An attempt to quantify the degree of interaction in light interception between canopy trees in a forest

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25660113
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kouki Hikosaka 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (10272006)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HIURA Tsutom 北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 教授 (70250496)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKAJI Tatsuro 北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 准教授 (40391130)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 個体間相互作用 / ゲーム理論 / 光環境 / 光獲得競争

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In forests, distances between individual canopy trees are large and it is unclear the degree of interaction between individuals for light competition. In the present study, we evaluated the degree of interaction, which was defined as the fraction of light that penetrated through the foliage of neighbor individuals, using two methods. The results suggest that the degree of interaction in a forest is about 0.5, indicating there is a significant interaction in light interception between neighbors. This value is useful for modeling of game in light competition in forests, contributing to projection of CO2 absorption rate in future forests.

Free Research Field

植物生理生態学