The relationship between endophyte transition and plant species coexistence

Abstract

The survival possibilities of terrestrial plant species are determined by their competitive abilities. One factor that affects competitive ability is the community of microorganisms that lives in association with the plants. Microorganisms affect the competitive dominance among plants by means of their metabolites. In this paper, we study the multiple plant species coexistence mediated by interactions with endophytes (fungi). The population dynamics are described by a revised lottery competition model for multiple plant species, each of which is divided into two classes: plants with endophytes (denoted EP) and plants without endophytes (NEP). The model includes the transition of seeds from EP to NEP. We show multiple species of plants cannot coexist in a steady state if this transition is density independent, but can coexist in a steady state if this transition is an increasing function of population density. © 2009 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.