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Annals of Botany 73: 281-284, 1994
© 1994 Annals of Botany Company

Root Systems and Fractals: How Reliable are Calculations of Fractal Dimensions?

G. M. Berntson

Harvard University, Biological Laboratories, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Fractal dimensions of the root systems of Betula populifolia and Betula alleghaniensis grown at two levels of soil nutrients were calculated from tracings of root systems (Fitter and Stickland, 1992a) and from roots removed from the soil using a pin-board (Tatsumi, Yamauchi and Kono, 1989). The fractal dimensions obtained from these two methods showed similar qualitative patterns between species and nutrient treatments, but were not significantly correlated with one another. These observations suggest that current methods used for estimating the fractal dimensions of plant root systems are not yet reliable. It is suggested that the calculation of fractal dimensions needs to be carried out in three dimensions in order to appropriately quantify the fractal dimensions of plant root systems.Copyright 1994, 1999 Academic Press

Betula populifolia Marsh (gray birch), Betula alleghaniensis Britton (yellow birch), fractal dimension, root system


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