[Fractal structure of Abies fabri, dominant tree species in dark coniferous forest at the upper reach of Yangtze River].

Based on the theory of fractal geometry, branching patterns of primitive Abies fabri in the dark coniferous forest ecosystem at the upper reach of Yangtze River were studied. The results showed that the maximum crown width was appeared at inferior 20% of the crown height, and its volume could be simulated by the combination of a round table and a cone. The surface of the crown and their branching patterns of Abies fabri had the common typical fractal characters, the fractal dimensions (FD) were 2.3232 and 1.8119, and the correlation coefficient was 0.99.