Effects of natural and artificial selection on survival of columnar cacti seedlings: the role of adaptation to xeric and mesic environments

Escontria chiotilla, Polaskia chichipe, and Stenocereus pruinosus are species of Mexican columnar cacti that are economically important because of their edible fruits. These species are managed by gathering fruits from the wild, silvicultural management in agroforestry systems, and cultivation in home gardens. Previous studies reported that artificial selection favored individuals that produced larger fruits, which indirectly led to the production of larger seeds and seedlings, with possible effects on survival. We hypothesized that seedlings from managed populations would be larger but more susceptible to xeric conditions than those from wild populations. We evaluated the effects of artificial and natural selection on seedling survival of the three species in wild and managed populations, which were managed with low and high intensity, respectively. We tested seedling performance in gradients of shade (0, 40, and 80%) and humidity (low and high). A GLM of seedling survival showed significant differences among species, shade, and humidity treatments, with each species having environmental requirements associated with their particular adaptations. High humidity decreased seedling survival of all species, and high solar radiation decreased survival of S. pruinosus and P. chichipe. The effect of management type was significant only in S. pruinosus. Significant differences in the initial growth of seedlings among species were detected with ANOVA. In optimal conditions, the hypocotyl and the cotyledons decreased in size and the epicotyl grew, whereas under stress, these structures remained unchanged. The optimum conditions of shade and humidity varied among species and management types. The seedlings of S. pruinosus were the largest and the most susceptible, but in all species, seedlings from managed populations were more susceptible to environmental conditions. Thus, artificial selection influenced the susceptibility of these cacti to xeric environments.