Population Structure and Growth Patterns of Opuntia echios Var. gigantea Along an Elevational Gradient in the Galapagos Islands

Population Structure and Growth Patterns of Opuntia echios Var. gigantea Along an Elevational Gradient in the Galapagos Islands

Cacti growing in forests potentially experience growth limitation due to reduced light availability. To test this hypothesis, we studied the population structure of Opuntia echios var. gigantea at 15 sites on the south side of Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Populations were located in...

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Veröffentlicht in:Biotropica 2000-06, Vol.32 (2), p.235-243
Hauptverfasser: Hicks, David J., Mauchamp, Andre
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Arid zones
Cactus
Cladodes
Dry forests
Ecuador, Galapagos Is
Forest canopy
Forest growth
Opuntia echios gigantea
Plant growth
Plants
Topographical elevation
Vegetation
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Zusammenfassung:Cacti growing in forests potentially experience growth limitation due to reduced light availability. To test this hypothesis, we studied the population structure of Opuntia echios var. gigantea at 15 sites on the south side of Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Populations were located in communities ranging from arid scrub at low elevations to closed-canopy tropical dry forest at higher elevations. Ordination confirmed the existence of a strong elevation-vegetation gradient. Opuntia abundance peaked at lower elevations (
ISSN:0006-3606
1744-7429
DOI:10.1043/0006-3606(2000)032(0235:PSAGPO)2.0.CO;2