Vivipary in Ferocactus herrerae (Cactaceae) in northern Sinaloa, México

Abstract

Vivipary implies an active embryonic development with seed germination in the mother plant. The viviparous species are concentrated mainly in tropical and coastal areas with temporary flooding; thus, salinity and moisture are the main factors related to vivipary. This reproductive strategy is a rare event in the Cactaceae; however, vivipary in this family has been reported for 53 species (3.7% of the family). Ferocactus herrerae is a viviparous cactus native of northwestern Mexico, for which it has been suggested that the overall proportion of viviparous plants is higher in coastal flooding areas relative to halophytic, nonflooding areas. Thus, in this research we determine the correlation of the salinity/moisture with the vivipary incidence in Ferocactus herrerae. We performed Independence Tests between the reproductive types (viviparous/non-viviparous) and three salinity/ moisture conditions in experimental sites in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. We had irrigation (Pueblito site), irrigation-salinity (UAS site), and control (San Jose site) sites. The Pueblito and UAS sites had 82% and 100% of viviparous plants compared with 56% recorded in the control. The UAS site produced 7 fruits per plant on average, with 43% viviparous, whereas the San Jose and Pueblito sites produced 18 fruits per plant with viviparous averages of 7.6% and 16.7% respectively. These results confirm that humid tropical and coastal environments are important in the development of vivipary in F. herrerae.