Taxonomic diversity of terrestrial vertebrates in west-central Mexico: Conservation from a multi-taxa perspective

Multi-taxa approaches are increasingly used because they describe complementary aspects of ecosystem dynamics from a community ecology perspective. In west-central Mexico, the complex biogeography and topography have created an environment where temperate and tropical forests converge, resulting in great biological diversity. Within this region, the Sierra de Quila Natural Protected Area (SQPA) offers an important example for understanding ecological community dynamics. We analyze the taxonomic diversity of terrestrial vertebrates in the SQPA by incorporating taxonomic levels associated with species. We evaluated the taxonomic diversity with i) an average taxonomic distinctiveness analysis (alpha diversity) and ii) an analysis of taxonomic dissimilarity and partitioning of turnover and differences in richness components (beta diversity). Tropical forests boast the highest taxonomic diversity of amphibians, reptiles, and birds, while temperate gallery forests exhibit lower values. Our results showed that terrestrial vertebrate alpha and beta diversity patterns respond mainly to contrasting vegetation types (tropical vs. temperate). Regarding beta diversity, the multi-vegetation type analysis showed the highest values for reptiles, followed by amphibians, birds, and mammals. Turnover had the highest contribution to beta diversity, while differences in richness were relevant for amphibians and reptiles, which could be related to their low mobility and sensitivity to environmental conditions. Despite the local scale, the SQPA presented high beta diversity, reflecting historical ecological processes in taxonomic composition derived from contrasting environments and constraints imposed on species. Evaluating taxonomic structure from a multi-taxa perspective is essential for conservation efforts because it allows the spatial recognition of biological assemblages as a first step for local interventions.