DOI: 10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1vwk
title: Allometric regression statistics for 285 North American tree species

description: Scaling patterns in plants have long interested biologists, particularly
 whether different species share similar patterns of growth, and whether
 differences in growth trajectories depend on plant size.  Using
 8,794,737 measurements for 285 species from the U.S. Forest Inventory and
 Analysis database, we test several predictions emerging from a recently
 published “flow similarity” model for plant growth and allometry. We show
 that the model’s predicted curvature for intraspecific relationships
 between height, DBH and biomass is found in 88.1% of examined cases, and
 empirical slopes fall as predicted between the elastic similarity and flow
 similarity predictions in 71.1% of cases. We also find a strong size
 dependence in observed intraspecific allometric exponents, with large
 species, particularly gymnosperms, converging near the expectation for
 elastic similarity, and the central tendency among small species
 approaching the expectations for flow similarity in most cases. Our
 results support the idea that differences in growth patterns across plant
 species depend on plant size and their attendant hydraulic and/or
 biomechanical demands and helps to delineate the bounds of the theoretical
 morphospace in which they occur.
description: The data from which these regression statistics were generated is
 publically available as cited in the manuscript.
description: There are two supplementary tables in support of our manuscript: **SMA
 Regression Statistics Table** and **FIA BigTree Comparison Table** The
 data in the **SMA Regression Statistics **table are allometric regression
 statistics for 285 North American tree species contained within the USFS
 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) database, which are all publicly
 available as cited in the manuscript. FIA records tree DBH, Height and
 estimates Biomass for all tree species greater than 5 in DBH in their
 plots. For details on FIA methods see references cited in the manuscript
 accompanying this dataset. See manuscript for full description. For the
 **SMA Regression Statistics Table**, column headers are as follows:
 **Common Name** - the common name for that species recorded in FIA
 database **Genus** - The genus **Species** - The species
 **AngiospermGymnosperm** - 1 if gymnosperm, 0 if angiosperm
 **SpeciesCode** - the FIA species code **HvsDslope** - SMA regression
 slope for the height vs diameter relationship **HvsMslope** - SMA
 regression slope for the height vs mass relationship **DvsMslope** - SMA
 regression slope for the diameter vs mass relationship **maxheight** -
 maximum recorded height for that species **maxdbh** - maximum recorded DBH
 for that species **maxmass** - maximum recorded mass for that species
 **HvsDint** - intercept of the height vs diameter relationship **HvsMint**
 - intercept of the height vs mass relationship **DvsMint** - intercept of
 the diameter vs mass relationship **HvsDConTest** - results of the test
 for concavity/convexity -1=concave, 1=convex **HvsMConTest** - results of
 the test for concavity/convexity -1=concave, 1=convex **DvsMConTest** -
 results of the test for concavity/convexity -1=concave, 1=convex
 **HvsDR2** - R-squared value for the height vs diameter relationship
 **HvsMR2** - R-squared value for the height vs mass relationship
 **DvsMR2** - R-squared value for the diameter vs mass relationship
 **SampleSize** - the sample size for that species The data in the **FIA
 BigTree Comparison** table represent the results of comparing the largest
 recorded individuals of each species from the FIA database to the largest
 recorded individual for each species from the BigTree database. See
 manuscript for full description. For the **FIA BigTree Comparison Table**,
 column headers are as follows: **FIAHeight/BigTreeHeight** - ratio of the
 maximum recorded height for that species in the FIA database to the
 maximum recorded height in the BigTree database for that species **BigTree
 Height (ft)** - maximum recorded height in feet in the BigTree database
 for that species **FIA Height (ft)** - maximum recorded height in feet in
 the FIA database for that species **SpeciesCode** - the FIA species code
 **FIADBH/BigTreeDBH** - ratio of the maximum recorded DBHfor that species
 in the FIA database to the maximum recorded DBH in the BigTree database
 for that species **BigTree DBH (in)** - maximum recorded DBH in inches in
 the BigTree database for that species **FIA DBH (in)** - maximum recorded
 DBH in inches in the FIA database for that species **SpeciesCode** - the
 FIA species code