The interspecific mass-density relationship and plant geometry

M Franco, CK Kelly

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We present an a priori theoretical framework for the interspecific allometric relationship between stand mass and plant population density. Our model predicts a slope of - 1/3 between the logarithm of stand mass and the logarithm of stand density, thus conflicting with a previously assumed slope of -1/2. Our model rests on a heuristic separation of resource-limited living mass and structural mass in the plant body, We point out that because of similar resource requirements among plants of different sizes, a nonzero plant mass-density slope is primarily defined by structural mass. Specifically, the slope is a result of (i) the physical size-dependent relationship between stem width and height, (ii) foliage-dependent demands of conductance, and (iii) the cumulative nature of structural mass. The data support our model, both when the potential sampling bias of taxonomic relatedness is accounted for and when it is not. Independent contrasts analyses show that observed relationships among variables are not significantly different from the assumptions made to build the model or from its a priori predictions. We note that the dependence of the plant mass-density slope on the functions of structural mass pro,ides a cause for the difference from the zero slope found in the animal population mass-density relationship; for the most part, animals do not have a comparable cumulative tissue type.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7830-7835
Number of pages0
JournalDefault journal
Volume95
Issue number13
Publication statusPublished - 1998
EventProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America -
Duration: 1 Jan 1998 → …

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