DISTRIBUCIÓN ESPACIAL DE TEPHROCACTUS AORACANTHUS (Lem.)Lem. en la región hiperárida del centro oeste de la Argentina

ALMIRÓN M.; MARTÍNEZ CARRETERO, E.

Mendoza

Otro; XVIII Reunión anual de la Sociedad Biológica de Cuyo; 2010

Sociedad Biológica de Cuyo

The spatial intraspecific and interspecific distribution of T. aoracanthus (Lem.) Lem. was studied using the analysis of univariate and bivariate point patterns, at landscape scale in four different physiographic units and micro-scale in terms of shrubs founded in those units. The influence of shrubs in photosynthetically active radiation and soil temperature under their canopies was analyzed. The results show a high environmental variability of light and temperature under shrubs (respect to bare soil) that generally did not influence in the distribution of T. aoracanthus. Apparently, this cactus has a high ability to adapt in different conditions of photosynthetic active radiation and temperature. However, the intraspecific distribution was highly clustered in all the physiographic units, independently of the bushes. Possibly, the great ability to agamic replication in this species is responsible for the formation of highly intra-specific clustering.