CMNs have the potential to influence patterns of seedling establishment, interplant competition, plant diversity, and plant community dynamics [25], [35], [36].
One species was limited by competition (planting density).
The three plant classes did not respond differently to competition (plant class × competition P > 0.05).
Notably, the symbiosis inefficient AK83 lacked several genes required for microaerophilic growth inside nodules, while several genes for accessory functions related to competition, plant invasion and bacteroid tropism were identified only in AK83 and BL225C strains.
Indeed, independently of the trophic aspects of light competition, plant density also modifies the quality of light within the canopy (Varlet-Grancher et al. 1993; Escobar-Gutiérrez et al. 2009) and in particular the red/far red ratio, which has been reported to control branching (Ballaré and Casal 2000).
Below, we examine examples of this evidence separately for predator-prey dynamics, animal competition, and plant-plant, plant-animal, plant-soil, and host-parasite/pathogen interactions to address how they have each shaped spatial patterns beyond the local scale.
To minimize plant-to-plant competition, a planting density of approximately 16,500 plants ha−1 was used.
Natural selection, driven by competition among plants, led to taller plants than was optimal for total seed production by a plant community.
The thinning was done manually after 15 days of germination to maintain the desired plant spacing and to avoid competition between plants.
As argued above, higher crop density leads to greater competition among plants, and this creates the opportunity to manipulate plants' competitive interactions and increase greatly the suppression of weeds by the crop.
