The global spectrum of tree crown architecture

T Tommaso Jucker (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.) F Fabian Jörg Fischer J Jérôme Chave D David A. Coomes J John Caspersen A Arshad Ali G Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou T Ted R. Feldpausch (School of Geography, University of Leeds) D Daniel Falster (Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney) V Vladimir A. Usoltsev T Toby D. Jackson S Stephen Adu-Bredu L Luciana F. Alves M Mohammad Aminpour B Bhely Angoboy Ilondea N Niels P. R. Anten C Cécile Antin Y Yousef Askari N Narayanan Ayyappan L Lindsay F. Banin (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK.) N Nicolas Barbier J John J. Battles H Hans Beeckman Y Yannick E. Bocko B Ben Bond-Lamberty (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) F Frans Bongers S Samuel Bowers M Michiel van Breugel A Arthur Chantrain R Rajeev Chaudhary J Jingyu Dai M Michele Dalponte K Kangbéni Dimobe J Jean-Christophe Domec J Jean-Louis Doucet J Juan Manuel Dupuy Rada R Remko A. Duursma M Moisés Enríquez K Karin Y. van Ewijk W William Farfan-Rios (Herbario Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco) A Adeline Fayolle M Marco Ferretti E Eric Forni D David I. Forrester H Hammad Gilani J John L. Godlee M Matthias Haeni J Jefferson S. Hall J Jie-Kun He A Andreas Hemp J José L. Hernández-Stefanoni S Steven I. Higgins R Robert J. Holdaway K Kiramat Hussain L Lindsay B. Hutley T Tomoaki Ichie Y Yoshiko Iida H Hai-Sheng Jiang P Puspa Raj Joshi H Hasan Kaboli M Maryam Kazempour Larsary T Tanaka Kenzo B Brian D. Kloeppel T Takashi S. Kohyama S Suwash Kunwar S Shem Kuyah J Jakub Kvasnica S Siliang Lin E Emily R. Lines H Hongyan Liu (CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China) C Craig Lorimer J Jean-Joël Loumeto Y Yadvinder Malhi P Peter L. Marshall E Eskil Mattsson R Radim Matula J Jorge A. Meave S Sylvanus Mensah X Xiangcheng Mi S Stéphane T. Momo G Glenn R. Moncrieff F Francisco Mora R Rodrigo Muñoz S Sarath P. Nissanka Z Zamah Shari Nur Hajar K Kevin L. O’Hara S Steven Pearce R Raphaël Pelissier P Pablo L. Peri P Pierre Ploton (AMAP Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France.) L Lourens Poorter M Mohsen Javanmiri Pour H Hassan Pourbabaei S Sabina C. Ribeiro C Casey Ryan A Anvar Sanaei J Jennifer Sanger M Michael Schlund G Giacomo Sellan A Alexander Shenkin B Bonaventure Sonké F Frank J. Sterck M Martin Svátek K Kentaro Takagi A Anna T. Trugman M Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur A Ahmad Valipour M Mark C. Vanderwel A Alejandra G. Vovides P Peter Waldner W Weiwei Wang L Li-Qiu Wang C Christian Wirth (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig) M Murray Woods W Wenhua Xiang F Fabiano de Aquino Ximenes Y Yaozhan Xu T Toshihiro Yamada M Miguel A. Zavala N Niklaus E. Zimmermann

Abstract

Abstract 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.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published May 26, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (120)

T

Tommaso Jucker

School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

F

Fabian Jörg Fischer

J

Jérôme Chave

D

David A. Coomes

J

John Caspersen

A

Arshad Ali

G

Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou

T

Ted R. Feldpausch

School of Geography, University of Leeds

D

Daniel Falster

Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney

V

Vladimir A. Usoltsev

T

Toby D. Jackson

S

Stephen Adu-Bredu

L

Luciana F. Alves

M

Mohammad Aminpour

B

Bhely Angoboy Ilondea

N

Niels P. R. Anten

C

Cécile Antin

Y

Yousef Askari

N

Narayanan Ayyappan

L

Lindsay F. Banin

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK.

N

Nicolas Barbier

J

John J. Battles

H

Hans Beeckman

Y

Yannick E. Bocko

B

Ben Bond-Lamberty

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

F

Frans Bongers

S

Samuel Bowers

M

Michiel van Breugel

A

Arthur Chantrain

R

Rajeev Chaudhary

J

Jingyu Dai

M

Michele Dalponte

K

Kangbéni Dimobe

J

Jean-Christophe Domec

J

Jean-Louis Doucet

J

Juan Manuel Dupuy Rada

R

Remko A. Duursma

M

Moisés Enríquez

K

Karin Y. van Ewijk

W

William Farfan-Rios

Herbario Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco

A

Adeline Fayolle

M

Marco Ferretti

E

Eric Forni

D

David I. Forrester

H

Hammad Gilani

J

John L. Godlee

M

Matthias Haeni

J

Jefferson S. Hall

J

Jie-Kun He

A

Andreas Hemp

J

José L. Hernández-Stefanoni

S

Steven I. Higgins

R

Robert J. Holdaway

K

Kiramat Hussain

L

Lindsay B. Hutley

T

Tomoaki Ichie

Y

Yoshiko Iida

H

Hai-Sheng Jiang

P

Puspa Raj Joshi

H

Hasan Kaboli

M

Maryam Kazempour Larsary

T

Tanaka Kenzo

B

Brian D. Kloeppel

T

Takashi S. Kohyama

S

Suwash Kunwar

S

Shem Kuyah

J

Jakub Kvasnica

S

Siliang Lin

E

Emily R. Lines

H

Hongyan Liu

CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

C

Craig Lorimer

J

Jean-Joël Loumeto

Y

Yadvinder Malhi

P

Peter L. Marshall

E

Eskil Mattsson

R

Radim Matula

J

Jorge A. Meave

S

Sylvanus Mensah

X

Xiangcheng Mi

S

Stéphane T. Momo

G

Glenn R. Moncrieff

F

Francisco Mora

R

Rodrigo Muñoz

S

Sarath P. Nissanka

Z

Zamah Shari Nur Hajar

K

Kevin L. O’Hara

S

Steven Pearce

R

Raphaël Pelissier

P

Pablo L. Peri

P

Pierre Ploton

AMAP Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France.

L

Lourens Poorter

M

Mohsen Javanmiri Pour

H

Hassan Pourbabaei

S

Sabina C. Ribeiro

C

Casey Ryan

A

Anvar Sanaei

J

Jennifer Sanger

M

Michael Schlund

G

Giacomo Sellan

A

Alexander Shenkin

B

Bonaventure Sonké

F

Frank J. Sterck

M

Martin Svátek

K

Kentaro Takagi

A

Anna T. Trugman

M

Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur

A

Ahmad Valipour

M

Mark C. Vanderwel

A

Alejandra G. Vovides

P

Peter Waldner

W

Weiwei Wang

L

Li-Qiu Wang

C

Christian Wirth

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig

M

Murray Woods

W

Wenhua Xiang

F

Fabiano de Aquino Ximenes

Y

Yaozhan Xu

T

Toshihiro Yamada

M

Miguel A. Zavala

N

Niklaus E. Zimmermann