Abstract
Among the >250 000 species of vascular plants inhabiting terrestrial ecosystems, all use the same resources of light, CO2, water and nutrients. All plants utilize the energy supplied by sunlight through the process of photosynthesis to convert inorganic carbon into carbohydrates that provide the basis of survival, growth and regeneration. They also absorb water, which plays a crucial role in all physiological processes, and they acquire nutrients for growth from the soil. The limited availability of water and nutrients within a community as well as the restricted light availability due to mutual shading among plants have puzzled ecologists for decades with a seemingly simple question: how do species stably coexist?
Li, X