Abstract
THE self-thinning rule is perhaps the most widely applicable principle in plant population dynamics. White1 has shown that it applies to more than 70 species ranging from herbs to trees, in many nutrient conditions. The rule states that W=Kp−3/2, where W is average plant weight, p is the density of plants, and K is a constant. In other words when the log of average weight is plotted against the log of average density for a crowded even-aged plant population, numbers must be lost as the individuals gain weight in such a way that the population's trajectory is held under a line of slope −3/2.
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References
White, J., Nineteenth Int. bot. Cong., Leningrad (1975).
White, J., and Harper, J. L., J. Ecol., 58, 467–485 (1970).
Kays, S., and Harper, J. L., J. Ecol., 62, 97–106 (1974).
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Blackman, G. E., and Wilson, G. L., Ann. Bot. N.S., 15, 63–94 (1951).
Black, J. N. J. appl. Ecol. 1, 3–18 (1963).
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WESTOBY, M. Self-thinning driven by leaf area not by weight. Nature 265, 330–331 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265330a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265330a0
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