Some of our most recent research papers
This is a list of some of our lab's most recent publications from the last three years. A more detailed list of publications can be found in the full publications web page.
Adaptive morphology / functional ecology of desert plants
Delgado-Fernandez, M., P.P. Garcillán, and E. Ezcurra. 2017. The giant columnar cactus Pachycereus pringlei adaptively modifies its stem shape from the dry tropics into the arid mid-latitude deserts, Journal of Arid Environments 146: 10–17 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2017.07.004
Delgado-Fernández, M., P. P. Garcillán and E. Ezcurra. 2016. On the age and growth rate of giant cacti: Radiocarbon dating of the spines of cardon (Pachycereus pringlei). Radiocarbon 58(3): 479–490. DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2016.25.
Vanderplank, S. E., and E. Ezcurra. 2015. Marine influence controls plant phenological dynamics in Mediterranean Mexico. Journal of Plant Ecology (online first edition) doi:10.1093/jpe/rtv066.
Martínez-Berdeja, A., E. Ezcurra, and M. Torres. 2015. Morphological variability in propagules of a desert annual as a function of rainfall patterns at different temporal and spatial scales. Functional Ecology 29: 1260–1267 doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12437
Martínez-Berdeja, A., and E. Ezcurra. 2015. What can Chorizanthe rigida propagule morphology tell us about rainfall variability and geomorphology in desert ecosystems? Mojave National Preserve Science Newsletter 8: 6–9. (available online at www.nps.gov/moja/learn/ science-newsletter.htm).
Martínez-Berdeja, A., E. Ezcurra, and A. C. Sanders. 2015. Delayed seed dispersal in California deserts. Madroño 62(1): 21–32. doi: 10.3120/0024-9637-62.1.21
Martínez-Berdeja, A., M. Torres, D. L. Altshuler, and E. Ezcurra. 2014. Hydration history and attachment morphology regulate seed release in Chorizanthe rigida (Polygonaceae), a serotinous desert annual. American Journal of Botany 101(7): 1079–1084. doi 10.3732/ajb. 1400120.
Martínez-Berdeja, A., and E. Ezcurra. 2015. What can Chorizanthe rigida propagule morphology tell us about rainfall variability and geomorphology in desert ecosystems? Mojave National Preserve Science Newsletter 8: 6–9. (available online at www.nps.gov/moja/learn/ science-newsletter.htm).
Island biogeography / insular dynamics / coastal ecology
Johnson A.F., M. Moreno-Báez, A. Girón-Nava, J. Corominas, B. Erisman, E. Ezcurra, and O. Aburto-Oropeza. 2017. A spatial method to calculate small-scale fisheries effort in data-poor scenarios. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0174064. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174064
Rubio-Cisneros, N. T., O. Aburto-Oropeza, and E. Ezcurra. 2016. Small-scale fisheries of lagoon estuarine complexes in Northwest Mexico. Tropical Conservation Science 9(1): 78–134.
Velarde, E., E. Ezcurra, M.H. Horn, R.T. Patton, 2015. Warm oceanographic anomalies and fishing pressure drive seabird nesting north. Science Advances 1: e1400210.
Aburto-Oropeza, O., E. Ezcurra, J. Moxley, A. Sánchez-Rodríguez, I. Mascareñas-Osorio, C. Sánchez-Ortiz, B. Erisman, and T. Ricketts. 2015. A framework to assess the health of rocky reefs linking geomorphology, community assemblage, and fish biomass. Ecological Indicators 52: 353–361.
Gómez-Gutiérrez, J., R. Funes-Rodríguez, K. Arroyo-Ramírez, C.A. Sánchez-Ortiz, J.R. Beltrán-Castro, S. Hernández-Trujillo, R. Palomares-García, O. Aburto-Oropeza, and E. Ezcurra. 2014. Oceanographic mechanisms that possibly explain dominance of neritic-tropical zooplankton species assemblages around the Islas Marías Archipelago, Mexico. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research 42(5): 1009–1034.
Velarde, E., E. Ezcurra, and D.W. Anderson. 2015. Seabird diet predicts following-season commercial catch of Gulf of California Pacific Sardine and Northern Anchovy. Journal of Marine Systems 145: 8288. doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.08.014
Ethnobotany
Semotiuk, A.J., P. Colunga-GarcíaMarín, D. Valenzuela-Maldonado, and E. Ezcurra. 2017. Pillar of strength: Columnar cactus as a key factor in Yoreme heritage and wildland preservation. Ambio DOI 10.1007/s13280-017-0940-8.
Semotiuk, A.J., N.L. Semotiuk, and E. Ezcurra. 2015. The eruption of technology in traditional medicine: How social media guides the sale of natural plant products in the Sonoran Desert region. Economic Botany (online first edition) doi:10.1007/s12231-015-9327-6.
Conservation science and natural resource management
Ezcurra, E. 2016. Commentary: Anthropogenic disturbances infiltrate forest fragments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(19): 5150–5152.
Ezcurra, P., E. Ezcurra, P. P. Garcillán, M. T. Costa, and O. Aburto-Oropeza. 2016. Coastal landforms and accumulation of mangrove peat increase carbon sequestration and storage. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(16): 4404–4409.
ESA Vegetation Classification Panel. 2015. How a national vegetation classification can help ecological research and management (peer reviewed letter). Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13: 185–186. doi: 10.1890/15.WB.006.
González-Abraham C., E. Ezcurra, P.P. Garcillán, A. Ortega-Rubio, M. Kolb, and J.E. Bezaury-Creel. 2015. The Human Footprint in Mexico: Physical Geography and Historical Legacies. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0121203. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0121203
Sarukhán, J., T. Urquiza-Haas, P. Koleff, J. Carabias, R. Dirzo, E. Ezcurra, S. Cerdeira-Estrada, and J. Soberón. 2015. Strategic Actions to Value, Conserve, and Restore the Natural Capital of Megadiversity Countries: The Case of Mexico. BioScience (first published online December 17, 2014 doi:10.1093/biosci/biu195).
Peters, E.M., S. Arizaga, C. Martorell, R. Zaragoza, and E. Ezcurra. 2014. Distribución geográfica y estado de conservación de las poblaciones de Mammillaria pectinifera. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 85: 942-952, DOI: 10.7550/rmb.36338.