CENTRIFUGAL ORGANIZATION IN FORESTS

The centrifugal organization model is based upon general empirical patterns in the distribution of species and vegetation types along gradients caused by different combinations of environmental constraints. The authors explore whether this model, developed in temperate zone wetlands, can be generalized to terrestrial vegetation with woody species. The mechanism of competitive hierarchies for light as a limiting resource is widely-accepted in forestry. Current descriptions of forest distributions along biomass gradients are also consistent with the patterns of the centrifugal organization model. -from Authors