Spatial associations between two globose cacti and two dominant Mimosoid bushes in a tropical semiarid enclave
Keywords:
Andes, facilitation, globose cacti, Mammillaria, Melocactus, semi-arid zones, spatial arrangementAbstract
Spatial relationships between two globose cacti (Mammillaria mammillaris (L) Karsten and Melocactus schatzlii Till &
Gruber) and two dominant mimosoid shrubs (Acacia farnesiana (Willd.) L. and Prosopis julifora DC.) were evaluated in
two habitats (cactus thicket and thornscrub) of a Venezuelan semi-desert mountain valley. Globose cacti and shrubs are
spatially associated, mainly in the cactus thicket, suggesting that cacti probably benefit from shrubs for their recruitment
(sensu nurse plant syndrome). The presence of cacti in open areas, however, suggests that the need of a nurse plant for
establishment of both globose cacti may be highly facultative. This is the first assessment reporting a positive globose cactusshrub
spatial association from the Andes of northern South America. By confirming that mimosoid shrubs can influence the
spatial distributions of globose cacti, this observational approach provides a foundation for future research and essential
information to increase our knowledge on the role of mimosoid bushes as nurse plants in the tropical Andes.
Downloads
References
DE VIANA M.L., SUHRING, S. and B. MANLY. 2001. Application of randomization methods to study the association of Trichocereus pasacana (Cactaceae) with potential nurse plants. Plant Ecology 156: 193-197.
DREZNER, T.D. 2006. Plant facilitation in extreme environments: The non-random distribution of saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) under their nurse associates and the relationship to nurse architecture. Journal of Arid Environments 65: 46-61.
DREZNER, T.D. and B.L. LAZARUS. 2008. The population dynamics of columnar and other cacti: a review. Geography Compass 2: 1-29.
FLORES, J. and E. JURADO. 2003. Are nurse-protégé interactions more common among plants from arid environments?. Journal of Vegetation Science 14: 911-916.
FRANCO, A.C. and P.S. NOBEL. 1989. Effect of nurse plants on the microhabitat and growth of cacti. Journal of Ecology 77: 870-886.
GODÍNEZ-ÁLVAREZ, H., VALVERDE, T. and P. ORTEGABAES. 2003. Demographic trends in the Cactaceae. Botanical Review 69: 173-203.
GOEL, U., SAXENA B. and B. KUMAR. 2005. Comparative study of allelopathy as exhibited by Prosopis juliflora Swarts and Prosopis cineraria (L) Druce. Journal of Chemical Ecology 15: 591-600.
GOODMAN, L.A. 1954. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests for psychological research. Psychological Bulletin 51: 160-168.
GREIG-SMITH, P. 1983. Quantitative Plant Ecology. UK: Blackwell, Oxford.
LARREA-ALCÁZAR, D.M. and P.J. SORIANO. 2008. Columnar cacti-shrub relationships in an Andean semiarid valley in western Venezuela. Plant Ecology 196: 153-161.
LÓPEZ, R.P., VALDIVIA, S., SANJINÉS, N. and D. DE LA QUINTANA. 2007. The role of nurse plants in the establishment of shrub seedlings in the semi-arid subtropical Andes. Oecologia 152: 779-790.
LÓPEZ, R.P. and S. VALDIVIA. 2007. The important of shrub cover for four cactus species differing in growth form in an Andean semi-desert. Journal of Vegetation Science 18: 263-270.
MANDUJANO, M.C., FLORES-MARTÍNEZ, A., GOLUBOV J. and E. EZCURRA. 2002. Spatial distribution of three globose cacti in relation to
different nurse-plant canopies and bare areas. Southwestern Naturalist 47: 162-168.
MARTÍNEZ-BERDEJA, A. and T. VARVERDE. 2008. Growth responde of three globose cacti to radiation and soil moisture: An experimental test of the mechanism behind the nurse effect. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 1766-1774.
