Advances in Research on Plant Genetic Resources of Mexico
We read in this book that in Mexico can be found 30,000 of the 250,000 species of higher plants so far described. Between 5,000 to 7,000 of Mexican species are deemed to be of economic use, and of these, 1,000 to 1,500 are edible. According to a conservative estimate cited here, 10% of genera and 52% of species found in Mexico are endemic. This makes Mexico, a country that ranks 14th globally in terms of territorial extension, the fourth country in terms of biodiversity. It is therefore evident that an understanding of Mexican flora, in conjunction with effective strategies for use and preservation, is of first importance for our plant-dependant, agricultural world. Contributors to this work argue for this and more: 1) the urgency of halting degradation of biological and cultural environments that are closely tied to the use and preservation of many important ecotypes, 2) the significance of social issues that affect the viability of ways of life that have created, and that maintain, important stores of the world's genetic diversity, 3) the need for coordinated strategies and action between national initiatives and those of international germplasm agencies.
It is satisfying to see Mexican scientists earnestly wrestling with such issues. The book consists of the proceedings of the third meeting on Mexican biodiversity (8-9 February, 1990), organized jointly by the Mexican Society of Plant Genetics (SOMEFI) and the Botanical Garden of Mexico's national university (UNAM). Strongly represented are top researchers from UNAM's Biology department, from the agricultural university of Chapingo, from the national agricultural research agency (INIFAP), and from the PostGraduate College, Mexico's premiere institutions for the study of ecological and agricultural sciences. Significantly, the book is dedicated to one of the foremost authorities on Mexican flora and traditional farming systems, Efraim Hernández Xolocotzi, who was to die a year after presenting the lead paper at this conference.
The proceedings have been well edited for book format. Text is in Spanish, with a summary provided for each chapter in Spanish and excellent English. The book is organized into six major sections, including papers on the general philosophy of biodiversity preservation, regional studies, basic studies, the policies of international preservation societies, and a succinct summary of the discussions of the symposium. However, the pith of the book is the third section, consisting of depth reviews of current germplasm status for several major species of useful Mexican plants, including: Zea, Phaseolus, Amaranthus, Capsicum, Cucurbita, Physalis, Sechium, Persea, Crataegus, Agave, and several medicinal species.
When the Spanish migrated to the Americas during the colonial period, they had a particular food preference and attachment to wheat bread. Elite whites looked at corn as an uncivilized product, but the people of Mexico also remained hesitant to growing wheat. The introduction of wheat in Mexico began to be prepared as tortillas, since this was what the native women knew best to do. This tortilla discourse, as explained by Pilcher, “correctly recognized maize as the root of self-supporting communal life, and this a barrier to modernization, although for cultural rather than nutritional reasons. Nevertheless, the ultimate incorporation of peasants into the national economy came not through the elimination of corn, but rather through its commodification”
Many variations and species of plants can be found all around the world and in different habitats. These variations and characteristics are due to their adaptations to the natural habitat surrounding them. In three of many climatic zones, the arid, tropical and temperate zone, plants that vary greatly from each other are found in these locations. In this experiment, we’ll be observing the connection between the adaptations of the plants to their environment at the Fullerton Arboretum. The arboretum is a space containing numerous plants from different environments. The plants are carefully looked after and organized into their specific habitat. Therefore, we’ll be able to take a look at the plants within multiple
Three tribes ruled modern day Mexico and South America, both at different times. These three tribes were called the Incas, the Aztecs,and the Mayans. And while they do have some similarities. They also have some differences that are actually matter quite a bit. As all three tribes lived in different
One of the methods to acquire food for the Cahuilla was through Gathering and Harvesting seasonal foods. One of the most notable food the Cahuilla’s enjoyed was the Pinion Nuts. Pinion Nuts derive from a pine tree that is local to the South Western California and upper Mexico. The pine tree contains a small edible s...
Mexico is boarded by the United States of America, Belize and Guatemala. Mexico has a very diverse landscape of mountains, plateaus, deserts, tropical jungles, and even beautiful Palm beaches. With its diverse climate, Mexico also has a diverse population of plants. In desert areas, the most common plants that are found include cac...
