
Use types number | 1 | 0.0032 | 0.8036 | 0.449 | |
Utilized parts | 1 | 0.0026 | 0.6683 | 0.508 | |
Type of harvest | 1 | 0.0218 | 5.5248 | 0.009 | ** |
Commercial value | 1 | 0.0221 | 5.6139 | 0.01 | ** |
Medicinal uses | 1 | 0.0028 | 0.7027 | 0.478 | |
Residual | 18 | 0.0709 | |||
Management and sociocultural factors
| |||||
Use types number | 1 | 0.005 | 1.3204 | 0.241 | |
Utilized parts | 1 | 0.005 | 1.3281 | 0.261 | |
Type of harvest | 1 | 0.0504 | 13.2815 | 0.001 | ** |
Commercial value | 1 | 0.026 | 6.8539 | 0.007 | ** |
Medicinal uses | 1 | 0.0029 | 0.7589 | 0.471 | |
Residual | 22 | 0.0836 | |||
Management and ecological factor
| |||||
Ecological status | 1 | 0.0204 | 3.8029 | 0.032 | * |
Vegetation types where species occurs | 1 | 0.0047 | 0.8732 | 0.369 | |
Distribution | 1 | 0.0101 | 1.8915 | 0.159 | |
Life cycle | 1 | 0.0144 | 2.6756 | 0.08 | |
Residual | 23 | 0.1234 |
Discussion and conclusions
Use and management
Vulnerability index
Extraction planning
Wild populations
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Collecting seeds from several sites in order to ensure diversity of sources of genetic material. This practice may favour the availability of plant material from several areas as well as options for adapting the propagated material to establish in different environments. Production of plants in nurseries may optimize the production of plants from relatively few seeds, but this practice should be complemented with dispersion of seeds under the canopy of natural nurse plants. Where survival of young plants may be more successful than those transplanted from nurseries.
-
Transplanting of young plants of agave under the canopies of specific nurse plants recognized by previous ecological research available in the literature. In addition it is recommendable to conduct experiments to test the successful establishing of seedlings and young plants under artificial shade.
-
Recovering populations of agaves in areas identified as areas of extinction of local populations, as well as in areas where populations are being impacted by human activities, and finally as plantations in areas that were cleared for agriculture in the past. These areas may be benefited from soil recovering associated to presence of agaves. Mescal production could be centred in these areas rather than form populations from natural forests.