Physiological and antioxidant responses of Quercus ilex to drought in two different seasons.

摘要

Climate change projections forecast a warming and an associated change in the distribution and intensity of rainfalls. In the case of the Mediterranean area, this will be reflected in more frequent and severe drought periods in the future. Within a long-term (9 years) manipulation experiment, we aimed to study the effect of the soil drought projected for the coming decades (an average of 10% soil moisture reduction) onto photosynthetic rates and water relations, and onto the antioxidant and anti-stress defense capacity of Quercus ilex, a dominant species in Mediterranean forests, in two different seasons, spring and summer. Results showed that photosynthesis was limited by stomatal closure in summer. However, a decrease in photosynthesis as a consequence of drought was observed only during spring, possibly due to a low pigment concentration and to an insufficient antioxidant protection. In summer, the increased resistance to CO₂ entry reduced photosynthesis in control and drought-treated leaves, though the higher pigment content and antioxidant levels in summer leaves prevented a further decrease in photosynthesis as a consequence of drought. Also total monoterpene emission rates were higher in summer than in spring, though they did not change with drought, as happened with photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, the antioxidant defense system was induced by drought in both studied seasons, indicating an efficient activation of defense responses aiming at scavenging reactive oxygen species produced in Q. ilex leaves under drought.