Impacts of thinning of a Mediterranean oak forest on soil properties influencing water infiltration
[EN] In Mediterranean ecosystems, special attention needs to be paid to forest¿water relationships due to water scarcity. In this context, Adaptive Forest Management (AFM) has the objective to establish how forest resources have to be managed with regards to the efficient use of water, which needs maintaining healthy soil properties even after disturbance. The main objective of this investigation was to understand the effect of one of the AFM methods, namely forest thinning, on soil hydraulic properties. At this aim, soil hydraulic characterization was performed on two contiguous Mediterranean oak forest plots, one of them thinned to reduce the forest density from 861 to 414 tree per ha. Th…
Changes in the protein profile of Quercus ilex leaves in response to drought stress and recovery
To characterize the molecular response of holm oak to drought stress and its capacity to recover 9-month-old Quercus ilex seedlings were subjected to three treatments for a 14-d period: (i) continuous watering to field capacity (control plants, W), (ii) no irrigation (drought treatment, D), and (iii) no irrigation for 7d followed by a watering period of 7d (recovery treatment, R). In drought plants, leaf water potential decreased from -0.72 (day 0) to -0.99MPa (day 7), and -1.50MPa (day 14). Shoot relative water content decreased from 49.3% (day 0) to 47.7% (day 7) and 40.8% (day 14). Photosystem II quantum yield decreased from 0.80 (day 0) to 0.72 (day 7) and 0.73 (day 14). Plants subjecte…