Morphology trees

The construction of a morphological tree is a truly creative part of the entire process of knowledge acquisition. It takes time, but it is also fascinating to realize in the process how our understanding of a given domain gradually emerges. 

Figure 6.11 Morphological tree for diesel engines (grossly oversimplified).

When our entire morphological tree is constructed, the final stage— acquiring formal knowledge in the form of decision rules—begins. We know changes in the values of symbolic attributes occurring horizontally... 

In the case of practical applications, our morphological trees will be much more complicated, and the decision rules describing them will reflect this complexity. Also, their number can be easily on the level of tens or even hundreds. 

The aim for tree breeders and forest managers is to define and grow a plantation which will be elastic in its response to the large stresses induced by high wind speeds. Petty Swain (1985) have established models of the stress-strain responses of forest trees which may be used to define the sizes and morphologies of trees, for a defined range of wind speeds and elastic responses. A typical response of a plantation grown spruce tree to wind speed is shown on Fig. 2. This is a classic stress/strain curve, with an... 

The coastal race conforms to P. menziesii var. menziesii, whereas the inland races accord well with P. menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco, the form known from the Rocky Mountains. There is no established morphological equivalent to the Sierra Nevada race trees from that area are usually referred to var. menziesii. Zavarin and Snajberk (1975), however, sununarized differences between trees harvested in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and those harvested in northwestern California with regard to commercial applications, particularly in the manufacture of plywood or the production of composite materials (particle board). Differences in such factors... 

Arduini, I., D.L. Godbold, and A. Onnis. 1995. Influence of copper on root growth and morphology of Pinus pinea L. and Pinus pinaster Ait. seedlings. Tree Physiol. 15 411-415. 

Giroux, J.F., Bergeron, Y., Veillette, J.J. 2001. Dynamics and morphology of giant circular patterns of low tree density in black spruce stands in northern Quebec. Canadian Journal of Botany, 79, 420-428. 

Statistical modeling by Gordon et al. [35, 36], Dusek [37], Burchard [38] and others reduced such branched species to graph theory designed to mimic the morphological branching of trees. These dendritic models were combined with... 

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