Open Access
Drought limits tree growth more than greenness and reproduction: insights from five case studies in Spain
(KeAi Communications, 2025-08-01) Camarero, Jesús Julio; Rubio-Cuadrado, Álvaro; González de Andrés, Ester; Valeriano, Cristina; Pizarro, Manuel; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Lo, Yueh-Hsin; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Droughts impact forests by influencing various processes such as canopy greenness, tree growth, and reproduction, but most studies have only examined a few of these processes. More comprehensive assessments of forest responses to climate variability and water shortages are needed to improve forecasts of post-drought dynamics. Iberian forests are well-suited for evaluating these effects because they experience diverse climatic conditions and are dominated by various conifer and broadleaf species, many of which exhibit masting. We assessed how greenness, evaluated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), tree radial growth, and seed or cone production responded to drought in five tree species (three conifers: silver fir (Abies alba), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and stone pine (Pinus pinea); two broadleaves: European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and holm oak (Quercus ilex) inhabiting sites with different aridity. We correlated these data with the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) using the climate window analysis (climwin) package, which identifies the most relevant climate window. Drought constrained growth more than greenness and seed or cone production. Dry conditions led to high seed or cone production in species found in cool, moist sites (silver fir, beech, and Scots pine). We also found negative associations of cone production with summer SPEI in the drought-tolerant stone pine, which showed lagged growth−cone negative correlations. However, in the seasonally dry holm oak forests, severe droughts constrained both growth and acorn production, leading to a positive correlation between these variables. Drought impacts on greenness, growth, seed, and cone production depended on species phenology and site aridity. A negative correlation between growth and reproduction does not necessarily indicate trade-offs, as both may be influenced by similar climatic factors.
Open Access
Constrained trait variation by water availability modulates radial growth in evergreen and deciduous mediterranean oaks
(Elsevier, 2024) González de Andrés, Ester; Serra-Maluquer, Xavier; Gazol, Antonio; Olano, José Miguel; García Plazaola, José Ignacio; Fernández Marín, Beatriz; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Coll, Lluís; Ameztegui, Aitor; Espelta, Josep Maria; Alla, Arben Q.; Camarero, Jesús Julio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Spatial and temporal variation in functional traits allows trees to adjust to shifting environmental conditions such as water stress. However, the change of traits, both mean and variances, along water availability gradients and across growing seasons, as well as their covariation with tree performance, have been rarely assessed. We examined intraspecific trait variation in coexisting evergreen (Quercus ilex ssp. ilex and Q. ilex ssp. ballota) and deciduous (Quercus faginea and Quercus humilis) Mediterranean oaks along a wide water availability gradient in northeastern Spain during six years. We measured leaf area (LA), shoot twig mass (Sm), leaf mass per area (LMA) and the ratio of shoot twig to leaf biomass (Sm:Lm). We characterized tree performance through basal area increment (BAI) and drought resilience indices. Higher variation was found within individuals than between individuals across populations and years. Within species, we found trait adjustments toward more conservative water-use (low LA and Sm and high LMA) with increasing drier conditions. Intraspecific trait variation was constrained by water availability, particularly on the deciduous species. In Q. ilex, trait variance of LMA positively covaried with annual BAI, whereas variance of LA, Sm and Sm:Lm was positively related to resistance and resilience against the severe 2012 drought in deciduous oaks. Our results support a tradeoff between the ability to tolerate drought and the capacity to cope with unpredictable changes in the environment through increased intraspecific trait variation, which may have implications on tree performance in the face of increased extreme events.
Open Access
Synergies between climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem function and services, indirect drivers of change and human well-being in forests
(Springer, 2021) Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Candel Pérez, David; Lo, Yueh-Hsin; González de Andrés, Ester; Yeste Yeste, Antonio; Herrera Álvarez, Ximena; Rivadeneira Barba, Gabriela; Liu, Yang; Chang, Shih-Chieh; Ciencias; Zientziak
Climate change is having impacts on the biodiversity and structure of many ecosystems. In this chapter, we focus on its impacts on forests. We will focus on how the potential climate change impacts on forest biodiversity and structure will have a reflection on the ecosystem services provided by forests, and therefore on the capacity of these ecosystems to support the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. The chapter will be organized in three sections, considering boreal, temperate, and tropical forests along each section. The first section will deal with the synergies or interactions between climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem function with emphasis not only on plants but also on fungi, animals, and prokaryotes. Synergies between climate change and ecosystem services will be described and analyzed in the second section. To better link the first two sections, we will explore the relationships between ecosystem function, species traits, and ecosystem services. Finally, case studies for boreal, Mediterranean, and tropical forests will be presented, emphasizing the synergies between the above factors, the indirect drivers of change (demographic, economic, sociopolitical, science and technology, culture and religion), and human well-being (basic materials for a good life, health, good social relations, freedom of choice and actions) in forests.

Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco

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