(A) Self-thinning is initiated after crowding occurs, resulting in decreasing plant density p(t) with time t. (B) A high initial planting density p0 is compensated for by poor growth conditions for each individual resulting in a small individual biomass w at harvest after an initial growth time period (B-3).
Why do plants self thin?
Publisher Summary. The self-thinning rule describes plant mortality because of competition in crowded even-aged stands. ... First, large plants suppress small plants. The result is a “hierarchy of dominance and suppression” in which the smaller plants are at an accumulating disadvantage and finally die.
What does self-thinning mean?
A progressive decline in the density of a population of growing plants. During the course of the self-thinning process, individuals become larger as the population density declines.
