title: Patterns of drought response in leaf-succulent shrubs of the coastal Atacama Desert in Northern Chile.
abstract: Despite the extrame aridity of the coastal Atacama Desert in northern Chile, sparse communities of leaf succulent shrubs and small cacti are regularly present. While most shrub species have small succulent leaves and accumulate high concentrations of salts in their tissues, the variable rooting patterns and mixed dominance of CAM and C3species indicates a significant divergence in adaptive strategies. All dominant shrubs are readily surviving extended drought, but some species are much better able than others to maintain active growth and flowering. Regular flowering may not be a prerequisite for shrub population maintenance since large piles of viable seeds are present under the canopies of many species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 92717, Irvine, USA.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Rundel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Utah, 84112, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ehleringer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gulmon