MUNGUÍA-ROSAS, M.A. and V.J. SOSA. 2008. Nurse plants vs. nurse objects: effects of woody plants and rocky cavities on the recruitment of the Pilosocereus leucocephalus columnar cactus. Annals of Botany 101: 175-185.
NAKANO, H., NAKAJIMA E., FUJII Y., AMADA K., SHIGEMORI H. and K HASEGAWA. 2004. Leaching of the allelopathic substance, -tryptophan
from the foliage of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.) plants by water spraying. Plant and Growth Regulation 40: 49-52.
NOBEL, P.S., GELLER, G.N.; KEF S.C. and A.D. ZIMMERMAN. 1986. Temperatures and thermal tolerances for cacti exposed to high temperatures near sol surface. Plant, Cell and Environment 9: 279-287.
NOBEL, P.S., MILLER, P.M. and E.A. GRAHAM. 1992. Influence of rocks on soil temperature, soil water potential, and rooting patterns for desert succulents. Oecologia 92: 90-96.
PETERS, E.M., MARTOLL, C. and E. EZCURRA. 2008. Nurse rocks are more important than nurse plants in determining the distribution and establishment of globose cacti (Mammillaria) in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 593-601.
REYES-OLIVAS, A., GARCÍA-MOYA, E. and L. LÓPEZMATA. 2002. Cacti-shurb interactions in the coastal desert of northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments 52: 431-445.
RICO, R., RODRÍGUEZ, L.E., PÉREZ, R. and A. VALERO. 1996. Mapa y análisis de la vegetación xerófila de las lagunas de Caparú, cuenca media del río Chama, Estado Mérida. Plántula 1: 83-94.
RODRÍGUEZ, C. 1998. ¿Explica la morfología de la cubierta de espinas la distribución del hábitat de algunas especies de cactáceas?: los casos de Mammillaria pectinifera y M. carnea en el valle de Zapotitlán Salinas, Puebla. BSc thesis. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM, México D.F.
ROSSI, B.E. and P.E. VILLAGRA. 2003. Effects of Prosopis flexuosa on soil properties and the spatial pattern of understory species in arid Argentina. Journal of Vegetation Science 14: 543-550.
SARMIENTO, G. 1972. Ecological and floristic convergences between seasonal plant formations of tropical and subtropical South America. Journal of Ecology 60: 367-410.
SIEGEL, S. and N.J. CASTELLAN. 1995. Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. McGraw- Book Company, New York.
SORIANO, P.J. and A. RUÍZ. 2002. The role of bats and birds in the reproduction of columnar cacti in the
Northern Andes. Pp. 241-263.In: Fleming, T.H. & A. Valiente-Banuet (eds.). Evolution, ecology and conservation of columnar cacti and their mutualists. Arizona University Press, Tucson.
STATSOFT, Inc. 2001. STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 6. www.statsoft.com.
SUZÁN, H., NABHAN, G.P. and D.T. PATTERN. 1996. The importance of Olneya tesota as nurse plant in the Sonoran Desert. Journal of Vegetation Science 7: 635-644.
SUZÁN-AZPIRI, H. and V.J. SOSA. 2006. Comparative performance of the giant cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) seedlings under two leguminous nurse plant species. Journal of Arid Environments 65: 351-362.
TEWSBURY, J.J. and J.D. LLOYD. 2001. Positive interactions under nurse-plants: spatial scale, stress gradients and benefactor size. Oecologia 127: 425- 434.
VALIENTE-BANUET, A. and E. EZCURRA. 1991. Shade as a cause of the association between the cactus Neobuxbaumia tetetzo and the nurse plant Mimosa luisana in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. Journal of Ecology 79: 961-971.
VALIENTE-BANUET, A., VITE F. and J.A. ZAVALAHURTADO. 1991. Interaction between the cactus Neobuxmaumia tetetzo and the nurse shrub Mimosa luisana. Journal of Vegetation Science 2: 11-14.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
naIssue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2008 Daniel M. Larrea-Alcázar, Johnny J. Murillo, Carmen J. Figueredo, Pascual J. Soriano (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
