Neoraimondia arequipensis subsp. roseiflora (Werdermann & Backeberg) Ostolaza (Cactaceae): EJE DE LAS INTERACCIONES EN ECOSISTEMAS ÁRIDOS.

A literature review on Neoraimondia arequipensis subsp. roseiflora (Werdermann & Backeberg) Ostolaza (1998), an endemic cactus in Peru, was performed. Previous researches show that there is a strong relation between the cactus and the ecosystem. This relation is manifested through interactions between this cactus and nurse plants, soil, pollination, seed dispersal, and surrounding enthomofauna, which reinforces the hypothesis that this cactus has a very important role in arid ecosystems and that it is the central axis in the trophic chain of a group of organisms. Finally, we outline future studies that could be carried out in order to understand the role played by this cactus as an axis of the interactions in arid ecosystems in Peru, as well as population's dynamics and community structure in the desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]