ReviewOecologia2014
Competing neighbors: light perception and root function.
Review in Oecologia, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- Root and shoot competition lead to contrasting competitive outcomes under water stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Light is sufficient to compensate for random positioning machine-simulated microgravity in plant roots.NPJ microgravity · 2025Article
- Green Pak Choi is better in suitable environment but the purple ones more resist to drought and shading.BMC plant biology · 2025Article
- Supplementary far-red light enhances the quality and root development of double-root-cutting grafted watermelon seedlings.Frontiers in plant science · 2025Article
- Can plants integrate information on above-ground competition in their directional responses below ground?Annals of botany · 2022Article
- Genome-Wide Identification ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Decoupling of Plant Growth and Accumulation of Biologically Active Compounds in Leaves, Roots, and Root Exudates ofBiomolecules · 2021Article
- Perceiving neighbors to anticipate the struggle for light.Plant physiology · 2021Article
- Root morphological responses to population density vary with soil conditions and growth stages: The complexity of density effects.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Cannabinoids Accumulation in Hemp (Biology · 2021Article
- Induced plasticity alters responses to conspecific interactions in seedlings of a perennial grass.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Perception of solar UV radiation by plants: photoreceptors and mechanisms.Plant physiology · 2021Article
- Effect of Different Ratios of Blue and Red LED Light on Brassicaceae Microgreens under a Controlled Environment.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Turning plant interactions upside down: Light signals from below matter.Plant, cell & environment · 2021Article
- Neighbors, Drought, and Nitrogen Application Affect the Root Morphological Plasticity ofFrontiers in plant science · 2021Article
- Gravity Reduced Nitrogen UptakeFrontiers in plant science · 2021Article
- Light Quality Affected the Growth and Root Organic Carbon and Autotoxin Secretions of Hydroponic Lettuce.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Distinct Morphological, Physiological, and Biochemical Responses to Light Quality in Barley Leaves and Roots.Frontiers in plant science · 2019Article
- Interactions Between Light Intensity and Phosphorus Nutrition Affect the P Uptake Capacity of Maize and Soybean Seedling in a Low Light Intensity Area.Frontiers in plant science · 2019Article
- Light Signaling, Root Development, and Plasticity.Plant physiology · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Plant responses to competition have often been described as passive consequences of reduced resource availability. However, plants have mechanisms to forage for favorable conditions and anticipate competition scenarios. Despite the progresses made in understanding the role of light signaling in modulating plant-plant interactions, little is known about how plants use and integrate information gathered by their photoreceptors aboveground to regulate performance belowground. Given that the phytochrome family of photoreceptors plays a key role in the acquisition of information about the proximity of neighbors and canopy cover, it is tempting to speculate that changes in the red:far-red (R:FR) ratio perceived by aboveground plant parts have important implications shaping plant behavior belowground. Exploring data from published experiments, we assess the neglected role of light signaling in the control of root function. The available evidence indicates that plant exposure to low R:FR ratios affects root growth and morphology, root exudate profiles, and interactions with beneficial soil microorganisms. Although dependent on species identity, signals perceived aboveground are likely to affect root-to-root interactions. Root systems could also be guided to deploy new growth predominantly in open areas by light signals perceived by the shoots. Studying interactions between above- and belowground plant-plant signaling is expected to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of plant competition.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.