Uniting pattern and process in plant ecology

A current focus of ecology is the investigation of the effect of the spatial dimension on population and community dynamics. However, most of the large body of spatio-temporal theory that has emerged remains untested by either empirical observations or experimental studies. In a rare example of the validation of spatial theory, Peter Stoll and Daniel Prati now show experimentally that the spatial pattern of individuals might alter the competitive interactions in plant communities and facilitate coexistence.