Manipulation of vegetation with activated carbon reveals the role of root exudates in shaping native grassland communities

Question Plant community assembly has traditionally been viewed from the perspective of plant resource niches and competition and, more recently, facilitation in stressful environments. However, plants also engage in biotic interactions with neighbours and soil microbiome by producing chemically diverse root exudates. Root exudates have the potential to affect plant community productivity and composition by mediating plant interactions,...