User:Antirrhinum majus/Plant density

Plant density is defined as the number of plants present per unit area of ground. In nature, plant densities can be especially high when seeds present in a seed bank germinate after winter, or in a forest understory after a tree fall opens a gap in the canopy. Due to competition for light, nutrients and water, individual plants will not be able to take up all resources that are required for optimal growth. This indicates that plant density not only depends on the space available to grow but it is also determined by the amount of resources available. Especially in the case of light, smaller plants will take up fewer resources than bigger plants, even less than would be expected on the basis of their size differences. As plant density increases it will affect the structure of the plant as well as the developmental patterns of the plant. This is called 'asymmetric competition'  and will cause some subordinate plants to die off, in a process that has been named 'self-thinning'. The remaining plants preform better as fewer plants will now compete for resources.

Root growth in environments with high plant density show that there will be fewer roots per plant and but the length and general density of the individual root remain somewhat the same, this is expected to still cause issues for the plant in future growth.