The allometric interpretation of the self-thinning rule
1981; Elsevier BV; Volume: 89; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0022-5193(81)90363-5
ISSN1095-8541
Autores Tópico(s)Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
ResumoPlant populations growing at high densities undergo density-dependent mortality or self-thinning. The density of survivors ({ρ}) is related to their mean biomass (w) by the power equation w = Kρ−a, where a is 32. This is known as the “self-thinning rule”. This relationship is very general for plant populations and represents both an asymptotic time-trajectory for a particular population and a boundary line for juxtaposed joint values of w and p of separate populations. The traditional allometric derivation of the rule is outlined and shown to be unrealistic. An attempt to reformulate the self-thinning rule, based on the traditional allometric derivation, is shown to be unsatisfactory and an alternative allometric derivation is presented. The rule in its traditional statement w = Kρ−32 is still its best expression. The nature of the constant K is discussed with particular reference to its dimensionality.
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