Plant ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Geographic patterns in plant growth are probably influenced by soil abiotic and biotic conditions. Here, the authors assess the relationship of a composite soil health index to primary productivity and the underlying environmental predictors across major land-use types in Europe.

Here, the authors combine machine learning with phylogenetic modeling to assess the impact of 39 abiotic and biotic drivers on Cactaceae evolution. They suggest that cactus diversification was promoted by moderate, rather than extreme climates, as well as soil characteristics and plant size.

The largest plant family, Asteraceae, forms an iconic component of many island floras. Here, the authors conduct a macroecological review, showing that Asteraceae have a truly global distribution on islands and are the most diverse plant family on oceanic islands.

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature unevenly affect the two main rice subspecies, which is predicted to increase the yield gap between low-income and middle- to high-income countries later this century.

Plant invasions are becomingly increasingly common with global climate change. As a significant threat to biodiversity, appropriate management of invasive species is critical for the protection of native flora. However, many of the management strategies aimed at combating the impacts of invasive species only end up exacerbating them.

The volatile compound methyl jasmonate is emitted from plant roots and has been shown to trigger the formation of biofilms of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere, which suggests an active role of plants in luring microorganisms to aid them.