''Magnolia pacifica'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of '' Magnolia'' from

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

and Nayarit states in western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Description

''Magnolia pacifica'' is a medium-sized tree, growing 15 to 25 meters tall, with a trunk up to 40–80 cm in diameter.

Range and habitat

''Magnolia pacifica'' is found only in a few locations in the mountains of Nayarit and western

states in western Mexico. In Nayarit it has been recorded at Acaponeta in the southern Sierra Madre Occidental and in the Sierra de San Juan. In Jalisco it is found in the mountains around San Sebastián del Oeste and in the Sierra el Cuale south and west of Talpa de Allende. It most often occurs in

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

, but is also found in humid locations, like gorges and ravines, in pine-oak forest, tropical evergreen forest, and tropical semi-evergreen forest, between 790 and 2,250 meters elevation. The species' extent of occurrence is 4,732 km².

Conservation

The species is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

from deforestation and conversion of its habitat to agriculture. Its population is decreasing, and its conservation status is assessed as

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Systematics

''Magnolia pacifica'' belongs to sect. ''Magnolia''. Other closely related species live in western Mexico, and constitute the ''Magnolia pacifica'' group – '' Magnolia pugana'' from the mountains north of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, and '' Magnolia vallartensis'' from the Pacific lowlands around

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

.Vázquez-García, José & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Angel & Dahua-Machoa, Alex & Osorio-Muñoz, Edson & Hernández-Vera, Gerardo & Ortega-Peña, Alondra Salome & Jacobo-Pereira, César & Romo Campos, Rosa & Roman, Noelia & Shalisko, Viacheslav. (2020). "How to Save Endangered Magnolias?" in ''Population Biology to Conservation Action: The Case of Allopatric Radiation in Western Mexico''. 10.5772/intechopen.94346. ''M. pugana'' and ''M. vallartensis'' are sometimes classed as subspecies of ''M. pacifica''. Vázquez-García ''et al.'' consider the Sierra el Cuale population of ''M. pacifica'' to be separate species, ''M. talpana''.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5989917 pacifica Endemic flora of Mexico Trees of Northern America Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Cloud forest flora of Mexico