ESQUIVIAS SEGURA , María De La Paz

Las interacciones planta-planta suponen una parte fundamental de la ecología de las especies vegetales. Conocer los mecanismos subyacentes a las interacciones y la respuesta de las distintas especies a la presencia de otras plantas supone completar una información muy valiosa de su biología, ya que raramente ocurren de manera aislada en la...

Aims: This paper examines the water dynamics of a coastal dune plant community, addressing spatial and seasonal variations. We aimed to detect the patterns of water use by plants at the community level according to their distribution across a coastal dune gradient from beach to inland. Methods: Five sites were established: upper beach,...

Osyris lanceolata is a hemiparasitic dioecious shrub species growing on stabilised dunes. This study aimed to determine the spatial structure of O. lanceolata and its hosts, to understand the ecophysiological mechanisms involved in water and nutrient transfer, and quantify the physiological stress on its hosts. In the Asperillo stabilised dunes...

Background and Aims: Reproductive costs imply trade-offs in resource distribution at the physiological level, expressed as changes in future growth and/or reproduction. In dioecious species, females generally endure higher reproductive effort, although this is not necessarily expressed through higher somatic costs, as compensatory mechanisms...

The present study assesses whether the germination and establishment success of Argania spinosa seeds are affected by the environmental conditions under which the mother plant has grown. Seeds from three populations with different climatic conditions and herbivory intensity were collected and sown in the laboratory after different treatments....

Under natural conditions, light exposure for Mediterranean shrubs can be highly variable, especially during cloudy days or under a canopy, and can interfere with other environmental factors such as temperature and water availability. With the aim of decoupling the effect of radiation and temperature from water availability, we conducted an...

In dioecious species, traits may have evolved because of significantly different resource demands associated with male versus female sexual reproduction. It is generally assumed that females have higher reproductive costs, thereafter in long-lived species, males often exceed females in vigour and suffer lower physiological limitations under...

Argania spinosa is an example of an avoider tree growing under semi-arid conditions in Morocco. To assess what are the physiological strategies of this species, different variables were measured through an annual cycle in two populations located in the species' main distribution area. Results show the expected decrease of leaf water potential...

In South-western Morocco, water scarcity and high temperature are the main factors determining species survival. Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels is a tree species, endemic to Morocco, which is suffering from ongoing habitat shrinkage. Argan trees play essential local ecological and economic roles: protecting soils from erosion, shading different...