The Aztecs had phenomenal architectural skills and waterway systems. The Indians also had very developed social class and government systems and practiced a form of religion.
There are six authors that will be mentioned in this paper. Three of the authors are for nuclear energy and three of them are against nuclear energy. The first three authors that will be introduced are for nuclear energy. Naim H. Afgan is a professor at the Superior Technical Institute in Lisbon, Portugal and the Chair Holder for the Energy Sustainable Management. He is also a member of the VINCA Institute of Nuclear Science that is in Belgrade that he joined in 1957. He published over 200 papers, including his article on nuclear energy that will be used in this paper. The next au...
E. novogranatense var. truxillense or Trujillo coca is a hardy, drought resistant variety. It is found growing in river valleys of coastal Peru and other arid areas of this region. Bohm, Ganders & Plowman (1982) state that this variety displays many characteristics that are intermediate between E. coca var. coca and E. novogranatense var. novogranatense, and may represent an evolutionary stage between these species.
The Aztec Empire was one of the first empires founded in the Americas. The Aztecs were a group of people who thrived in the 1400 and 1500s. They lived in what is modern-day Mexico. They also changed the way some live their religion. The Aztecs had a certain way of life. They would praise their gods a certain way and had a different kind of capital. The Aztecs also had distinctive art. The members Aztec Empires’ lives included their history, their capital, religion, art, and different cultural aspects.
In the following paragraphs, I will be explaining the achievements, the technology, and the way of life of the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. The Incan empire was the largest empire in all of pre-columbian America, and was possibly the largest empire in the world in the early 16th century. The Valley of Mexico was the heart of the Aztec civilization. The Aztec Empire of 1519 was the most powerful Mesoamerican kingdom of all time. The Mayan empire mostly contained a wide territory that included southeastern Mexico and northern Central America. These empires spoke the same language, followed a monotheistic religion, and developed large cities. “The Spanish conquest of the Aztec, Incan, and
“Every dollar spent on nuclear energy is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place, because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand” (Jacobson). Most countries today are becoming more and more dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy because of its high energy output and the availability of uranium used for fuelling nuclear reactors that generate power to provide electricity in households. Although using nuclear power as a source of energy has benefits like this, the danger posed by using nuclear power is too ominous.
"The Benefits of Nuclear Energy." An Energy Resource for the Community Science Action Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .
While I was reading two these two provided articles I noticed that there were many pros and cons to nuclear power. After I had read the articles and collected my thoughts I have concluded that the cons of nuclear power outweigh the pros. I believe that the United States should NOT continue to use and fund nuclear power based off of my knowledge and understanding provided by the articles.
Aroid, or taro, is the common name for the highly divers members of the Araceae family of plants which consists of over 100 genera and around 3750 species. Several of its family members, such as Anthurium, Caladium, Dieffenbachia and Philodendron, are among the world’s most popular ornamental plants. Plants of the Araceae family belong or are related to the arum family, and although widely known as aroids, if aroids are referred to as food, these are commonly referred to as taro, although taro is a generic Austronesian term for Colocasia, Alocasia and Cyrtosperma taro that is believed to originate in Asia (Kiple et al. 2000; Ramanatha et. al. 2010). According to archaeologists and ethnobotanists ‘Asian’ taro is the world’s oldest known cultivated crop, its domestication and cultivation already occurred when rice and wheat were just weeds (Matthews 1995; Bown 2000; Ivanicic & Lebot 2003; Ramanatha et al. 2010). Together with Colocasia, genera of Xanthosoma taro (L. Xanthosoma spp.) are the most widely grown and consumed aroids. Xanthosoma taro is the only indigenous American aroid that is widely used for food and considered a most important food crop.
Just like everything in this world, nuclear energy has both advantages as well as disadvantages. Some of the nuclear power disadvantages are: Radioactive Waste. The nuclear waste gives off radiation, radiation which can change the DNA in cells, which leads to il...