Effects of intraspecific competition on growth, architecture and biomass allocation of Quercus Liaotungensis

Journal of plant interactions

article

Xiao-zhou Yang¹  Wen-hui Zhang¹  Qiu-yue He¹ 

[1] College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University

关键词: Quercus liaotungensis;    intraspecific competition;    biomass allocation;    tree architecture;    Hegyi competition index;   

DOI  :  10.1080/17429145.2019.1629656

学科分类：纳米科学和纳米技术

来源: Taylor & Francis

【 摘 要 】

Liaodong oak ( Quercus liaotungensis ) is an ecologically important tree species on the Loess Plateau in China that experiences strong intraspecific competition. Therefore, here, we aimed to clarify the strategies of Liaodong oak under intraspecific competition by examining the growth, architecture, and biomass allocation, and analyzed their relationships with the competition intensity. We found that intraspecific competition severely limited the accumulation of biomass in Liaodong oak and this competition was asymmetric among individuals. Intense competition among these trees resulted in a greater allocation of biomass to the belowground parts, allowing them to compete for moisture, which is a limited resource. Aboveground, the trees tended to allocate more resources to their trunks to ensure that tree height growth was not affected, resulting in a decreased diameter at breast height (DBH)/tree height ratio and tapering of the tree, thereby improving stem quality. By contrast, the amount of biomass that was allocated to the branches was greatly reduced through a reduction in the diameter and length of the branches rather than the number of branches.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC