Effects of bark damage by feral herbivores on columnar cactus Echinopsis (=Trichocereus) terscheckii reproductive output

Columnar cacti are an important feature of the arid “cardonal” landscape in South America. The predominant columnar cactus in the southern zone is Echinopsis (=Trichocereus) terscheckii. At some sites, the species suffers considerable trunk damage, attributed in previous studies to feral livestock grazing (donkey and cattle). In order to understand the potential impact of this damage on columnar cactus populations, we investigated whether reproductive output (flower, fruit and seed production) of Echinopsis terscheckii individuals was related to damage, controlling for the effect of individual plant size and habitat characteristics measured at meso and micro-scale. Cactus trunk damage negatively correlated with the number of flowers and fruits, but not with fruit size. We also found significant effects of meso and micro-habitat conditions on all the analyzed reproductive parameters while plant size was positively related to flower and fruit production. These results show that bark damage reduces the reproductive potential of cacti, and therefore that large feral herbivores could have negative effects on reproduction of columnar cacti. Such findings highlight the need for management programs to monitor population trends of these plants and also exotic herbivores.