Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range
Due to the visible and predictable influence of climate change on species’ spatial distributions, the conservation of marginal peripheral populations has become topical in forestry research. This study aimed to assess the spring (budburst, leaf development, and flowering) and autumn (leaf senescence...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-07-01
|
| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1125 |
| _version_ | 1797406333255811072 |
|---|---|
| author | Ioana Maria Gafenco (Pleșca) Bogdan Ionuț Pleșca Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol Neculae Șofletea |
| author_facet | Ioana Maria Gafenco (Pleșca) Bogdan Ionuț Pleșca Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol Neculae Șofletea |
| author_sort | Ioana Maria Gafenco (Pleșca) |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to the visible and predictable influence of climate change on species’ spatial distributions, the conservation of marginal peripheral populations has become topical in forestry research. This study aimed to assess the spring (budburst, leaf development, and flowering) and autumn (leaf senescence) phenology of sessile oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>), a species widespread across European forests close to its ranges’ eastern limit. This study was performed in Romania between spring 2017 and 2020, and it included a transect with three low-altitude populations, a reference population from its inner range, and a sessile oak comparative trial. The temperature was recorded to relate changes to phenophase dynamics. We identified small variations between the reference and peripheral populations associated with climatic conditions. In the peripheral populations, budburst timing had day-of-year (DOY) values <100, suggesting that sessile oak may be more susceptible to late spring frost. Furthermore, we found spring phenophase timing to be more constant than autumn senescence. Moreover, budburst in the sessile oak comparative trial had obvious longitudinal tendencies, with an east to west delay of 0.5–1.4 days per degree. In addition, budburst timing influenced leaf development and flowering, but not the onset of leaf senescence. These findings improve our understanding of the relationship between spring and autumn phenophase dynamics and enhance conservation strategies regarding sessile oak genetic resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:24:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d809a3f03fbf4df4b7857dcf742843f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:24:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-d809a3f03fbf4df4b7857dcf742843f02023-12-03T15:04:19ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-07-01137112510.3390/f13071125Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution RangeIoana Maria Gafenco (Pleșca)0Bogdan Ionuț Pleșca1Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol2Neculae Șofletea3Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 1 Ludwig van Beethoven Street, 500123 Brașov, RomaniaNational Institute for Research and Development in Forestry (INCDS) “Marin Drăcea”, 128 Eroilor Boulevard, 077190 Voluntari, RomaniaNational Institute for Research and Development in Forestry (INCDS) “Marin Drăcea”, 128 Eroilor Boulevard, 077190 Voluntari, RomaniaFaculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 1 Ludwig van Beethoven Street, 500123 Brașov, RomaniaDue to the visible and predictable influence of climate change on species’ spatial distributions, the conservation of marginal peripheral populations has become topical in forestry research. This study aimed to assess the spring (budburst, leaf development, and flowering) and autumn (leaf senescence) phenology of sessile oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>), a species widespread across European forests close to its ranges’ eastern limit. This study was performed in Romania between spring 2017 and 2020, and it included a transect with three low-altitude populations, a reference population from its inner range, and a sessile oak comparative trial. The temperature was recorded to relate changes to phenophase dynamics. We identified small variations between the reference and peripheral populations associated with climatic conditions. In the peripheral populations, budburst timing had day-of-year (DOY) values <100, suggesting that sessile oak may be more susceptible to late spring frost. Furthermore, we found spring phenophase timing to be more constant than autumn senescence. Moreover, budburst in the sessile oak comparative trial had obvious longitudinal tendencies, with an east to west delay of 0.5–1.4 days per degree. In addition, budburst timing influenced leaf development and flowering, but not the onset of leaf senescence. These findings improve our understanding of the relationship between spring and autumn phenophase dynamics and enhance conservation strategies regarding sessile oak genetic resources.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1125phenologysessile oakperipheral populationscomparative trialprovenancesclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Ioana Maria Gafenco (Pleșca) Bogdan Ionuț Pleșca Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol Neculae Șofletea Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range Forests phenology sessile oak peripheral populations comparative trial provenances climate change |
| title | Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range |
| title_full | Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range |
| title_fullStr | Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range |
| title_short | Spring and Autumn Phenology in Sessile Oak (<i>Quercus petraea</i>) Near the Eastern Limit of Its Distribution Range |
| title_sort | spring and autumn phenology in sessile oak i quercus petraea i near the eastern limit of its distribution range |
| topic | phenology sessile oak peripheral populations comparative trial provenances climate change |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1125 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ioanamariagafencoplesca springandautumnphenologyinsessileoakiquercuspetraeaineartheeasternlimitofitsdistributionrange AT bogdanionutplesca springandautumnphenologyinsessileoakiquercuspetraeaineartheeasternlimitofitsdistributionrange AT ecaterinanicoletaapostol springandautumnphenologyinsessileoakiquercuspetraeaineartheeasternlimitofitsdistributionrange AT neculaesofletea springandautumnphenologyinsessileoakiquercuspetraeaineartheeasternlimitofitsdistributionrange |