Growth and mortality of individual plants as a function of "available area"

TY - JOUR

T1 - Growth and mortality of individual plants as a function of "available area"

AU - Mithen, Richard

AU - Harper, John L.

AU - Weiner, Jacob

PY - 1984/4/1

Y1 - 1984/4/1

N2 - We looked at the relationship between "available area", as defined by Thiessen polygons around individual plants, and plant size and mortality in even-aged green-house populations of Lapsana communis L. Polygon area was a good predictor of plant weight in these populations. After nine weeks growth, just prior to the onset of self-thinning, the dry weight of plants was directly proportional to the square root of polygon area. After the onset of selfthinning, plant weight appeared to be directly related to polygon area to the 3/2 power. Plants in small polygons were much more likely to die than those in larger areas. Thinning changed the frequency distribution of polygon sizes from highly skewed and unequal to normal and more equal, while inequality in surviving plant sizes did not appear to be affected by thinning.

AB - We looked at the relationship between "available area", as defined by Thiessen polygons around individual plants, and plant size and mortality in even-aged green-house populations of Lapsana communis L. Polygon area was a good predictor of plant weight in these populations. After nine weeks growth, just prior to the onset of self-thinning, the dry weight of plants was directly proportional to the square root of polygon area. After the onset of selfthinning, plant weight appeared to be directly related to polygon area to the 3/2 power. Plants in small polygons were much more likely to die than those in larger areas. Thinning changed the frequency distribution of polygon sizes from highly skewed and unequal to normal and more equal, while inequality in surviving plant sizes did not appear to be affected by thinning.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0021558729&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/BF00377373

DO - 10.1007/BF00377373

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:0021558729

SN - 0029-8519

VL - 62

SP - 57

EP - 60

JO - Oecologia

JF - Oecologia

IS - 1

ER -