Propagation mechanisms in Agave macroacantha (Agavaceae), a tropical arid-land succulent rosette

Agave macroacantha can sexually reproduce by seeds and propagate vegetatively by aerial bulbils and ground-level basal shoots and rhizomes. It forms compact patches apparently generated by the multiplication of ground-level offshoots. We experimentally evaluated the establishment and survival of bulbils and seedlings of A. macroacantha in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico, between 1991 and 1994 and studied comparatively the effectiveness of sexual reproduction against vegetative propagation.Seedlings showed low survival rates. Cohorts placed outside nurse plants died in less than 1 yr, while 1-10% of cohorts under nurse plants survived for more than 2 yr. Herbivores negatively affected seedling survival in non-nursed plots. In rainy years, survival rates increased. Bulbils showed higher survival rates than seedlings.The excavation of rosettes showed that most are derived from vegetative shoots, as indicated by remains of rhizomes in their base. Most rosettes had ground-level vegetative offspring totaling almost three shoots per rosette.In A. macroacantha, the establishment of seedlings and bulbils is a rare event that possibly only occurs under nurse plants in rainy years, while ground-level cloning is highly effective as a propagation mechanism. These results are consistent with the aggregated spatial pattern of the species.