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Interactions With Soil Fungi Alter Density Dependence And Neighborhood Effects In A Locally Abundant Dipterocarp Species, R. Max Segnitz, Sabrina E. Russo, Kabir G. Peay

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Seedling recruitment can be strongly affected by the composition of nearby plant species. At the neighborhood scale (on the order of tens of meters), adult conspecifics can modify soil chemistry and the presence of host microbes (pathogens and mutualists) across their combined canopy area or rooting zones. At local or small spatial scales (on the order of one to few meters), conspecific seed or seedling density can influence the strength of intraspecific light and resource competition and also modify the density-dependent spread of natural enemies such as pathogens or invertebrate predators. Intrinsic correlation between proximity to adult conspecifics (i.e., recruitment …