ABSTRACT
Ecologists have historically focused on interspecific competition as the major factor determining plant-plant interactions. While there is abundant evidence that interspecific competition between plants can be strong and important, competition alone does not provide a complete framework for understanding plant community structure (Tilman and Pacala, 1993). Over recent years, a series of studies has suggested that plant-plant interactions could be mediated by interactions with other organisms, including interactions with herbivores (Holt and Lawton, 1994) and pathogens (Van der Putten et al., 1993; Bever, 1994). Many authors have also suggested that plant-plant interactions could be influenced by their interactions with mycorrhizal fungi (see references within this chapter). Mechanisms through which interactions with mycorrhizal fungi could alter plant-plant interactions are the focus of this chapter.
