1991/02/01 by Bruce E. Mahall, Ragan M. Callaway · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Ambrosia #Biology #Botany #Competition (biology) #Desert (philosophy) #Ecology #Interspecific competition #Larrea #Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions #Plant Parasitism and Resistance #Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism #Shrub
paper · doi:10.1073/pnas.88.3.874
openalex publication_date 1991/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Descriptive and experimental studies of desert shrub distributions have revealed important questions about the mechanisms by which plants interact. For example, do roots interact by mechanisms other than simple competition for limiting resources? We investigated this question using the desert shrubs Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea tridentata grown in chambers that allowed observation of roots during intraplant and intra- and interspecific interplant encounters. Two types of root "communication" were revealed. Ambrosia root systems appear to be capable of detecting and avoiding other Ambrosia root systems, whereas Larrea roots inhibit Larrea and Ambrosia roots in their vicinity.