Furthermore, crown structure plays a role in photosynthetic consequences ( Kohyama 1987). (2003) compared saplings of two shade-tolerant tree species in the forest understory and demonstrated that crown dimension, such as the width and depth of crown and the number of leaves, are simple and reliable predictors of interspecific variation in growth rates. In a Mexican lowland rainforest, Sterck et al. Moreover, tree crowns are responsive to topographical and edaphic conditions and the size and spatial arrangement of neighboring trees ( Lang et al. The allocation of biomass to crowns is constrained by mechanistic determinants such as biomechanical stability and hydrodynamic resistance, leading to species-specific crown traits (cf.

size and architecture) are, therefore, commonly used in modeling individual tree growth ( Mäkelä 1997 Pretzsch 2009). 2001)and the ability to shade neighboring trees ( Lang et al. leaves), and is a key constituent in determining the magnitude of light captured ( Sterck et al. branches) and photosynthetic organs (i.e. The tree crown is composed of structural organs (i.e.

2013 Poorter and Bonger 2006 Sterck et al. Focusing on light resources, the amount of light captured and the efficiency of resource use in trees are mainly determined by crown characteristics and leaf traits ( Fichtner et al. Growth rates of plants are driven by factors that influence the resource availability (light, nutrient and water), the amount of resources captured and the efficiency of resource use ( Monteith 1977 Richards et al. BEF China, crown characteristics, physiological leaf traits, morphological leaf traits, wood volume INTRODUCTION

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