Interacciones Planta‐Nodriza en Lophophora diffusa (Cactaceae) en un Desierto Subtropical de México1 |
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Authors: | Bertha Zú iga,Guadalupe Malda,Humberto Suz n |
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Affiliation: | Bertha Zúñiga,Guadalupe Malda,Humberto Suzán |
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Abstract: | One of the two species from the genus Lophophora is the false peyote Lophophora diffusa, an endemic cactus species of the xerophytic shrubland at Querétaro, México, considered threatened from illegal extraction due to its hallucinogenic and medicinal properties. We analyzed the spatial distribution of L. diffusa and its association with the locally dominant shrub species with the system SADIE (Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs). We also studied the principal microclimatic factors (light, temperature, and humidity) beneath the canopy of the possible nurse plant species. The use of SADIE is a new approach to study the mechanisms of spatial distribution. Lophophora diffusa and the shrub species presented an aggregated distribution with patches and gaps, as indicated by the values of Ia= 4.179 for L. diffusa and Ia= 1.660 for the vegetation. Lophophora diffusa was positively associated with the arboreal vegetation, particularly with Larrea tridentata and Acacia sororia, but was negatively associated with Celtis pallida and Myrtillocactus geometrizans. Microclimate evaluation indicated that C. pallida canopy significantly reduced radiation and temperature compared to the other species (L. tridentata, A.sororia y P. laevigata). We had expected L. diffusa to exhibit a positive spatial association with C. pallida; however, the reduction in light availability apparently limited seedling establishment of L. diffusa. |
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Keywords: | association Celtis pallida Larrea tridentata Lophophora diffusa microenvironmental conditions nurse plant spatial distribution |
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