Distribution of adult male and female Baccharis concinna (Asteraceae) in the rupestrian fields of Serra do Cipo, Brazil

This study focuses on the sex ratio and spatial distribution of males and females in three populations of the endemic and restricted tropical dioecious shrub, Baccharis concinna (Asteraceae) in the mountainous region of Serra do Cipo, southeastern Brazil. The proportion of female plants in the population at lower elevation (1000 m a.s.l.) was significantly greater than of male plants. At this elevation of PIN and Ca/Al ratios in the soil were also greater indicating better nutritional status of the soils. The concentration of aluminium increased significantly with the elevation (p < 0.001), perhaps rendering soils less conducive to female plants at higher elevations. Female plants are possibly adversely affected to a greater extent by soil quality than male plants. The spatial distribution of the populations within habitat was tested by the K(t) function, where the neighbourhood of a given individual was defined by a circle with a radius (t) up to 3 m. Despite the strong tendency for aggregation, the distribution of the sexes within habitats was random and the hypothesis was not supported. The independent distribution of the sexes within habitats may be explained by nutrient homogeneity of the soils, as well as by an absence of antagonism between the sexes. Nevertheless, we found a trend for males and females to be aggregated according to their gender.