Flora of the core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico: composition, geographical affinities and beta diversity

The core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in Mexico harbor a rich and diverse flora, with 694 plant species identified across three core areas: Cerro Altamirano, Cerro Pelón, and Chincua-Campanario-Chivati. Notably, about 38% of these species are endemic to Mexico, underscoring the region's unique biodiversity. The study, conducted between 2000 and 2006, found that forests dominated by Quercus and Abies exhibited the highest species diversity, while herbaceous plants were the predominant growth form (ca. 75%). High beta diversity values (Jaccard index 0.03 to 0.11) indicated significant floristic variation among the core zones, with over half of the documented species (66.3%) found exclusively in one zone. These findings highlight the complementary nature of the core zones for plant conservation and emphasize their importance as critical habitats for migrating Monarch butterfly populations.

Cornejo-Tenorio, G., & Ibarra-Manriquez, G. (2017). Flora de las áreas núcleo de la Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, México: composición, afinidades geográficas y diversidad beta. Botanical Sciences, 95(1), 103–129. https://doi.org/10.17129/botsci.803