Rock-colonizing plants: abundance of the endemic cactus Mammillaria fraileana related to rock type in the southern Sonoran Desert

Abstract

Establishment, colonization, and permanence of plants affect biogenic and physical processes leading to development of soil. Rockiness, temperature, and humidity are accepted explanations to the influence and the presence of rock-dwelling plants, but the relationship between mineral and chemical composition of rocks with plant abundance is unknown in some regions. This study documents plant species growing on rocks, their capacity as rock colonizers measured by the Importance Index, and the relationships between the chemical composition of rocks and the abundance of the dominant plant. The community is composed of eight species and is dominated by the small cactus Mammillaria fraileana. Sites with low abundance of this species contain volcanic breccias, high amounts Ca, Fe, Mg, Ti, Al, and Mn as part of moderately weatherable minerals, such as plagioclase and pyroxene. Sites with higher abundance contain rhyodacite, rhyolite, and andesite rocks rich in more weatherable minerals, such as volcanic glass and minerals containing Si, K, and Na. K and Na were present in equal proportions only at the site with more plants. Since Na is toxic for most plants, an experiment was carried out to assess its effect on the survival of M. fraileana seedlings. Decreased survival occurred as the concentration of Na increased. Even in the treatment without Na, survival decreased slightly. In summary, presence and abundance of plants is related to the type of bedrock, their weathering characteristics, and proportion of elements. The interactions among elements, rather than the isolated effect of specific elements, could be the most reliable explanation for local variations in the abundance and dominance of Mammillaria fraileana in rocky habitat in the southern Sonoran Desert.

The Role of Soil Properties in Plant Endemism – A Revision of Conservation Strategies

“…Some endemics are restricted to a particular geological formation or to one type of rock or rock outcrops. Endemicity found on rocky outcrops, either calcareous or otherwise, has been reported by several researchers [25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

“…The geology and the topography are factors that influence the formation of particular soil type and the establishment of specific biological forms, [38]. The geological origin of rocks can be identified visually and mineralogical composition by X-ray diffraction or other methods [31]. Undisturbed rock samples must be collected, without showing any chemical or physical weathering.…”

Field surveys and revegetation experiments show that simulation of topographical habitat features could improve the chances of successful restoration for the threatened succulent Juttadinteria albata

“…The high affinity for rock cover shown by J. albata in our study is perhaps more relevant for restoration. Rocky habitats contribute to ecosystem resilience by creating favorable micro‐environments, especially as moisture traps (Poesen & Lavee ; Whitford ) or by providing direct access to minerals (Lopez et al ). As elsewhere (Maccherini ), diversity, especially of endemic species, tends to concentrate on such rocky habitats in the SKB (Cowling et al ; Desmet & Cowling ).…”

Endophytic bacteria in cacti native to a Brazilian semi-arid region

“…Some endophytes help plants to acquire minerals from inaccessible sources. For example, some rockdegrading bacterial species have been shown to solubilize phosphorus as orthophosphate in cactus growing on rocky areas (Puente et al 2004a;Puente et al 2009a;Lopez et al 2009). …”