The Nitrogen Content of Plants and the Self-thinning Rule of Plant Ecology: A Test of the Core-skin Hypothesis |
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Authors: | HARDWICK R. C. |
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Affiliation: | Institute of Horticultural Research Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK |
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Abstract: | The core-skin hypothesis postulates that secondarilythickened plants behave energetically as an inert corecovered by an active skin, the skinbeing two-imensional, the core three-dimensional.This would explain the self-thinning or3/2 rule of plant ecology, that is, the tendencyfor log (dry weight per plant) and log (number of plants perunit area) to progress along a straight line relationship, withslope = 3/2. The hypothesis was tested as follows. Plant nitrogen contentwas used as an estimate of the mass of skin perplant, and dry weight as an estimate of the mass of the core.As plants mature the slope of the relationship between y = log(mass of nitrogen per plant) and x = log (mass of dry matterper plant) is expected to decline from an initial value of 1.0towards a final value of 0.66. The intercept of the relationshipis expected to reflect the intrinsic content of skinper unit of core. Genotypic variation in thisparameter should cause genotypic differences in the maximumattainable yield of biomass per unit area. The expectations were investigated by fitting the function y= p+qx+r exp x to 30 sets of data on plant nitrogencontent, plant weight and time in 18 different vegetables. Simplelinear regressions of y on x were fitted to more limited setsof data on weights and nitrogen contents of mature trees. Theexpectations were, with some minor exceptions, confirmed. Nitrogen, yield, plant competition, self-thinning |
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