A simple hypothesis as to the relation between environmental and plant variation is proposed. The hypothesis has the consequence that the serial correlations between neighbouring plants satisfy a mathematical equation, and this equation is fitted quite well by some data from apple trees. Further, the amount of the environmental variation in these trees tends to rise with time. Results for other perennial species, not described in detail, also show general agreement with the hypothesis.
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G. H. Freeman (1963) studied this question.
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