Abstract

Plant interactions have long been acknowledged as a key factor in plant community dynamics and crop output. Surprisingly, we still know very little about the ecological genetics underlying variation in plant-plant interactions. The international Plantcom network selected four pertinent questions to promote a deeper understanding of the mechanisms mediating plant assemblages in this opinion piece by scientists from complementary disciplines. We suggest that in order to more accurately predict genotype-by-genotype interactions with the environment and model stable and productive plant assemblages in both wild habitats and agricultural fields, it is necessary to identify the key relationships between the phenotypic traits involved in plant-plant interactions and the underlying adaptive genetic and molecular pathways [1].