A multiscale theory based on metabolic scaling connects forest dynamics to tree-size distributions

Abstract

Scaling relations linking species size, abundance, and resource availability are among the most robust empirical regularities in ecology. However, a mechanistic explanation for how these community-level laws emerge from ecological processes remains elusive. Here, we address this gap by developing a minimal spatially explicit dynamical framework for forest communities that incorporates seed dispersal, growth limited by local light availability, local competition, and global resource constraints grounded in metabolic scaling principles. By deriving an analytical solution for the tree-size distribution, we show that its stationary state exhibits two distinct power-law regimes whose exponents are controlled by the relative strength of resource and spatial competition. The crossover between these regimes is set by the interplay between seed injection and local resource availability, establishing an explicit link between the scaling exponent of the size distribution and forest condition. Finally, we show that boundary disturbances can break the ecological balance between competing species and induce effects that propagate deeply into the forest bulk, far beyond the single-plant dispersal range. Together, these results provide a unifying dynamical perspective on forest scaling laws with potential applications to a broad range of biological communities.