It is known that biotic interactions are the key to species coexistence and maintenance of species diversity. Traditional studies focus overwhelmingly on pairwise interactions between organisms, ignoring complex higher-order interactions (HOIs). In this study, we present a novel method of calculating individual-level HOIs for trees, and use this method to test the importance of size- and distance-dependent individual-level HOIs to tree performance in a 25-ha temperate forest dynamic plot. We found that full HOI-inclusive models improved our ability to model and predict the survival and growth of trees, providing empirical evidence that HOIs strongly influence tree performance in this temperate forest. Specifically, assessed HOIs mitigate the competitive direct effects of neighbours on survival and growth of focal trees. Our study lays a foundation for future investigations of the prevalence and relative importance of HOIs in global forests and their impact on species diversity.

中文翻译：

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除了直接的邻里效应之外：高阶相互作用改善了建模和预测树木的存活和生长


众所周知，生物相互作用是物种共存和维持物种多样性的关键。传统研究主要关注生物体之间的成对相互作用，而忽略了复杂的高阶相互作用（HOI）。在本研究中，我们提出了一种计算树木个体水平 HOI 的新方法，并使用该方法来测试 25 公顷温带森林动态地块中依赖于大小和距离的个体水平 HOI 对树木性能的重要性。我们发现，完整的 HOI 模型提高了我们建模和预测树木生存和生长的能力，提供了 HOI 强烈影响这片温带森林树木性能的经验证据。具体来说，评估的 HOI 减轻了邻居对焦点树木的生存和生长的竞争性直接影响。我们的研究为未来调查 HOI 在全球森林中的普遍性和相对重要性及其对物种多样性的影响奠定了基础。