Core scope
JAI will cover chemically mediated interactions in terrestrial and aquatic systems, with particular emphasis on mechanistic and ecologically meaningful evidence.
- Allelopathy and allelochemical interactions.
- Plant–plant interactions mediated by specialized metabolites, root exudates and volatile compounds.
- Biosynthesis, transport, release, persistence and degradation of allelochemicals.
- Rhizosphere chemistry and soil-mediated transformation.
- Microbiome-mediated activation, inactivation or modification of bioactive metabolites.
- Molecular, physiological and developmental responses of receiver organisms.
- Synergistic, additive and antagonistic interactions among metabolite mixtures.
- Chemical signalling, neighbour recognition and allelobiosis.
- Climate change and environmental modulation of allelochemical production and function.
- Agronomic and ecological applications, including weed management and restoration.
- Analytical chemistry, metabolomics, causal inference and experimental design.
Evidence and interpretation
The New Series will distinguish explicitly between demonstration of phytotoxicity and evidence for ecological allelopathy. Crude-extract studies can be scientifically useful when the question is well defined, methods are rigorous and conclusions remain proportional to the evidence. They should not, by themselves, be presented as proof of ecological allelopathy.
Fit and threshold
JAI is not intended as a repository for routine screening studies. Manuscripts should contribute mechanistic, chemical, ecological, methodological or conceptual information beyond the observation that a preparation inhibits growth or germination. The evidence expected will depend on the claim being made: identification of a bioactive compound does not automatically establish environmental exposure, and exposure does not automatically establish ecological causality.