Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Competition

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.Intraspecific competition, which occurs between individuals of the same species, serves as a natural mechanism for regulating population size. Too much...

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

What is Natural Selection?

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Autonomous reason upholds lightning over eclipse: a reply to Chiolerio et al.

Trends in plant science·2026

Same author

Eclipse of reason: debunking speculative anticipatory behavior in trees.

Trends in plant science·2026

Same author

Integrated above- and below-ground interplant cueing of salt stress.

Plant signaling & behavior·2025

Same author

Interspecific Drought Cuing in Plants.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)·2023

Same author

Is ABA the exogenous vector of interplant drought cuing?

Plant signaling & behavior·2022

Same author

Ecological implications of the determination of branch hierarchies.

The New phytologist·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Picking battles wisely: plant behaviour under competition.

Ariel Novoplansky¹

¹Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus 84990, Israel. anovopla@bgu.ac.il

Plant, Cell & Environment

|April 25, 2009

Summary

Plants strategically adjust competitive behaviors to neighbors, optimizing resource allocation for survival and growth. Their adaptive strategies depend on environmental cues, developmental stage, and resource availability.

More Related Videos

Choice and No-Choice Assays for Testing the Resistance of A. thaliana to Chewing Insects

Choice and No-Choice Assays for Testing the Resistance of A. thaliana to Chewing Insects

Published on: May 14, 2008

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Published on: July 1, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Choice and No-Choice Assays for Testing the Resistance of A. thaliana to Chewing Insects

Choice and No-Choice Assays for Testing the Resistance of A. thaliana to Chewing Insects

Published on: May 14, 2008

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Published on: July 1, 2019

Area of Science:

Plant Ecology
Plant Behavior

Background:

Plants, despite limited mobility, exhibit complex competitive behaviors.
Neighbor perception allows plants to anticipate and modify interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the adaptive strategies plants employ in competitive ecological settings.
To understand how plants modify behavior based on neighbor perception and resource availability.

Main Methods:

The study analyzes plant competitive behaviors in response to environmental cues.
It examines how factors like developmental stage and resource competition influence plant strategies.

Main Results:

Plants can avoid, confront, or tolerate neighbors based on perceived threats and opportunities.
Competitive responsiveness is linked to environmental information reliability and time for adaptation.
Resource allocation can be optimized by prioritizing promising organs over less successful ones.

Conclusions:

Plant competitive strategies are dynamic and context-dependent, influenced by evolutionary history and current conditions.
Adaptive plasticity in resource allocation enhances plant efficiency and competitive success.