Abstract
Acer platanoides L. individuals were dissected to determine if branch allometry changed as branches increased in length. Branches were found to transition from a log–log curvilinear relationship to a linear relationship when above 3,000 mm in length. The log–log linear relationship was best modeled with the elastic similarity model. The total number of subordinate lateral branches was found to increase rapidly after the primary branch length surpassed 3,000 mm, suggesting that branches are transitioning to a structural role as size increases. The shift in allometry appears to correspond to a shift from increasing slenderness ratio (length/radius) with increasing branch length to decreasing ratio, and is likely due to a transition from flexible sun branches to stiffer structural branches.
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Acknowledgments
This effort was funded by John & Eleanor Kuser Faculty Scholar Endowment and the TreeFund. We would like to thank Drs. Peter Smouse, George Zimmerman and Ming Xu, and the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript and the assistance of our field technicians: Jessica Sanders, Manisha Patel, Alex O’Hare, and Paul Remelgado.
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Communicated by T. Fourcaud.
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Dahle, G.A., Grabosky, J.C. Allometric patterns in Acer platanoides (Aceraceae) branches. Trees 24, 321–326 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-009-0401-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-009-0401-5