Stenocereus gummosus is a columnar cactus endemic to the Sonoran desert that exhibits a disjunct distribution: it is widely distributed in Baja California and restricted to a small coastal area in mainland Sonora. In this paper, we examine the genetic structure and the mating system of this species in order to explore the origin of the disjunction and describe aspects of the pollination biology. Flowers are nocturnal, pollinated mainly by sphingids and self-incompatible. Polymorphism for allozymes (11 loci) was relatively high (P ¼ 75%) but moderate levels of heterozygosity were detected (H o ¼ 0.103 and H e ¼ 0.261). Sonoran populations exhibited higher levels of genetic variation than peninsular populations. H e declined with latitude when just peninsular and two island populations are included. Substantial levels of inbreeding within populations (f ¼ 0.60), moderate differentiation among populations (y ¼ 0.10), and no evidence of isolation by distance were detected. The neighbor-joining phenogram showed Sonoran and island populations nested within peninsular populations. Mainland populations showed greater genetic similarity to island populations, supporting a dispersal hypothesis for the origin of the disjunction. Future studies using DNA markers are suggested in order to better understand the forces that have shaped the genetic structure of this species.

Stenocereus eruca (Cactaceae), a prostrate cactus endemic to the Sonoran Desert, is thought to be highly clonal. We examined its clonal diversity and distribution: (1) at the population level, in four distinct populations along its distribution range; and (2) at a micro scale level, within a single population. Our objective was to evaluate the importance of sexual versus clonal recruitment through the use of RAPD markers. Contrary to previous field observations, clonal diversity was relatively high across the distribution range. This finding suggests that sexual recruitment is an important regeneration mechanism. The proportions of distinguishable genotypes (G/N = 0.83) and genotypic diversity (D = 0.987) were greater than in other clonal cacti, suggesting that clonal propagation is not the major regeneration mechanism. Autocorrelation analyses revealed a spatial genetic structure that may be the result of restricted gene flow (via pollen or seeds) and clonal propagation. A molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) indicated that most of the variation (66.3%) was found within and not across populations. Future studies on pollen and seed dispersal are needed to understand the role of the clonal habit in the mating system of S. eruca.

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