Environmental Science/Climate Change & Mitigation

Biodiversity Hotspots of the World

Biodiversity Hotspot of Mesoamerica
Editors: T. Pullaiah, PhD
Irene Pisanty

Biodiversity Hotspot of Mesoamerica

In Production
Pub Date: Forthcoming October 2026
Hardback Price: $220 USD | £170 UK
Hard ISBN: 9781779646897
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-77964-690-3
Pages: Est 588pp w index
Binding Type: Hardback / ebook
Series: Biodiversity Hotspots of the World
Notes: 75 color and 4 b/w illustrations

Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic activities around the world. This book is part of the series Biodiversity Hotspots of the World, which explores the 36 hotspot regions of the world. Biodiversity hotspots are critical regions with high endemic species but severe habitat loss, defined by hosting at least 1,500 endemic vascular plants and 70% habitat loss.

This new volume, Biodiversity Hotspot of Mesoamerica, explores this unique region. The third-largest biodiversity hotspot in the world, it serves as a critical biological land bridge connecting North and South America, resulting in a unique confluence of flora and fauna from both continents The regions location, topography, and climate make it very diverse and high in endemism. Additionally, Mesoamerica was home of an amazing cultural pre-Hispanic development, which included the domestication of several species that are now key foods all over the world.

This volume looks at the diversity of invertebrates, insects, freshwater fish, herpetofauna, phytoplankton, crustacean zooplankton, avifauna, and more. It considers the wetlands of the region as well as the effect of climate change on the biodiversity and the conservation of Mesoamerican mammals.

This volume, as well as the other volumes in this important series, will be an essential resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology, and evolution as the series concisely records the existing biodiversity of these hotspots of the world.

CONTENTS:
Preface

1. Vegetation Distribution and Diversity of Mesoamerica: Ecological Attributes and Conservation Priorities
Gerardo Avalos, Rafael Acuña-Castillo, Bert Kohlmann, José Esteban Jiménez, Diego Bogarín, Miguel Angel Pérez Farrera, Eduardo Chacón-Madrigal, Lilian Ferrufino-Acosta, Silvia Lobo-Cabezas, Jenny Elizabeth Menjívar Cruz, José Gabriel Cerén López, Iris Saldívar, Luis Guillermo Artavia, Jimena Samper-Villarreal, Marco Cedeño-Fonseca, José Daniel Rivera-Duarte, Olvin Oyuela-Andino, Alexis Ramón Rivera, Maura L. Quezada, Dilia Valle, Lourdes Rodas-Duarte, and Milena Cambronero

2. Bryophytes of the Mesoamerican Biodiversity Hotspot
Claudio Delgadillo-Moya and Catalina Juárez-Martínez

3. The Diversity and Biogeography of Ferns and Lycopods of the Mesoamerican Hotspot
K. Mehltreter

4. Angiosperm and Gymnosperm Diversity of the Mesoamerican Biodiversity Hotspot
Marie-Stéphanie Samain and Esteban Manuel Martínez Salas

5. Non-Arthropod Invertebrates Diversity Hotspots in Mesoamerica
Hugo H. Mejía-Madrid

6. Insect Diversity of Mesoamerica Hotspot
Carmen Pozo, Blanca R. Prado-Cuellar, Marysol Trujano-Ortega, and America Castañeda-Sortibran

7. Freshwater Fish Diversity of the Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot
Arturo Angulo

8. Herpetofauna of Mesoamerica: Patterns of Distribution, Diversity, and Conservation Status
Hibraim A. Pérez-Mendoza, Julián A. Velasco, Tania Garrido-Garduño, Valeria Escalera-Sánchez, Aarón Hernán-Martínez, Cristian Iván Hernández-Herrera, Brasil Canales-Gordillo, Isaac Emmanuell Díaz-Ortega, Marco Eduardo Solis-Sotelo, Ricardo Figueroa-Huitrón, and David A. Prieto-Torres

