“…This difference may have been due to the higher tolerance to summer drought of Q. petraea than Q. robur, because Q. petraea has a radical apparatus able to go deeper through the soil profile and thus explore higher volumes in search for water (Eaton et al 2016). Q. robur leaves may therefore experience higher stress during summer than Q. petraea leaves and begin to senesce earlier in autumn due to reduced functionality (Desai et al 2022). Q. robur, though, may not grow as optimally at its southern limit, where the leafy season is shorter than for Q. petraea, with less growth and thus a lower need for carbon (e.g.…”