Abstract

Information on some morphological features of the little known species Atriplex podocarpa and Atriplex desertico/a is presented. Plant dimensional analysis proved to be a good tool to estimate aboveground-dry biomass for both A triplex species. The spatial patterns of two A. podocarpa and one A. deserticola populations were determined. A. podocarpa populations differed in their spatial distribution. The population constituted by large plants showed a random distribution, whereas the population with smaller plants had a clumped distribution. The A. deserticola population with the smallest plants of all three populations studied had the greatest level of clumping. The A triplex populations which had a clumped distribution showed a positive correlation between the sum of nearest-neighbor biomasses and the distance separating them which was interpreted as evidence of intraspecific competition in these species.