Peters E. M., Martorell C., Ezcurra E., Nurse rocks are more important than nurse plants in determining the distribution and establishment of globose cacti (Mammillaria) in the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico, Journal of Arid Environments, 2008, 72(5):593-601, doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.10.004
An analysis of the distribution of eight historically distinguished Mammillaria taxa relative to shrubs, stones and open ground in Tehuacán–Cuicatlán. A field experiment on Mammillaria pectinifera compares survival of two age groups beside a stone, under artificial shade and on exposed ground, with and without herbivore exclusion. The paper presents survival curves, an analysis of life expectancy and final heights of surviving plants, and discusses the importance of microhabitats for reintroduction.