How a measure of tree structural complexity relates to architectural benefit-to-cost ratio, light availability, and growth of trees.

Aboveground tree architecture is neither fully deterministic nor random. It is likely the result of mechanisms that balance static requirements and light-capturing efficiency. Here, we used terrestrial laser scanning data to investigate the relationship between tree architecture, here addressed using the box-dimension ( ), and the architectural benefit-to-cost ratio, the light availability, and the growth of trees.