5 Conclusion
Overall,
we proved that in Masson pine forests, tree performance relates to
architectural traits. We found tree performance relates to the scaling
exponent at both individual and branch levels, that is
trees with a higherH -D scaling exponent grow better, whereas trees with lower
branch L -d scaling exponent perform better in competition.
In addition to
the
decrease of L -d scaling exponent as the position of
branches deepens within crown, we also found that the linkage betweenL -d scaling exponent and tree performance is determined by
the intermediate branches. The linkage between scaling exponent and tree
performance improves our understanding of tree competitive strategies
and mechanisms of tree mortality. This research also highlights that the
interspecific variation of morphological traits should not be ignored.
More species should be considered in future research.
Funding: This work was financially supported by the National
Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 31330010)
Acknowledgments: We thank Prof. Yuanqiu Liu, and Wei Jin as
well as Rong Huang (Jiangxi Agricultural University) for their help in
the fieldwork. We also acknowledge Prof. Xin Chen (Zhejiang University)
for providing the scanner. We are also grateful to Dr. Jun Liu (Jiangxi
Agricultural University) and Dr. María N. Umaña (University of Michigan)
for their useful suggestion.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing
financial interests.
Data Accessibility Statement: data used in the analysis will be
available through Dryad until acceptance of this manuscript.