Plants live, die according to their size

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Mortality and birth rates are nearly identical for all plants keeping their populations stable. Credit: Nria Marb et al. 2007 PNAS.
Mortality and birth rates are nearly identical for all plants, keeping their populations stable. Credit: Núria Marbà, et al. ©2007 PNAS.

Plants self-regulate their populations to maintain stability and optimize their lives, with the lengths of their lives directly related to their mass, a recent study has found. Further, a single scaling power for lifespan holds true across the entire spectrum of plants, from single-celled phototrophs to giant redwoods.


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