Socorro Gonzalez Elizondo

BACKGROUND: 

Dr. M. Socorro González-Elizondo works on plant systematics and ecology mainly in northern Mexico. She is the founder and curator of the CIIDIR Herbarium (ca 70,000 specimens), cornerstone for the knowledge of the plant resources in Mexico. She coordinates projects on floristics and vegetation ecology of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Chihuahuan Desert and collaborates in studies on the systematics of several groups. Other research interests of Socorro include hybridization in plants, the taxonomy and ecology of invasive plants, toxic plants, and plants with phytoremediation potential. A Professor and Researcher at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional, campus CIIDIR Durango, she also participates in projects focused on environmental education and sustainability (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/M_Socorro_Gonzalez-Elizondo).

ROLE:

Role: Socorro has the responsibility of the correct taxonomic determination of all the mezquites (Prosopis spp.) utilized in this project and collaborates in the analysis of their distribution. Given that reliable taxonomic identification is the cornerstone for meaningful research on any organism, and as a foundation to achieve this for the species involved in this project, she is also compiling images of the type specimens of those species, as well as all the literature related with their taxonomy, biogeography and distribution.