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Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dietze, MC; Wolosin, MS; Clark, JS
Published in: Forest Ecology and Management
November 20, 2008

There is growing recognition of the role of mechanistic scaling laws in shaping ecological pattern and process. While such theoretical relationships explain much of the variation across large scales, at any particular scale there is important residual variation that is left unexplained among species, among individuals within a species, and within individuals themselves. Key questions remain on what explains this variability and how we can apply this information in practice, in particular to produce estimates in high-diversity systems with many rare and under-sampled species. We apply hierarchical Bayes statistical techniques to data on crown geometry from diverse temperate forests in order to simultaneously model the differences within and among species. We find that tree height, canopy depth, and canopy radius are affected by both successional stage and wood mechanical strength, while tree height conforms to the predicted 2/3 power relationship. Furthermore, we show that hierarchical modeling allows us to constrain the allometries of rare species much more than traditional methods. Finally, crown radius was shown to vary substantially more within individuals than among individuals or species, suggesting that the capacity for local light foraging and crown plasticity exerts the dominant control on tree crowns. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Forest Ecology and Management

DOI

ISSN

0378-1127

Publication Date

November 20, 2008

Volume

256

Issue

11

Start / End Page

1939 / 1948

Related Subject Headings

  • Forestry
  • 4102 Ecological applications
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

Citation

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Dietze, M. C., Wolosin, M. S., & Clark, J. S. (2008). Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach. Forest Ecology and Management, 256(11), 1939–1948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.07.034
Dietze, M. C., M. S. Wolosin, and J. S. Clark. “Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach.” Forest Ecology and Management 256, no. 11 (November 20, 2008): 1939–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.07.034.
Dietze MC, Wolosin MS, Clark JS. Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach. Forest Ecology and Management. 2008 Nov 20;256(11):1939–48.
Dietze, M. C., et al. “Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach.” Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 256, no. 11, Nov. 2008, pp. 1939–48. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.07.034.
Dietze MC, Wolosin MS, Clark JS. Capturing diversity and interspecific variability in allometries: A hierarchical approach. Forest Ecology and Management. 2008 Nov 20;256(11):1939–1948.
Journal cover image

Published In

Forest Ecology and Management

DOI

ISSN

0378-1127

Publication Date

November 20, 2008

Volume

256

Issue

11

Start / End Page

1939 / 1948

Related Subject Headings

  • Forestry
  • 4102 Ecological applications
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences