Journal
TREE PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 27, Issue 3, Pages 433-440Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/treephys/27.3.433
Keywords
allometry; biomechanics; hydraulic constraints; maximum height; plant evolution; power rules
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Basic engineering theory and empirically determined allometrie relationships for the biomass partitioning patterns of extant tree- sized plants show that the mechanical requirements for vertical growth do not impose intrinsic limits on the maximum heights that can be reached by species with woody, self-supporting stems. This implies that maximum tree height is constrained by other factors, among which hydraulic constraints are plausible. A review of the available information on scaling relationships observed for large tree-sized plants, nevertheless, indicates that mechanical and hydraulic requirements impose dual restraints on plant height and thus, may play equally (but differentially) important roles during the growth of arborescent, large-sized species. It may be the case that adaptations to mechanical and hydraulic phenomena have optimized growth, survival and reproductive success rather than longevity and mature size.
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