Latitudinal patterns in stabilizing density dependence of forest communities. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418889/)
These scientists wanted to understand how plants in forests around the world interact with each other. They were particularly interested in how plants of the same species affect each other's growth and survival. They looked at forests in different parts of the world, from tropical areas near the equator to temperate areas closer to the poles.
To do this, the scientists collected data on how many plants of each species were growing in different forest sites. They then studied how these plants were doing over time, especially when they were surrounded by more plants of the same kind. This is called conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD).
The scientists found that in most places, plants of the same species tended to help each other grow better. This was especially true in tropical forests. However, they also discovered that in tropical forests, rare and less common plant species benefited more from being around others of the same kind compared to common plant species. This was not the case in temperate forests.
Overall, the scientists learned that how plants interact with each other can vary depending on where they are in the world. This information helps us understand how forests in different regions work and why there are so many different types of plants in tropical forests.
Hulsmann L., Chisholm RA., Comita L., Visser MD., de Souza Leite M., Aguilar S., Anderson-Teixeira KJ., Bourg NA., Brockelman WY., Bunyavejchewin S., Castano N., Chang-Yang CH., Chuyong GB., Clay K., Davies SJ., Duque A., Ediriweera S., Ewango C., Gilbert GS., Holik J., Howe RW., Hubbell SP., Itoh A., Johnson DJ., Kenfack D., Kral K., Larson AJ., Lutz JA., Makana JR., Malhi Y., McMahon SM., McShea WJ., Mohamad M., Nasardin M., Nathalang A., Norden N., Oliveira AA., Parmigiani R., Perez R., Phillips RP., Pongpattananurak N., Sun IF., Swanson ME., Tan S., Thomas D., Thompson J., Uriarte M., Wolf AT., Yao TL., Zimmerman JK., Zuleta D., Hartig F. Latitudinal patterns in stabilizing density dependence of forest communities. Nature. 2024 Feb 28. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07118-4.