Uniting pattern and process in plant ecology

A current focus of ecology is the investigation of the effect of the spatia l dimension on population and community dynamics. However, most of the larg e body of spatiotemporal theory that has emerged remains untested by either empirical observations or experimental studies. In a rare example of the v alidation of spatial theory, Peter Stoll and Daniel Prati now show experime ntally that the spatial pattern of individuals might alter the competitive interactions in plant communities and facilitate coexistence.