SPATIAL SIGNATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY, DISPERSAL, AND COMPETITION IN SUCCESSIONAL GRASSLANDS

The fate of individual plants is strongly influenced by their spatial context (e.g., their location relative to competitors or environmental gradients). Recent theoretical developments indicate that spatial structure in plant communities arises as an outcome of environmental heterogeneity, intra‐ and interspecific competition, and localized dispersal. Furthermore, each of these forces is predicted to leave a signature on the spatial and …