title: Effects of biophysical constraints, climate and phylogeny on forest shrub allometries along an altitudinal gradient in Northeast China.
abstract: Whether there is a general allometry law across plant species with different sizes and under different environment has long been controversial and shrubs are particularly useful to examine these questions. Here we sampled 939 individuals from 50 forest shrub species along a large altitudinal gradient. We tested several allometry models with four relationships simultaneously (between stem diameter, height, leaf, stem and aboveground biomass), including geometric, elastic and stress similarity, and metabolic scaling theory's predictions on small plants (MSTs) and trees (MSTt). We also tested if allometric exponents change markedly with climate and phylogeny. The predicted exponents of MSTt, elastic similarity and stress similarity (models for trees) were not supported by our data, while MSTsand geometric similarity gained more support, suggesting the finite size effect is more important for shrub allometries than being a woody plant. The influence of climate and phylogeny on allometric exponents were not significant or very weak, again suggesting strong biophysical constraints on shrub allometries. Our results reveal clear differences of shrub allometries from previous findings on trees (e.g. much weaker climatic and phylogenic control). Comparisons of herbs, shrubs and trees along a same climatic gradient are needed for better understanding of plant allometries.
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Xiangping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Yanwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoyan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Weilun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D018533:Biomass; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D002681:China; D002980:Climate; D065928:Forests; D005843:Geography; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010802:Phylogeny; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014197:Trees / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D014934:Wood / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development