9. Endemism, Rarity, and the Re-Discovery of the Hotspots for the Conservation of Mesoamerican Mammals
Tania Escalante, Oscar Campos, Giovani Hernández-Canchola, and Livia León-Paniagua

10. Phytoplankton Diversity of the Mesoamerica Hotspot
Gabriela Vázquez, Margarita Caballero, and Mario E. Favila

11. Crustacean Zooplankton of Mesoamerica Hotspot
Eduardo Suarez-Morales, Martha. A. Gutierrez-Aguirre, Sarahi Jaime, and Adrian Cervantes-Martínez



12. Climate Change and Biodiversity in Mesoamerica Hotspot
Enrique Martínez-Meyer, Diana Gallegos-Díaz, and David A. Prieto-Torres

13. Wetlands of Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot
Patricia Moreno-Casasola,Hugo López Rosas , Eduardo Cejudo , Everardo Barba Macías , Roberto Lindig Cisneros , Siuling G. Cinco-Castro , Jorge Herrera Silveira , Dulce Infante-Mata , Liliana Sánchez Montaño , Claudia Teutli Hernández , Tania Cota Lucero , Juan Mendoza Martínez, José Luis Cortés , Jahir Morales Castellanos , and Yaxiri Aguilar López

14. An Overview of the Megadiverse Avifauna of the Mesoamerica Hotspot
Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Reinhard E. Matadamas, María Del Coro Arizmendi, Alejandro Gordillo-Martínez, Lynna M. Kiere, Alexander Llanes-Quevedo, Jorge E. Ramírez-Albores, Leopoldo D. Vázquez-Reyes, Luis E. Sánchez-Ramos, Rodolfo J. Flores-Vázquez, and David A. Prieto-Torres

Index


About the Authors / Editors:
Editors: T. Pullaiah, PhD
Former Professor, Department of Botany at Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Andhra Pradesh, India

T. Pullaiah, PhD, is a former Professor at the Department of Botany at Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Andhra Pradesh, India, where he has taught for more than 35 years. He has held several positions at the university, including Dean, Faculty of Biosciences, Head of the Department of Botany, Head of the Department of Biotechnology, and Member of Academic Senate. He was President of the Indian Botanical Society (2014), President of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (2013), Fellow of the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences, and member of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He has been awarded various prestigious awards for his work. Under his guidance, over 50 students earned their doctoral degrees. He has authored 65 books, edited 45 books, and published over 340 research papers. His books include Mangroves: Biodiversity, Livelihoods and Conservation (Springer), Ethnobotany of India (5 volumes, Apple Academic Press), Global Biodiversity (4 volumes, Apple Academic Press), Monograph on Brachystelma and Ceropegia in India (CRC Press), Apomixis in Angiosperms (CRC Press), Invasive Alien Species (4 volume, Wiley International), Advances in Cell and Molecular Diagnostics (Elsevier), Camptothecin and Camptothecin Producing Plants (Elsevier), Paclitaxel (Elsevier), Red Sanders: Silviculture and Conservation (Springer), and more. Dr. Pullaiah is also editor of the book series Biodiversity Hotspots of the World and AAP Focus on Medicinal Plants. Professor Pullaiah received his PhD from Andhra University, India, attended Moscow State University, Russia, and worked as Postdoctoral Fellow during 1976–1978.

Irene Pisanty
Professor, Biology and the Ecology and Natural Resources Department, School of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico

Irene Pisanty Baruch is a prominent Mexican biologist, ecologist, and Professor working in the Biology and the Ecology and Natural Resources Department of the School of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she did her undergraduate and graduate studies. She teaches in the area of ecology, population ecology, sustainability, and natural resource management. She has directed 38 undergraduate and masters theses and has published and edited several books as well as research papers. She is known for her research and teaching on ecology, population dynamics, and water management, particularly in the unique wetlands of the Cuatrociénegas Valley.




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