Taxon-independent and taxon-dependent responses to drought in seedlings from Quercus robur L., Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and their morphological intermediates
2017
The increasing severity and frequency of summer droughts at mid-latitudes in Europe may impact forest regeneration. We investigated whether the sympatric species
Quercus roburL., Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and their morphological intermediates respond differentially to water deficit.
Acornswere sourced from a naturally mixed population. Half of the potted seedlings were subjected to two successive drought periods during the first growing season, each followed by a plentiful re-watering. The surviving drought-exposed seedlings subsisted independent of the
taxonof the mother tree. The phenological responses were also
taxon-independent. However, drought-exposed plants showed a retarded height growth in the year following the treatment which was
taxon-dependent. Offspring from Q. robur and from trees with leaves resembling Q. robur leaves and
infructescencesresembling Q. petraea
infructescencesshowed a stronger decrease in height growth compared to the offspring from Q. petraea and from trees with leaves resembling Q. petraea leaves and
infructescencesresembling Q. robur
infructescences. Diameter growth in the year following the drought treatment showed a weak
taxon-dependent response. Together, our results may suggest that the composition of oak species and their hybrids in natural oak forests could be altered upon prolonged periods of precipitation deficit.
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