Leaf mass per area and nitrogen content in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) under a range of climatic stress (drought and temperature stress)

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Research Paper 01/07/2014
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Leaf mass per area and nitrogen content in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) under a range of climatic stress (drought and temperature stress)

Tlili Nesrine, Ennajah Amel, Rachid Loukehaich, Youssef Ammari
J. Bio. Env. Sci.5( 1), 343-351, July 2014.
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Abstract

The determination of the diversity of Cork oak tree (Quercus suber L. ) could be a key factor in understanding the response to climate change. This experiment was carried out on 16 stands of Cork oak. Two areas were identified: The Kroumirie and Relicts areas . We try to understand through this study how these populations persist under adverse conditions (water and temperature stress) to provide valuable background information for the development of appropriate strategies for their conservation and management and to estimate the spatial variability of population growth of Cork oak belonging to two different areas. The climate effect study on leaf mass per area (LMA), dendrometric parameter (diameters in 1,30m (DBH) and height) and nitrogen content (N%) were considered, We observed a significant difference in LMA according to altitude and temperature, highest values were obtained in the sites with a high altitude and low temperatures .There are also a significant correlation between dendrometric parameters and LMA . For nitrogen content, we found negative correlations with LMA values, they are lower in drier and colder sites.

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