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Testing metabolic ecology theory for allometric scaling of tree size, growth and mortality in tropical forests
Author(s) -
MullerLandau Helene C.,
Condit Richard S.,
Chave Jerome,
Thomas Sean C.,
Bohlman Stephanie A.,
Bunyavejchewin Sarayudh,
Davies Stuart,
Foster Robin,
Gunatilleke Savitri,
Gunatilleke Nimal,
Harms Kyle E.,
Hart Terese,
Hubbell Stephen P.,
Itoh Akira,
Kassim Abd Rahman,
LaFrankie James V.,
Lee Hua Seng,
Losos Elizabeth,
Makana JeanRemy,
Ohkubo Tatsuhiro,
Sukumar Raman,
Sun IFang,
Nur Supardi M. N.,
Tan Sylvester,
Thompson Jill,
Valencia Renato,
Muñoz Gorky Villa,
Wills Christopher,
Yamakura Takuo,
Chuyong George,
Dattaraja Handanakere Shivaramaiah,
Esufali Shameema,
Hall Pamela,
Hernandez Consuelo,
Kenfack David,
Kiratiprayoon Somboon,
Suresh Hebbalalu S.,
Thomas Duncan,
Vallejo Martha Isabel,
Ashton Peter
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00904.x
Subject(s) - ecology , allometry , biomass (ecology) , tropical forest , tropical climate , tree (set theory) , biology , forest dynamics , mathematics , mathematical analysis
The theory of metabolic ecology predicts specific relationships among tree stem diameter, biomass, height, growth and mortality. As demographic rates are important to estimates of carbon fluxes in forests, this theory might offer important insights into the global carbon budget, and deserves careful assessment. We assembled data from 10 old‐growth tropical forests encompassing censuses of 367 ha and > 1.7 million trees to test the theory's predictions. We also developed a set of alternative predictions that retained some assumptions of metabolic ecology while also considering how availability of a key limiting resource, light, changes with tree size. Our results show that there are no universal scaling relationships of growth or mortality with size among trees in tropical forests. Observed patterns were consistent with our alternative model in the one site where we had the data necessary to evaluate it, and were inconsistent with the predictions of metabolic ecology in all forests.