<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Intraspecific competition and water use efficiency in Quercus suber: evidence of an optimum tree density?</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Trees</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2008</style></year></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">22</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">521-530</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The dehesa and montado agroecosystems seem to be water-stress induced structures and some authors have found evidence of a relationship between stand tree density and mean annual precipitation. In order to assess the ecophysiological responses of Quercus suber to increasing tree density and to evaluate if there was evidence of an ‘‘optimum tree density’’ with respect to mean annual rainfall in our study area, we established a tree-density gradient of 20, 40, and 60 trees ha -1 , coded D20, D40, and D60, respectively. Trees in D40 plots had higher speciﬁc leaf area (SLA) values and the highest water content. Both D20 and D60 trees had leaves with higher dry matter content (LDMC). The trade-off between SLA and LDMC was very strong and placed D40 trees as the least stressed, in terms of leaf anatomy. We also found differences in mean carbon isotope discrimination (D), between different density plots, as big as 1.25%. Again, D40 trees discriminated more against 13 C than the trees from D20 and D60 plots, which suggests a less conservative water use strategy, possibly deriving from greater water availability. The lower water retention in the D20 areas and the increased competition for water resources in D60 plots placed trees, in both areas, in a more stressful situation, regarding water availability. The D40 areas thus seemed to represent a more favourable environment for Q. suber in our montado. Therefore, the areas with 40 trees ha -1 suggest the existence of an optimum tree density with respect to annual rainfall in our site, and may represent a compromise between an increased retention of water resources and intraspeciﬁc competition.</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Gouveia, António C.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Freitas, Helena</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Modulation of leaf attributes and water use efficiency in Quercus suber along a rainfall gradient</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Trees</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">carbon isotope discrimination</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">carbon isotope discrimination á</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">evergreen tree</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">evergreen tree á</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">leaf plasticity</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">leaf plasticity á</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">rainfall gradient</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2008</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2008///</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/s00468-008-0274-zhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00468-008-0274-z</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">23</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">267 - 275</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The aim of our study was to assess the intraspeciﬁc variation of a range of leaf attributes and carbon isotope discrimination (D), in Quercus suber, along an 800 mm rainfall gradient in Portugal. We measured speciﬁc leaf area (SLA), leaf thickness (LT) and density, and used leaf carbon isotope content as an integrated record of water use efﬁciency. The values of SLA of Q. suber were strongly, positively correlated with rainfall, decreasing as rainfall decreased. This reduction was mainly driven by LT, which was tightly correlated with SLA (R = -0.80, P\0.001), and steadily increased with declining rainfall. The signiﬁcant increase in carbon isotope discrimination towards the wetter end of the gradient, with a difference of 4.2% in D between the two extremes, suggests a strong adjustment of leaf gas exchange to water availability. Leaf changes associated with precipitation in Q. suber thus seem to inﬂuence water economy, since reduction of SLA with the increase of LT with aridity improves water use efﬁ- ciency. These data suggest that this evergreen tree species relies on its foliage plasticity and physiology to overcome water shortage.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Modulation of leaf attributes and water use efficiency in Quercus suber along a rainfall gradient</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Trees</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2008</style></year></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">23</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">267-275</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The aim of our study was to assess the intraspeciﬁc variation of a range of leaf attributes and carbon isotope discrimination (D), in Quercus suber, along an 800 mm rainfall gradient in Portugal. We measured speciﬁc leaf area (SLA), leaf thickness (LT) and density, and used leaf carbon isotope content as an integrated record of water use efﬁciency. The values of SLA of Q. suber were strongly, positively correlated with rainfall, decreasing as rainfall decreased. This reduction was mainly driven by LT, which was tightly correlated with SLA (R = -0.80, P\0.001), and steadily increased with declining rainfall. The signiﬁcant increase in carbon isotope discrimination towards the wetter end of the gradient, with a difference of 4.2% in D between the two extremes, suggests a strong adjustment of leaf gas exchange to water availability. Leaf changes associated with precipitation in Q. suber thus seem to inﬂuence water economy, since reduction of SLA with the increase of LT with aridity improves water use efﬁ- ciency. These data suggest that this evergreen tree species relies on its foliage plasticity and physiology to overcome water shortage.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>