Temporal Dynamism of Resource Capture: A Missing Factor in Ecology?

Temporal dynamism of plant resource capture, and its impacts on plant-plant interactions, can have important regulatory roles in multispecies communities. For example, by modifying resource acquisition timing, plants might reduce competition and promote their coexistence. However, despite the potential wide ecological relevance of this topic, short-term (within growing season) temporal dynamism has been overlooked. This is partially a consequence of historic reliance on measures made at single points in time. We propose that with current technological advances this is a golden opportunity to study within growing season temporal dynamism of resource capture by plants in highly informative ways. We set out here an agenda for future developments in this research field, and explore how new technologies can deliver this agenda.