It is well known that plants have functional equilibrium between their above-ground parts (shoots) and below-ground parts (roots), but whether the above-ground parts of plants have functional equilibrium between their photosynthetic structures (leaves) and non-photosynthetic structures (branches and stem) is unknown. The purpose of this study is to test the hypotheses that: (1) the above-ground parts of plants have functional equilibriums between their photosynthetic structures and non-photosynthetic structures; (2) the maintenance of the equilibriums is guaranteed by the alteration of biomass partitioning to photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic structures. To test these hypotheses, a pruning experiment with four pruning intensities (0%, 20%, 50%, and 70%) were carried out with three subtropical Chinese tree species ( Ficus microcarpa, Ficus virens, Cinnamomum camphora). Pruning treatments were conducted in two successive years. The results were in conformity with the hypothesis, i.e. above-ground parts of trees had functional equilibriums between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic structures. Pruning decreased instantaneously the mass ratios of photosynthetic structures to non-photosynthetic structures (P/NP) of all three tree species, the reduction in P/NP was strengthened with pruning intensity. However, one year after pruning, the P/NP of all pruned trees increased and were not smaller than those of unpruned trees. In agreement with the expectation, the biomass partitioning of pruned trees was altered, more newly produced above-ground biomass was partitioned to leaf growth and less to branch and stem growth, thus enabled the damaged trees to restore their functional equilibrium between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic structures. It is clear that the maintenance of functional equilibrium between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic structures guaranteed by the alteration of biomass partitioning provides plants a good strategy to resist external disturbance and damage.
