Beyond width and density: stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in cork-rings provide insights of physiological responses to water stress in Quercus suber L.

ABSTRACT: As climate change increasingly affects forest ecosystems, detailed understanding of major effects is important to anticipate their consequences under future climate scenarios. The Mediterranean region is a prominent climate change hotspot, and evergreen cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodlands are particularly climatically sensitive due to cork (bark) harvesting. Cork oak's drought avoidance strategy is well-known and includes structural and physiological adaptations that maximise soil water uptake and transport and limit water use, potentially leading to reduced stem and cork growth. Trees' responses to cope with water-limited conditions have been extensively described based on cork-rings width and, more recently, on cork-rings density, in dendroecological studies. However, so far, tr

SUBMITTER: Costa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9671033 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature