Possible Chemical Interactions among Heathland Plants
- 1 March 1984
- Vol. 43 (1) , 23-29
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3544241
Abstract
Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were used to investigate the production of inhibitory substances by heathland plants. Generalized bioassays indicated that most species tested had some inhibitory effect on growth or germination of Avena fatua, but this effect was reduced when leachates from intact plants rather than from plant fragments were used. Few inhibitory effects on the germination of Calluna vulgaris or Deschampsia flexuosa were found, although growth of D. flexuosa plants was strongly inhibited by leachates from ericaceous species. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi produced the greatest number of inhibitory effects but also severely inhibited its own growth. Despite these findings the importance of chemical interactions in the field is questioned.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: