Authors: Vicente Rozas Luis Sampedro
Publish Date: 2013/07/16
Volume: 373, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 673-685
Abstract
The dependence of oak decline on climatic stressors is fairly well documented but little is known about the impact of soil properties on growth plasticity and as predisposing factors to decline Here we investigate if oak dieback and individual responses to climatic stresses are related to soil nutrient availabilityCurrent nutrient availability significantly predicted oak death risk Lower concentrations of macronutrients N Ca Mg and Na were found in soil surrounding dead trees than living trees Water excess before the growing season negatively affected growth and trees showing declining symptoms were more responsive to climate Trees with greater Ca availability in the surrounding soil were able to respond more plastically to the stress caused by water excess while trees with lower Ca levels were less responsive to the stress and more predisposed to dieWe thank Enrique Diz Adrián González Sonia Lamas and Aurea Pazos for field and laboratory tasks Margarita Alonso and Francis Ignacio Centro de Investigación Forestal de Lourizán Xunta de Galicia assisted us with soil analysis Estación Fitopatolóxica do Areeiro assisted us with soil pathogen analysis María José Rozados provided useful information on study site history José Miguel Olano contributed with useful suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper and David Brown with English language edition The authors benefited from research contracts by INIAXunta de Galicia partially funded by the European Social Fund This study was supported by Consellería de Innovación e Industria Xunta de Galicia PGIDIT06PXIB502262PR and Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTA200600117
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