In:
Trees, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 36, No. 2 ( 2022-04), p. 777-791
Abstract:
Sessile oak leaves showed a high degree of plasticity to atmospheric and pedospheric conditions. Abstract The aim of the present study was to elucidate the significance of current weather conditions for foliar traits of adult sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ), one of the most valuable forest tree species in Central Europe. For this purpose, structural and functional traits were analysed in fully expanded, sun exposed leaves collected in south-west Germany from five old-growth forest stands, representing the meteorological and pedospheric conditions in the growing region, but differing in aridity during the 12 days before harvest in two consecutive years. Across the forest stands, most foliar traits differed significantly between wet and dry weather conditions before harvest as indicated by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). These traits included fresh weight/dry weight ratio, leaf hydration, leaf-C content, leaf-C/N ratio, structural N, soluble protein-N, total amino acid-N, cell wall composition, numerous specific amino acids as well as soluble sugar content. Structural biomass, δ 13 C signature, total N and total C as well as H 2 O 2 contents were not affected by the weather before harvest. These results indicate a high plasticity of the foliar metabolism of drought-tolerant sessile oak to current weather conditions. They also suggest that sessile oak is characterized by a high potential to cope with the growth conditions expected as a consequence of future climate change.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0931-1890
,
1432-2285
DOI:
10.1007/s00468-021-02249-x
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1463920-8
SSG:
12
SSG:
23
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