{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T18:18:53Z","timestamp":1787768333099,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787702400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007129","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ZR2023QC253"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZR2023QC253"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007129","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:italic>Robinia pseudoacacia<\/jats:italic>\n                    is a major plantation species in northern China, yet quantitative assessments of its growth across topographic gradients remain limited. This study investigated the growth performance of\n                    <jats:italic>R. pseudoacacia<\/jats:italic>\n                    in relation to landform types (plains, hills, low mountains) and key topographic factors (altitude, slope) in Weifang, Shandong Province. Field surveys were conducted across 67 pure\u2011stand sample plots. One\u2011way ANOVA revealed that trees on plains had significantly greater mean diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height than those on hills and low mountains. Linear regression showed significant negative correlations: DBH and height decreased by approximately 0.58 cm and 0.47 m per 100 m increase in altitude, and by 0.76 cm and 0.57 m per 10\u00b0 increase in slope. Altitude explained slightly more variation (R\u00b2\u2009=\u200910.1\u201310.6%) than slope (R\u00b2\u2009=\u20095.5\u20136.8%). Allometric analysis indicated stable height\u2013DBH scaling across landforms (ANCOVA, P\u2009=\u20090.776), with scaling exponents (b) of 0.59 (low mountain), 0.48 (hill), and 0.68 (plain). Our results quantitatively delineate growth patterns of\n                    <jats:italic>R. pseudoacacia<\/jats:italic>\n                    across topographic gradients, highlighting the strong association between gentle, low\u2011lying terrains and superior growth. These findings provide an empirical basis for site selection in afforestation projects, suggesting a preference for plain areas to enhance plantation productivity. Future studies should incorporate soil and microclimatic data to elucidate underlying mechanisms.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0354736","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T17:29:43Z","timestamp":1787765383000},"page":"e0354736","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Altitudinal and slope gradients as key determinants of Robinia pseudoacacia 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