The Occupation and Fragmentation of Space: Consequences of Neighbouring Roots

Physical space provides access to light, soil water and nutrients. In crowded neighbourhoods, these resources are quickly depleted. At the same time, physical space may become less available and increasingly fragmented. The present study examines whether constraining the deployment of leaves and stems through the occupation of above-ground space by neighbouring plants can affect plant growth. The above-ground spatial environment was fragmented by growing seedlings of various growth forms and architectures with glass pipettes in increasing densities. The pipettes provided physical obstruction but no measurable alteration of the light environment, thus decoupling the availability of space from the resources contained therein