Editing Permaculture (section)

=== Guilds ===

[[File:Mycorrhizal network.svg|thumb|[[Mycorrhizal fungi]] usually function in a mutualistic [[Symbiosis|symbiotic relationship]] with plants.]]

[[File:Ladybug aphids.JPG|thumb|[[Coccinellidae|Ladybugs]] are seen as [[beneficial insect]]s in permaculture because of their help with [[aphid]] control.]]

A [[Guild (ecology)|guild]] is a mutually beneficial group of species that form a part of the larger ecosystem. Within a guild each species of insect or plant provides a unique set of diverse services that work in harmony. Plants may be grown for food production, drawing nutrients from deep in the soil through tap roots, balancing nitrogen levels in the soil ([[legumes]]), for attracting [[beneficial insects]] to the garden, and repelling undesirable insects or pests.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Simberloff |first1=D. |last2=Dayan |first2=T. |year=1991 |title=The Guild Concept and the Structure of Ecological Communities |journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |volume=22 |page=115 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.22.110191.000555}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=S.E. |last2=Hero |first2=J.M. |year=1998 |title=Rainforest frogs of the Australian Wet Tropics: guild classification and the ecological similarity of declining species |journal=Proceedings: Biological Sciences |volume=265 |issue=1396 |pages=597–602 |doi=10.1098/rspb.1998.0336 |pmc=1689015 |pmid=9881468}}</ref> There are several types of guilds, such as community function guilds, mutual support guilds, and resource partitioning guilds.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Jessi |title=Practical Permaculture: For Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth |last2=Boehnlein |first2=Dave |publisher=Timber Press |year=2015 |isbn=9781604694437 |pages=223–24; 232–33}}</ref>

* Community function guilds group species based on a specific function or niche that they fill in the garden. Examples of this type of guild include plants that attract a particular beneficial insect or plants that restore nitrogen to the soil. These types of guilds are aimed at solving specific problems which may arise in a garden, such as infestations of harmful insects and poor nutrition in the soil.<ref name=":11" />
* Establishment guilds are commonly used when working to establish target species (the primary vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc. you want to be established in your garden) with the support of pioneer species (plants that will help the target species succeed). For example, in [[temperate climate]]s, plants such as [[comfrey]] (as a weed barrier and [[dynamic accumulator]]), [[Lupine (flower)|lupine]] (as a nitrogen fixer), and [[daffodil]] (as a [[gopher]] deterrent) can together form a guild for a fruit tree. As the tree matures, the support plants will likely eventually be shaded out and can be used as compost.<ref name=":11" />
* Mature guilds form once your target species are established. For example, if the tree layer of your landscape closes its [[Canopy (biology)|canopy]], sun-loving support plants will be shaded out and die. Shade loving [[medicinal herbs]] such as [[ginseng]], [[Black Cohosh]], and [[goldenseal]] can be planted as an [[understory]].<ref name=":11" />
* Mutual support guilds group species together that are complementary by working together and supporting each other. This guild may include a plant that fixes nitrogen, a plant that hosts insects that are predators to pests, and another plant that attracts pollinators.<ref name=":11" /> 
* Resource partitioning guilds group species based on their abilities to share essential resources with one another through a process of niche differentiation. An example of this type of guild includes placing a [[Fibrous root system|fibrous- or shallow-rooted plant]] next to a [[Taproot|tap-rooted plant]] so that they draw from different levels of soil nutrients.<ref name=":11" />