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COMPETITION AND FACILITATION: A SYNTHETIC APPROACH TO INTERACTIONS IN PLANT COMMUNITIES
Author(s) -
Callaway Ragan M.,
Walker Lawrence R.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[1958:cafasa]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - facilitation , abiotic component , ecology , competition (biology) , structuring , coexistence theory , biology , plant community , abiotic stress , interspecific competition , community , plant life , geography , ecosystem , species richness , neuroscience , biochemistry , finance , gene , forestry , economics
Interactions among organisms take place within a complex milieu of abiotic and biotic processes, but we generally study them as solitary phenomena. Complex combinations of negative and positive interactions have been identified in a number of plant communities. The importance of these two processes in structuring plant communities can best be understood by comparing them along gradients of abiotic stress, consumer pressure, and among different life stages, sizes, and densities of the interacting species. Here, we discuss the roles of life stage, physiology, indirect interactions, and the physical environment on the balance of competition and facilitation in plant communities.