1. Plant density, plant form and community diversity
2. Forces of selection acting on plant community
dynamics and competition
3. Mechanisms of interaction between species
a.
Escape
b.
Tolerance of stress [allelopathy; mimicry]
c.
Aggression
d.
Cohabitation
4. Silvertown &
Charlesworth:
a. Ch.
4: Interspecific
interactions
b. Ch.
8: Competition and
coexistence
Competition, Interference and Coexistence
The struggle for existence among weed plants starts at the seedling stage, sometimes earlier, sometimes a little later. Once emerged weed plants grow rapidly and begin to interact with nearby plants (neighbors), either of the same species in the population or with other species (weeds, crops, other plants of the community). As they grow several things happen simultaneously: the compete for limited amounts of resources; their plant number density affects their growth and development; their presence acts as a feedback influence on subsequent seedling recruitment.
