Common allometric response of open-grown leader shoots to tree height in co-occurring deciduous broadleaved trees.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Morphology of crown shoots changes with tree height. The height of forest trees is usually correlated with the light environment and this makes it difficult to separate the effects of tree size and of light conditions on the morphological plasticity of crown shoots. This paper addresses the tree-height dependence of shoot traits under full-light conditions where a tree crown is not shaded by other crowns.

Methods

Focus is given to relationships between tree height and top-shoot traits, which include the shoot's leaf-blades and non-leafy mass, its total leaf-blade area and the length and basal diameter of the shoot's stem. We examine the allometric characteristics of open-grown current-year leader shoots at the tops of forest tree crowns up to 24 m high an

SUBMITTER: Miyata R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3197456 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature