In a recent review article published in Science, professon Martin Zobel and collegues discuss how mycorrhizal associations influence plant communities. They conclude that forming mycorrhiza as such but also the diversity of available mycorrhizal fungi and the type of mycorrhiza these fungi form can influence plant species dispersal and competition. Mycorrhizal associations can thereby influence the coexistence of different plant species and plant community composition. Read more here.

Alien plants species aggregate in their non-native range and do not blend into the native flora! This is a conclusion of a recent paper, published in collaboration of many researchers, including Kadri Koorem, Mari Moora and Martin Zobel. Using a global dataset, the authors also found that alien plant species in their new range grow in habitats, which are less species rich and produce more biomass than the habitats in their native range. The mechanisms behind such patterns still need to be explored but the aggregation of alien species need to be taken account when deciding how to manage these species.