Search results for " forest dieback"

Climate-growth relationships of Quercus gussonei (Borzì) Brullo in the Mediterranean region: adaptive traits and water use efficiency.

2016

Due to their marginal distribution, peripheral tree populations are highly vulnerable and are more likely to be influenced by extreme climate conditions. This occurrence is known to cause dieback in many species at their Mediterranean margins. Quercus gussonei (Borzì) Brullo is a deciduous oak endemic of Sicily. It is a thermophilous, peripheral form of Quercus cerris L. which is showing an incipient but ongoing decline. A deeper ecophysiological knowledge is urgently needed on this species in order to plan proper conservation actions and reduce the risk of its extinction. In the aim to understand at what extent changes in environmental conditions could be responsible for Q. gussonei declin…