Abstract

GARCIA-SANCHEZ, Rosalva  and  MONROY-ATA, Arcadio. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) microsites in grassland and brushwood communities in the Mexican Plateau. TIP [online]. 2005, vol.8, n.2, pp.61-70. ISSN 1405-888X.

This paper was aimed to determine if there is a specific kind of microsite for the establishment of Bouteloua gracilis and if there is a recurrent pattern in two different plant community types. The blue grama perennial grass has a great utilization as forage and it is drought resistant. in order to get this objective, a study on three areas of brushwood and three grasslands in the Mexican Plateau was conducted. The selection of the locations for the study was based on reports of the existence of collected and herborized specimens in the area. On one hand, the results show that there are more functional than physical microsites for the establishment of B. gracilis in grasslands. Probably this is due to the fact that the high soil humidity requirements for the seeds to germinate and to develop are found in these locations. The most frequent microsite for the recruitment of new individuals from seeds is in the neighborhood of adults of the same species. On the other hand, several microsite conditions were recurrently detected in brushwood. it was observed that the type of microsite is determinant for both the establishment and the development of B. gracilis and other grasses. Furthermore, the results of the study also show that there is a greater microsite diversity in brushwood than in grasslands. it was concluded that the development of B. gracilis individuals in brushwood is related to microsites which protect them from dehydration.

Keywords : Bouteloua gracilis; plant community; establishment; brushwood; microsite.

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