The global spectrum of tree crown architecture

Trees can differ enormously in their crown architectural traits, such as the scaling relationships between tree height, crown width and stem diameter. Yet despite the importance of crown architecture in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, we lack a complete picture of what...

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Main Authors: Jucker, Tommaso, Fischer, Fabian Jörg, Chave, Jérôme, Coomes, David A., Caspersen, John, Ali, Arshad, Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul, Feldpausch, Ted R., Usoltsev, Vladimir A., Peri, Pablo Luis, Zimmermann, Niklaus E.
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer Nature 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22500
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60262-x
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60262-x
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author Jucker, Tommaso
Fischer, Fabian Jörg
Chave, Jérôme
Coomes, David A.
Caspersen, John
Ali, Arshad
Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul
Feldpausch, Ted R.
Usoltsev, Vladimir A.
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zimmermann, Niklaus E.
author_browse Ali, Arshad
Caspersen, John
Chave, Jérôme
Coomes, David A.
Feldpausch, Ted R.
Fischer, Fabian Jörg
Jucker, Tommaso
Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul
Peri, Pablo Luis
Usoltsev, Vladimir A.
Zimmermann, Niklaus E.
author_facet Jucker, Tommaso
Fischer, Fabian Jörg
Chave, Jérôme
Coomes, David A.
Caspersen, John
Ali, Arshad
Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul
Feldpausch, Ted R.
Usoltsev, Vladimir A.
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zimmermann, Niklaus E.
author_sort Jucker, Tommaso
collection INTA Digital
description Trees can differ enormously in their crown architectural traits, such as the scaling relationships between tree height, crown width and stem diameter. Yet despite the importance of crown architecture in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, we lack a complete picture of what drives this incredible diversity in crown shapes. Using data from 374,888 globally distributed trees, we explore how climate, disturbance, competition, functional traits, and evolutionary history constrain the height and crown width scaling relationships of 1914 tree species. We find that variation in height–diameter scaling relationships is primarily controlled by water availability and light competition. Conversely, crown width is predominantly shaped by exposure to wind and fire, while also covarying with functional traits related to mechanical stability and photosynthesis. Additionally, we identify several plant lineages with highly distinctive stem and crown forms, such as the exceedingly slender dipterocarps of Southeast Asia, or the extremely wide crowns of legume trees in African savannas. Our study charts the global spectrum of tree crown architecture and pinpoints the processes that shape the 3D structure of woody ecosystems.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
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spelling INTA225002025-06-04T16:28:03Z The global spectrum of tree crown architecture Jucker, Tommaso Fischer, Fabian Jörg Chave, Jérôme Coomes, David A. Caspersen, John Ali, Arshad Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul Feldpausch, Ted R. Usoltsev, Vladimir A. Peri, Pablo Luis Zimmermann, Niklaus E. Trees Primary Forests Crown Classes Architecture Tree Height Water Availability Árboles Bosques Primarios Clases de Copas Arquitectura Altura del Arbol Disponibilidad del Agua Light Competition Plant Lineages Tree Crown Architecture Woody Ecosystems Competencia por la Luz Linaje de Plantas Arquitectura de las Copas de los Arboles Ecosistemas Leñosos Trees can differ enormously in their crown architectural traits, such as the scaling relationships between tree height, crown width and stem diameter. Yet despite the importance of crown architecture in shaping the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, we lack a complete picture of what drives this incredible diversity in crown shapes. Using data from 374,888 globally distributed trees, we explore how climate, disturbance, competition, functional traits, and evolutionary history constrain the height and crown width scaling relationships of 1914 tree species. We find that variation in height–diameter scaling relationships is primarily controlled by water availability and light competition. Conversely, crown width is predominantly shaped by exposure to wind and fire, while also covarying with functional traits related to mechanical stability and photosynthesis. Additionally, we identify several plant lineages with highly distinctive stem and crown forms, such as the exceedingly slender dipterocarps of Southeast Asia, or the extremely wide crowns of legume trees in African savannas. Our study charts the global spectrum of tree crown architecture and pinpoints the processes that shape the 3D structure of woody ecosystems. EEA Santa Cruz, INTA Fil: Jucker, Tommaso. University of Bristol. School of Biological Sciences; Reino Unido Fil: Fischer, Fabian Jörg. University of Bristol. School of Biological Sciences; Reino Unido Fil: Chave, Jérôme. Université de Toulouse. Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l’Environnement, CNRS, INPT, IRD; Francia Fil: Coomes, David A. University of Cambridge. Conservation Research Institute; Reino Unido Fil: Caspersen, John. University of Toronto. Institute of Forestry and Conservation; Canadá. Fil: Ali, Arshad. Hebei University. College of Life Sciences. Forest Ecology Research Group; China. Fil: Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul. Université DENIS SASSOU-N’GUESSO. Institut Supérieur des Sciences Géographiques, Environnementales et de l’Aménagement (ISSGEA); República del Congo Fil: Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul. Université Marien NGOUABI. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques. Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l’Environnement (LBGE). Brazzaville; República del Congo Fil: Feldpausch, Ted R. University of Exeter. Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy; Reino Unido Fil: Falster, Daniel. University of New South Wales Sydney. Evolution & Ecology Research Centre; Australia. Fil: Usoltsev, Vladimir A. Ural State Forest Engineering and Economic University. Department of Forest Mensuration and Management; Rusia. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Zimmermann, Niklaus E. Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL; Suiza 2025-06-04T16:17:01Z 2025-06-04T16:17:01Z 2025-05-26 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22500 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60262-x Jucker T.; Fischer F.J.; Chave J.; Coomes D.A.; Caspersen J.; Ali A.; Loubota Panzou G.J.; Feldpausch T.T.; Falster D.; (…); Peri P.L.; et al. (2025) The global spectrum of tree crown architecture. Nature Communications 16: e4876. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60262-x 2041-1723 (online) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60262-x eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Nature Nature Communications 16 : e4876. (May 2025)
spellingShingle Trees
Primary Forests
Crown Classes
Architecture
Tree Height
Water Availability
Árboles
Bosques Primarios
Clases de Copas
Arquitectura
Altura del Arbol
Disponibilidad del Agua
Light Competition
Plant Lineages
Tree Crown Architecture
Woody Ecosystems
Competencia por la Luz
Linaje de Plantas
Arquitectura de las Copas de los Arboles
Ecosistemas Leñosos
Jucker, Tommaso
Fischer, Fabian Jörg
Chave, Jérôme
Coomes, David A.
Caspersen, John
Ali, Arshad
Loubota Panzou, Grace Jopaul
Feldpausch, Ted R.
Usoltsev, Vladimir A.
Peri, Pablo Luis
Zimmermann, Niklaus E.
The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title_full The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title_fullStr The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title_full_unstemmed The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title_short The global spectrum of tree crown architecture
title_sort global spectrum of tree crown architecture
topic Trees
Primary Forests
Crown Classes
Architecture
Tree Height
Water Availability
Árboles
Bosques Primarios
Clases de Copas
Arquitectura
Altura del Arbol
Disponibilidad del Agua
Light Competition
Plant Lineages
Tree Crown Architecture
Woody Ecosystems
Competencia por la Luz
Linaje de Plantas
Arquitectura de las Copas de los Arboles
Ecosistemas Leñosos
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22500
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60262-x
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60262-x
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