El estudio ecofisiológico de adultos y plántulas de quercíneas como herramienta para la elección de espacios de repoblación

Abstract

An adequate species selection is a necessary previous step to any afforestation programme, which requires studying the effects of environment on plant productivity and survival. The first years after the afforestation demand an especial attention because of the high mortality rate typical of this phase of the plant's life cycle. However, several morphological and physiological traits of the leaves may change with tree age, because different selective pressures operate during the different phases of the tree's life. We measured gas-exchange rates and studied several leaf traits in seedlings and mature specimens of two tree species differing in leaf life span: Quercus ilex subsp. ballota and Quercus faginea. The seedlings of both species exhibited a common resource-use strategy, clearly different to that of the adults. The study of the productivity and drought resistance mechanisms at different growth stages may improve our predictive capability of the future of the afforestation programmes and may help in the selection of the species used in the afforestation.