I had an interesting thought, to me any way, the other day. Instead of plants competing for sunlight, water, nutrients, etc.; instead of plants taking opportunistic advantage of bare soil or new openings in a canopy; instead of plants growing to the best of their abilities given their circumstances; what about plants selflessly fulfilling a need such as mining a needed nutrient from the subsoil or adding needed organic material, or slowing erosion; serving a purpose or helping the community when it is in need of its talents; willing to leave when their help is no longer needed. This view has come up in reference to succession, but it also fits in with topics like "weeds", exotic vs native, healthy soil, plant communities, world views, anthropomorphism, etc. There are many places to go with this thought, but I'd be interested to hear from others about how this fits in with their experiences or thoughts. Eric Storm
