Trunk-Based Development

Biological Parallel

Apical dominance concentrates growth resources in the central trunk—auxin hormones suppress lateral branches, ensuring vertical growth wins the race to sunlight. Trunk-based development mirrors this architecture: the main branch maintains apical dominance while feature branches remain suppressed (short-lived, frequently merged). Trees that allow lateral branches to compete with the central leader become structurally unstable. Long-lived feature branches are the organizational equivalent of competing apical meristems—they fragment resources and destabilize the whole structure.