Canopy shyness
Canopy profile one evening in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Hindhehe Park, when the sky is a beautiful greyish blue. Shot this frame with the last bit of my battery.
I have seen this described in the textbooks, canopy shyness; where the crowns of the trees do not overlap, instead leaves a regular gap between the edges of their crowns. What results in this intricate jigsaw where the pieces are laid in the right places, but not attached fully.
What causes canopy shyness is still not fully explained, we can only make a few guesses. Possible reasons are:
1. Mutual shading by adjacent trees, as a result the leaves on the outer edges fall off. Leaving a gap.
2. Leaves and small branches could have fallen off when the edges of 2 adjacent crowns brush against each other (which happens pretty frequently when the wind blows).
Still, questions unanswered, how far do each crown extend? Why isn't there one crown which dominates and grow into another tree's area? I could envisage a healthier tree expanding its crown and pushing away weaker competitors, diminishing the size of their crowns.
Anyone out there with other explanations?
Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the sight.
I have seen this described in the textbooks, canopy shyness; where the crowns of the trees do not overlap, instead leaves a regular gap between the edges of their crowns. What results in this intricate jigsaw where the pieces are laid in the right places, but not attached fully.
What causes canopy shyness is still not fully explained, we can only make a few guesses. Possible reasons are:
1. Mutual shading by adjacent trees, as a result the leaves on the outer edges fall off. Leaving a gap.
2. Leaves and small branches could have fallen off when the edges of 2 adjacent crowns brush against each other (which happens pretty frequently when the wind blows).
Still, questions unanswered, how far do each crown extend? Why isn't there one crown which dominates and grow into another tree's area? I could envisage a healthier tree expanding its crown and pushing away weaker competitors, diminishing the size of their crowns.
Anyone out there with other explanations?
Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the sight.
posted by chengpuay at 10:01:00 AM
2 Comments:
Nice post!
There is a nice summary at this Duke University site, Crown Dynamics: Mechanical Abrasion, and see too the nice photo from New Zealand by Matthew Walker.
ooohh very nice! intriguing... :)
Post a Comment
<< Home