Plant–plant interactions: from competition to facilitation
Plant–plant interactions: from competition to facilitation
Editor(s): D. M. Montesinos
This special issue compiles the most important studies of plant–plant interactions published in Web Ecology during the last 15 years. Despite the short timespan since the formal study of facilitation was established, it has been a hot topic in the ecological literature with a considerable impact among researchers. The view of plant–plant interactions as primarily competitive was nearly exclusive until the end of the 20th century, when Bertness and Callaway formally established the concept of facilitation, as opposed to competition, to stress the importance of mutualism among plant species in shaping plant communities. Those foundational papers started an important movement devoted to the study of positive interactions among plants, and Web Ecology, first published in the year 2000, has played a significant role in propagating those ideas in its pages since then; including a numerous contributions by R. M. Callaway and many of his collaborators. When Lortie and Callaway studied the relative abundance and quality of scientific literature dealing with competition (metaphorically described as Goliath) and facilitation (David), finding that although the long tradition of the study of competition has produced a much higher net amount of papers dealing with competition, papers dealing with facilitation received a similar mean number of citations. This very clearly illustrated the fact that quality is more important than quantity for the relevance of scientific studies – a vision that we fully embrace in Web Ecology.

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01 Aug 2014
Plant–plant spatial association networks in gypsophilous communities: the influence of aridity and grazing and the role of gypsophytes in its structure
H. Saiz, C. L. Alados, and Y. Pueyo
Web Ecol., 14, 39–49, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-14-39-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-14-39-2014, 2014
01 Oct 2012
Biomass explains the intensity of facilitative – not competitive – interactions: three intraspecific tests with annuals
C. Ariza and K. Tielbörger
Web Ecol., 12, 49–55, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-12-49-2012,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-12-49-2012, 2012
20 Sep 2010
A systematic review of the recent ecological literature on cushion plants: champions of plant facilitation
A. M. Reid, L. J. Lamarque, and C. J. Lortie
Web Ecol., 10, 44–49, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-10-44-2010,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-10-44-2010, 2010
17 Jun 2009
David and Goliath: comparative use of facilitation and competition studies in the plant ecology literature
C. J. Lortie and R. M. Callaway
Web Ecol., 9, 54–57, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-9-54-2009,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-9-54-2009, 2009
04 Jun 2009
Mediterranean-climate oak savannas: the interplay between abiotic environment and species interactions
T. Marañón, F. I. Pugnaire, and R. M. Callaway
Web Ecol., 9, 30–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-9-30-2009,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-9-30-2009, 2009
31 Dec 2007
Clipping herbaceous vegetation improves early performance of planted seedlings of the Mediterranean shrub Quercus coccifera
J. M. Rey Benayas, A. Fernández, and A. Aubenau
Web Ecol., 7, 120–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-7-120-2007,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-7-120-2007, 2007
14 Nov 2007
Effects of a nurse shrub on seed deposition and seedling recruitment of the annual Agriophyllum squarrosum
F.-R. Li, G. Li, L.-F. Kang, Z.-G. Huang, Q. Wang, and J.-L. Liu
Web Ecol., 7, 94–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-7-94-2007,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-7-94-2007, 2007
06 Jun 2001
Seedling diversity and spatially related regenaration dynamics in holly woodlands and surrounding habitats
S. Arrieta and F. Suárez
Web Ecol., 2, 38–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-2-38-2001,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-2-38-2001, 2001
24 Mar 2015
Plant–plant interactions: from competition to facilitation
D. Montesinos
Web Ecol., 15, 1–2, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-15-1-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/we-15-1-2015, 2015
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