Current climate changes can led to a decline of local beech populations fully adapted to previous climate conditions. In this context, the issue of variation in adaptive traits becomes important. A field experiment with 18-year-old trees of Fagus sylvatica L. was conducted on provenance plot located in Tále (Central Slovakia), where physiological responses of five beech provenances originating from contrasting sites along an altitudinal gradient from 55 to 1100 m a.s.l. across the range of the natural beech distribution were studied. Stomatal characteristics, parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence and gas exchange parameters were determined. Overall, we observed a significant increase in physiological performance at the leaf level with increasing altitude of origin. Provenances from the higher altitudes showed higher CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal density, potential conductance indices and photochemical efficiency, and lower capability for dissipation of energy by heat. A similar pattern of response was recorded in relation to the precipitation regime of sites of origin. Moreover, in the context of the temperature regime, several negative trends were observed.
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Citation
Kučerová J, Konôpková A, Pšidová E, Kurjak D, Jamnická G, Slugenová K, Gömöry D, Ditmarová L (2018). Adaptive variation in physiological traits of beech provenances in Central Europe. iForest 11: 24-31. - doi: 10.3832/ifor2291-010
Academic Editor
Angelo Nolè
Paper history
Received: Nov 23, 2016
Accepted: Oct 12, 2017
First online: Jan 09, 2018
Publication Date: Feb 28, 2018
Publication Time: 2.97 months
© SISEF - The Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology 2018
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