Drought responses at leaf, stem and fine root levels of competitive Fagus sylvatica L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. trees in dry and wet years

At a site in northwestern Germany, investigations were carried out over several years to compare the drought sensitivity of Fagus sylvatica L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. in terms of light-saturated photosynthesis, leaf area index, annual stem diameter, and fine root production. The study was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forest ecology and management 2001-08, Vol.149 (1-3), p.33-46
Main Authors: LEUSCHNER, Ch, BACKES, K, HERTEL, D, SCHIPKA, F, SCHMITT, U, TERBORG, O, RUNGE, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Demecology
Fagus sylvatica
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection
Plants and fungi
Quercus petraea
Weather damages
Weather damages. Fires
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Summary:At a site in northwestern Germany, investigations were carried out over several years to compare the drought sensitivity of Fagus sylvatica L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. in terms of light-saturated photosynthesis, leaf area index, annual stem diameter, and fine root production. The study was conducted during summers that differed considerably with respect to radiation input, atmospheric water demand, and soil water availability. Results revealed that both leaf area index and light-saturated photosynthesis showed only weak or no indications of drought influence in either specie. Leaf conductance of Q. petraea was generally higher and less sensitive to soil water deficits than that of F. sylvatica, and predawn leaf water potentials were less drought-affected in Q. petraea than in F. sylvatica. The interannual fluctuations of leaf area index were larger for F. sylvatica than for Q. petraea. Stem diameter growth was much more sensitive to soil water shortage than photosynthesis, and in Q. petraea, summer rainfall had a positive influence on diameter growth. However, diameter growth was influenced further by the previous year's soil water availability. During the dry summer, enhanced root growth of F. sylvatica was observed with a decrease in the soil water content, but a similar increase was not observed in Q. petraea.
ISSN:0378-1127
1872-7042
DOI:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00543-0