Climate change and oak growth decline: Dendroecology and stand productivity of a Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) old stored coppice in Central Italy

Abstract

Abstract• We combined stem volume increment analysis with dendroecological tools to address two unresolved issues concerning oak dieback in Mediterranean areas: early detection of changes in stand growth, and identification of mechanisms for observed growth declines.• We reconstructed productivity of a stored coppice formed by Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) to test if its growth decline was linked to climatic variability, while also accounting for age-related and sociological factors.

Soil microarthropod communities from Mediterranean forest ecosystems in Central Italy under different disturbances

“…Seasonal variation (spring vs. late summer) in QBSar and microarthropod communities, were investigated because summer drought is the key climatic factor that affects beech and oak productivity in Mediterranean environment (Di Filippo et al 2010;Piovesan et al 2008). However, in woodlands dominated by Turkey oak and beech, differences in QBS-ar between spring and summer were not significant (Table 3).…”

Imprisoned in the Cretan mountains: How relict Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) trees cope with Mediterranean climate

“…A similar response towards late spring-early summer precipitation and/or drought has also been found in Z. sicula and numerous other species growing in the Mediterranean (e.g. Campelo et al, 2009;Cherubini et al, 2003;Di Filippo et al, 2010;Garfì, 1997;Lebourgeois et al, 2012;Nijland et al, 2011;Tessier et al, 1994;Touchan et al, 2014). No study has been carried out so far to investigate the precise period in which Mediterranean Zelkova species form tree-rings and their relationship with precipitation.…”

“…This differs with other deciduous species of the Mediterranean which show positive signals towards winter precipitation (e.g. for Quercus species: Camarero et al, 2016;Cherubini et al, 2003;Corcuera et al, 2004;Di Filippo et al, 2010). Quercus species are known to have roots that reach deep into the ground and may attain profound water reserves (Cherubini et al, 2003) and thus make use of deeply infiltrated winter precipitation.…”

“…However, several authors studying deciduous ring-porous Quercus species growing in a Mediterranean environment have shown the importance of precipitation in late spring and early summer on tree-ring width formation (e.g. Camarero et al, 2016;Di Filippo et al, 2010;Tessier et al, 1994). The water balance at that period is of major importance for the growth of deciduous ring-porous Quercus species because most of the latewood is formed at that time (Di Filippo et al, 2010).…”

“…Camarero et al, 2016;Di Filippo et al, 2010;Tessier et al, 1994). The water balance at that period is of major importance for the growth of deciduous ring-porous Quercus species because most of the latewood is formed at that time (Di Filippo et al, 2010). In ring-porous trees, variations in tree-ring widths are mainly determined by fluctuations in the amount of latewood produced (Corcuera et al, 2004).…”