Vivipary in cuban cacti and an assessment of establishment success in Leptocereus scopulophilus

Vivipary is the germination of a seed inside of a fruit before it is separated from the mother plant. In the present study, the populations of several Cuban cactus species are explored in search of vivipary and Leptocereus scopulophilus is used as a model species to evaluate the effectiveness of vivipary in the establishment of offspring. Vivipary is a relatively common phenomenon in Cuban cacti from different ecosystems with variable temperature, rainfall and salinity, whose frequencies of population vivipary and average of viviparous seedlings per fruit are usually low. In L. scopulophilus, vivipary does not constitute a more efficient reproductive strategy that favors establishment, which is typically the limiting factor for the perpetuation of viviparous species. On the other hand, viviparous seedlings will be favored in environments with high levels of humidity and availability of safe sites, which are sporadic in semiarid environments. •Vivipary is the germination of seeds inside fruit on the mother plant.•Vivipary is relatively common in Cuban cacti from different ecosystems.•Population vivipary and viviparous seedlings per fruit are low in Cuban cacti.•Vivipary is not a more efficient reproductive strategy that favors establishment.•Viviparous seedlings are favored in safe places with high humidity.