Forest demography and biomass accumulation rates are associated with transient mean tree size vs. density scaling relations.

ABSTRACT: Linking individual and stand-level dynamics during forest development reveals a scaling relationship between mean tree size and tree density in forest stands, which integrates forest structure and function. However, the nature of this so-called scaling law and its variation across broad spatial scales remain unquantified, and its linkage with forest demographic processes and carbon dynamics remains elusive. In this study, we develop a theoretical framework and compile a broad-scale dataset of long-term sample forest stands (n = 1,433) from largely undisturbed forests to examine the association of temporal mean tree size vs. density scaling trajectories (slopes) with biomass accumulation rates and the sensitivity of scaling slopes to environmental and demographic drivers. The results

SUBMITTER: Yu K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10883769 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature