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The spatial intraspecific and interspecific distribution of Eriosyce villicumensis (Rausch) Katt. was studied in three physiographic units and at micro-scale under shrubs. The influence of shrubs on photosynthetically active radiation and on soil temperature was analyzed. The intraspecific distribution of Eriosyce villicumensis was random. The interspecific distribution was highly associated with Larrea cuneifolia and/or Zuccagnia punctata, observing decreasing association from the centre toward the edge of shrub canopies, coinciding with both the light and temperature gradients detected under those shrubs. In desert environments, the interaction between species is a strategy that allows survival of several plants.