Competition is an important factor in biology and plant鄄plant interactions has inspired an increasing concern in recent years. In plant communities, competition is defined as the interaction between individuals, brought about by limited resources. Aboveground competition is usually size鄄asymmetric: the bigger individuals have a disproportionate advantage in competing for light than the smaller ones. This study deals with biomass allocation patterns and aboveground competition influences on biomass partitioning and allometric equations of understory Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis). The results will contribute to understanding the mechanisms of aboveground competition and provide a theoretical guide for effective utilization and protection of Korean pine. The results show that: (1) When dividing live crown into three equal layers (top, middle and bottom) , live branch biomass increased from the top to the bottom layer, while needle biomass was highest in the middle and bottom layers of the crown. However, there was no significant difference between the needle biomass located at the middle and bottom layers (P > 0. 05). The relative proportion of coarse root (> 5 mm) biomass increased while that of small fine root (<2 mm) and coarse fine root (2-5 mm) biomass both decreased with increasing

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