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To compare the bacterial communities residing in necrotic tissues of columnar cacti of the Sonoran Desert, isolates from 39 organ pipe, 19 saguaro, and 16 senita cacti were obtained. The isolates were clustered into 28 conspecific groups on the basis of their fatty acid profiles. The distributions of the individual bacterial isolates varied among cactus species. Seven of the 28 species groups were unique to a particular cactus species, whereas 8 species groups were found in all three cacti. The effective number of bacterial species for each cactus species was positively correlated with both the chemical complexity and glucose concentration of the plant tissues. The effective number of bacterial species and bacterial distribution patterns were compared with those known for communities of cactophilic yeasts. The observed bacterial distribution patterns are most likely due to differences in the chemical compositions of the three cactus species.