Microhabitat and ectomycorrhizal effects on the establishment, growth and survival of Quercus ilex L. seedlings under drought.

ABSTRACT: The success of tree recruitment in Mediterranean holm oak (Quercus ilex) forests is threatened by the increasing intensity, duration and frequency of drought periods. Seedling germination and growth are modulated by complex interactions between abiotic (microhabitat conditions) and biotic factors (mycorrhiza association) that may mitigate the impacts of climate change on tree recruitment. To better understand and anticipate these effects, we conducted a germination experiment in a long-term precipitation reduction (PR) field experiment where we monitored seedling establishment and survival, micro-habitat conditions and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) colonization by different mycelia exploration types during the first year of seedling growth. We hypothesized that (i) the PR treatment decreases seedl

SUBMITTER: Garcia de Jalon L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7274372 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature