LYCOPHYTES AND FERNS OF THE MOUNTAIN CLOUD FOREST OF HIDALGO STATE, MEXICO

Background: The Cloud Forest (CF) of Mexico has high richness of lycophytes and ferns. However, there are large areas without floristic inventories in this ecosystem, which is currently severely affected by human activities and global warming. Questions: What is the composition and richness of lycophytes and ferns species of the BMM of Hidalgo? Is the taxonomic diversity of lycophytes and ferns of the BMM of Hidalgo different from that of other entities of the country with the same type of vegetation? Study site and research period: The study was carried out in 19 municipalities of Hidalgo, where the CF is distributed, between 2015 and 2018. Methods: The field work was carried out in 14 municipalities and the bibliographic information comes from five previous studies. The determination was at the species level and diversity was estimated per unit area. Results: There are 279 species, 91 genera and 29 families of pteridophytes in Hidalgo; 10 species represented new records at the state level. The preferred growth substrate was terrestrial, followed by epiphyte and rupicolous; eight species are considered in some risk category in NOM-059-2010. Conclusions: The Hidalgo CF occupies the third national place in number of species of pteridophytes, only surpassed by Oaxaca and Veracruz. The most common families and genera have wide distribution in Mexico. The low density and restricted distribution of some species, due to high degree of disturbance, indicate that it is necessary to establish management and conservation programs.