The role of nurse plants in the establishment of shrub seedlings in the semi-arid subtropical Andes |
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Authors: | Ramiro Pablo López Sergio Valdivia Ninel Sanjinés Diego de la Quintana |
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Institution: | (1) Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Campus Universitario, Cotacota, calle 27, s/n, Casilla, 3-35121 La Paz, Bolivia;(2) Institute of Ecology, Casilla, 10077 La Paz, Bolivia |
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Abstract: | In the nurse plant syndrome, or nurse association, seedlings (beneficiaries) are associated with adult shrubs/trees (benefactors).
This phenomenon has been documented in several regions of the planet. Abiotic stress amelioration (one mechanism of facilitation)
is one of the causes of this association. Most of the studies addressing the nurse syndrome have been conducted on spatial
scales of a few hectares and have focused on only one or a few species. Moreover, there is an almost complete lack of studies
addressing the incidence and characteristics of the nurse phenomenon in the arid Andes of South America. We undertook a first
approximation to the study of facilitation in these ecosystems. The study was conducted at local and regional scales and involved
the assessment of the spatial distribution of juveniles (seedlings and saplings) of 51 populations of 16 shrub and 12 cactus
species in relation to shrub cover at 20 localities of the Prepuna (subtropical Andes of Bolivia and Argentina, 20–26°S).
In terms of spatial distribution, the juveniles of most of the populations of shrubs studied were distributed both under the
shrubs and in open spaces, thereby showing an apparent indifference to microhabitat. Globose and opuntioid cacti were preferentially
distributed below the canopies of shrubs and were usually more associated with the dominant shrub species, which stood out
as better potential nurses. The pattern was consistent throughout the region, including the more mesic and arid localities.
The fact that Prepuna woody species are capable of establishing in open spaces would confer this region a greater resilience.
Our findings further suggest that community dynamics in arid and semi-arid environments are more variable than previously
thought. |
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Keywords: | Juveniles Nurse syndrome Potential nurses Prepuna Spatial distribution |
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