Am. J. Bot.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Niklas, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Spatz, H.-C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Niklas, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Spatz, H.-C.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Niklas, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Spatz, H.-C.
(American Journal of Botany. 2006;93:824-828.)
© 2006 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Ecology

Allometric theory and the mechanical stability of large trees: proof and conjecture1

Karl J. Niklas4 and Hanns-Christof Spatz

2Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 USA; 3Institut für Biologie III, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg D-79104, Germany

ABSTRACT

Recent allometric theory has postulated that standing leaf mass will scale as the 3/4 power of stem mass and as the 3/4 power of root mass such that stem mass scales isometrically with respect to root mass across very large vascular plant species with self-supporting stems. We show that the isometric scaling of stem mass with respect to root mass (i.e., MS {propto} MR) can be derived directly from mechanical theory, specifically from the requirement that wind-induced bending moments acting at the base of stems must be balanced by a counter-resisting moment provided by the root system to prevent uprooting. This derivation provides indirect verification of the allometric theory. It also draws attention to the fact that leaf, stem, and root biomass partitioning patterns must accommodate the simultaneous performance of manifold functional obligations.

Key Words: allometry • bending moments • biomechanics • plant biomass partitioning • root biomass • scaling rules • stem biomass • wind drag






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the Botanical Society of America, Inc.