Plant form analysis based on the pipe model theory I. A statical model within the crown

Extending Oohata and Shinozaki's statical model, a quantitative description of crown/canopy structure is presented. According to this model, the amount of non-photosynthetic organs in a given horizontal layer can be regarded as supporting the total plant weight above that layer. Within the crown, however, only stems, not branches, support it. In fact, the total amount of a community above a given horizon and the stem density at that horizon are found to be directly proportional, not only in forest stands and glassland communities but also in single trees. This means that the statical model should hold even within the crown/canopy range as well as the leafless range. The present analysis suggests that the crown structure of terrestrial plants is closely correlated with the pattern of branching for optimal use of sunlight. However, linearity of these relationships cannot always be obtained, perhaps due to variation in the branching pattern of trees.

[1]  T. Kira,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLANT FORM-THE PIPE MODEL THEORY : II. FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION IN FOREST ECOLOGY , 1964 .

[2]  H. Honda,et al.  BRANCH GEOMETRY AND EFFECTIVE LEAF AREA: A STUDY OF TERMINAUA‐BRANCHING PATTERN. 1. THEORETICAL TREES , 1979 .

[3]  T. Kira,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PLANT FORM-THE PIPE MODEL THEORY : I.BASIC ANALYSES , 1964 .

[4]  H. Honda.  Description of the form of trees by the parameters of the tree-like body: effects of the branching angle and the branch length on the sample of the tree-like body. , 1971, Journal of theoretical biology.

[5]  T. Fujimori.  Fundamental studies on pruning. I. Discussion about pruning on the basis of an econological research. , 1970 .

[6]  H. R. Gray,et al.  The form and taper of forest-tree stems , 1956 .

[7]  James N. Long,et al.  Validity of Constant-Stress and Elastic-Instability Principles of Stem Formation in Pinus contorta and Trifolium pratense , 1986 .

[8]  H. Honda,et al.  Tree Branch Angle: Maximizing Effective Leaf Area , 1978, Science.

[9]  L. B. Leopold,et al.  Trees and streams: the efficiency of branching patterns. , 1971, Journal of theoretical biology.

[10]  R. M. Newnham.  Stem Form and the Variation of Taper with Age and Thinning Régime , 1965 .

[11]  A. Hagihara,et al.  Respiration Consumption by Woody Organs in a Chamaecyparis obtusa Plantation , 1981 .

[12]  Kichiro Shinozaki,et al.  A STATICAL MODEL OF PLANT FORM-FURTHER ANALYSIS OF THE PIPE MODEL THEORY , 1979 .

[13]  H. Honda,et al.  Two Geometrical Models of Branching of Botanical Trees , 1982 .

[14]  T. McMahon,et al.  Tree structures: deducing the principle of mechanical design. , 1976, Journal of theoretical biology.

[15]  N. Ogata,et al.  Studies on Production Structure of Forest (VI) , 1964 .

[16]  M. Monsi.  Uber den Lichtfaktor in den Pflanzengesellschaften und seine Bedeutung fur die Stoffproduktion , 1953 .

[17]  H. Honda,et al.  BRANCH GEOMETRY AND EFFECTIVE LEAF AREA: A STUDY OF TERMINALIA‐BRANCHING PATTERN. 2. SURVEY OF REAL TREES , 1979 .

[18]  H. Honda,et al.  COMPUTER SIMULATION OF BRANCH INTERACTION AND REGULATION BY UNEQUAL FLOW RATES IN BOTANICAL TREES , 1981 .

[19]  Primary Production by a Tropical Rain Forest of Southern Thailand , 1964 .

[20]  Y. Tadaki.  Growth analysis on the natural stands of Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) III. Results of experiment (Research note) , 1979 .

[21]  Yoshiya Tadaki.  Biomass of foresta, with special reference to the leaf biomass of forests in Japan , 1976 .

[22]  David King,et al.  Tree dimensions: Maximizing the rate of height growth in dense stands , 2004, Oecologia.