Abstract
Enquist et al.1 raise several points that they claim cast doubt on our findings and interpretation2 regarding whole-plant relations of respiration, R, with plant mass, M, and total plant nitrogen content, N. We agree with Enquist et al. that R does not scale isometrically with M across all plants. However, their assertion that we claim that isometric scaling (R ∝ Mθ, with θ = 1) is universal in plants of all sizes is incorrect — in fact, we conclude the opposite2, noting that there is isometric scaling within individual experiments, non-isometric scaling of respiration versus mass across all data pooled, and no common relation across all data2.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Enquist, B. J. et al. Nature 445, doi:10.1038/nature05548 (2007).
Reich, P. B., Tjoelker, M. G., Machado, J.-L. & Oleksyn, J. Nature 439, 457–461 (2006).
West, G. B., Brown, J. H. & Enquist, B. J. Nature 400, 664–667 (1999).
Gillooly, J. F., Brown, J. H., West, G. B., Savage, V. M. & Charnov, E. L. Science 293, 2248–2251 (2001).
Brown, J. H., Gillooly, J. F., Allen, A. P., Savage, V. M. & West, G. B. Ecology 85, 1771–1789 (2004).
Kozłowski, J. & Konarzewski, M. Funct. Ecol. 19, 739–743 (2005).
Mäkelä, A. & Valentine, H. T. Ecology 87, 2967–2972 (2006).
Enquist, B. J. et al. Nature 423, 639–642 (2003).
Field, C. & Mooney, H. A. in On the Economy of Plant Form and Function (ed. Givnish, T. J.) 25–55 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986).
Ryan, M. G. Ecol. Appl. 1, 157–167 (1991).
Wright, I. J. et al. Nature 428, 821–827 (2004).
Mencuccini, M. Plant Cell Envir. 26, 163–182 (2003).
Meinzer, F. C., Bond, B. J., Warren, J. M. & Woodruff, D. R. Funct. Ecol. 19, 558–565 (2005).
Glazier, D. S. BioScience 56, 325–332 (2006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Reich, P., Tjoelker, M., Machado, JL. et al. Does the exception prove the rule? (Reply). Nature 445, E10–E11 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05549
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05549
This article is cited by
-
Intra- and inter-specific scaling laws of plants and animals
Acta Mechanica Sinica (2021)
-
Testing allometric scaling relationships in plant roots
Forest Ecosystems (2020)
-
Scaling the respiratory metabolism to phosphorus relationship in plant seedlings
Scientific Reports (2015)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.