ArticleNature communications2017
Wind loads and competition for light sculpt trees into self-similar structures.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- The role of geometry in morphogenesis.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2026Review
- Coconut tree modeling based on abiotic factors and modified cosserat rod theory.Plant methods · 2025Article
- Understanding the chemistry of mesostructured porous nanoreactors.Nature reviews. Chemistry · 2024Review
- Plant science in the age of simulation intelligence.Frontiers in plant science · 2023Article
- Crown feature effect evaluation on wind load for evergreen species based on laser scanning and wind tunnel experiments.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- 3D modeling and reconstruction of plants and trees: A cross-cutting review across computer graphics, vision, and plant phenotyping.Breeding science · 2022Article
- Stronger wind, smaller tree: Testing tree growth plasticity through a modeling approach.Frontiers in plant science · 2022Article
- What is quantitative plant biology?Quantitative plant biology · 2021Review
- Branching principles of animal and plant networks identified by combining extensive data, machine learning and modelling.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2021Article
- Advances in Bone tissue engineering: A fundamental review.Journal of biosciences · 2021Article
- Two decades of functional-structural plant modelling: now addressing fundamental questions in systems biology and predictive ecology.Annals of botany · 2020Review
- Tree crowns grow into self-similar shapes controlled by gravity and light sensing.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Trees are self-similar structures: their branch lengths and diameters vary allometrically within the tree architecture, with longer and thicker branches near the ground. These tree allometries are often attributed to optimisation of hydraulic sap transport and safety against elastic buckling. Here, we show that these allometries also emerge from a model that includes competition for light, wind biomechanics and no hydraulics. We have developed MECHATREE, a numerical model of trees growing and evolving on a virtual island. With this model, we identify the fittest growth strategy when trees compete for light and allocate their photosynthates to grow seeds, create new branches or reinforce existing ones in response to wind-induced loads. Strikingly, we find that selected trees species are self-similar and follow allometric scalings similar to those observed on dicots and conifers. This result suggests that resistance to wind and competition for light play an essential role in determining tree allometries.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.