ABSTRACT
Characterizing actual processes (mechanisms) associated with allelopathic interactions under field conditions is very difficult, some would say impossible. This has led to the use of model systems, simplified representations of real systems, to characterize such processes. The resulting data and insights from such model systems are subsequently expressed in a variety of forms (e.g., word models, picture models, physical models, and mathematical models (empirical or mechanistic)) to communicate information, suggest new questions, solve problems, integrate concepts, and identify counter-intuitive behavior. Although all of these types of models are used frequently by researchers studying allelopathic interactions, the most commonly used are empirical mathematical models derived from field and/or laboratory bioassays. A discussion of the underlying assumptions, limitations, and uses of the latter type of models to establish the existence of allelopathic interactions in nature are presented.
