Climate variation, reproductive frequency and acorn yield in English Oaks.

ABSTRACT:

Aims -

Annually variable, but synchronous production of large seed crops ('masting') is a widespread phenomenon in temperate trees. Mounting concerns about the impacts of anthropogenic climate change (ACC) on plant reproduction, gives urgency to our need to understand better the role of climate on tree reproduction, and in particular, mast events. Unlike our understanding of reproductive phenology however, there is little consensus regarding how climate affects plant reproductive effort, or indeed the actual environmental triggers that underpin masting behaviour.

Methods -

We used a 27-year record of acorn yield from a population of 12 Quercus robur trees located in southern England to compare masting frequency and post-dispersal acorn yield each year for each tree, w

SUBMITTER: Hanley ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7787049 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature