What determines where a tree grows its branches, and what their shape will be? Is it genetically predetermined or are there other factors at play?
In: Biology
It is caused by the amount of growth. Tree branches start growing if there’s a low enough concentration of a particular plant hormone. The plant hormone is produced by already grown stems (I guess something at the base of the plant must also produce it, but I do not recall the details). The concentration decreases the farther on the plant you go from a branch, until the low concentration needed to signal the start of a new branch is reached.
Different plants have different thresholds and starting points, but as I understand it, this is the underlying principle.
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