The impact of drought on leaf physiology of Quercus suber L. trees: comparison of an extreme drought event with chronic rainfall reduction

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany Vol. 61; no. 15; pp. 4361 - 4371
• Main Authors: Grant, Olga M., Tronina, Łukasz, Ramalho, José Cochicho, Besson, Cathy Kurz, Lobo-do-Vale, Raquel, Pereira, João Santos, Jones, Hamlyn G., Chaves, M. Manuela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.2010
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Branches; Chlorophyll - metabolism; Dehydration; Drought; Droughts; Fluorescence; Forest canopy; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humidity; Imaging; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Leaves; Plant Leaves - physiology; Plants; Precipitation; Quercus - physiology; Quercus suber; Rain; RESEARCH PAPER; Seasons; Soil; Soil water content; Temperature; Trees - physiology; Vapor Pressure; Water; Water treatment; non-photochemical quenching; Stomatal conductance; Plant leaf; Fagaceae; Water potential; Dynamical climatology; Climate change; Photosystem 2; photosystem II; Rain; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Botany; Luminescence quenching; Hardwood forest tree; Spermatophyta; Physiology; Quercus suber; cork oak; Drought; Photochemistry; Thermography
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erq239

Understanding the responses of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) to actual and predicted summer conditions is essential to determine the future sustainability of cork oak woodlands in Iberia. Thermal imaging may provide a rapid method for monitoring the extent of stress. The ecophysiology of cork trees was studied over three years. Three treatments were applied by means of rainfall capture and irrigation, with plots receiving 120%, 100%, or 80% of natural precipitation. Despite stomatal closure, detected using both thermal imaging and porometry, leaf water potential fell during the summer, most drastically during the third year of accumulative stress. The quantum efficiency (Φ PSII ) and the maximum efficiency F V ′/F M ′ of photosystem II also fell more intensely over the third summer, while non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) increased. The reduced precipitation treatment sporadically further reduced leaf water potential, stomatal conductance (g s ), I G (an index of gs derived from thermal imaging), φ PSII , and F V ′/F M ′, and increased leaf temperature and NPQ. It is concluded that these are very resilient trees since they were only severely affected in the third year of severe drought (the third year registering 45% less rainfall than average), and removing 20% of rainfall had a limited impact.