Research Highlights: Seedlings of different Quercus suber L. populations and half-sib families differ in their response to multiple stressors, which may have consequences on the future distribution of this Mediterranean species. Background and Objectives: Global change will likely increase the frequency and severity of drought in drylands. Plant species’ distributions will largely depend on their ability to respond to the combined effect of drought and other environmental stressors. Genetic diversity in morpho-functional traits are key components of this response. Yet, information on the response to multiple stresses is scarce for many iconic species. The present study assessed the variability in the response of populations and half-sib families of a Mediterranean acidophilous tree, cork oak, to drought and changes in soil conditions. Materials and Methods: We sampled acorns of half-sib families from two cork oak populations genetically introgressed with the alkaline-tolerant species Quercus ilex L., and from a non-introgressed cork oak population located in its core habitat. We germinated the acorns and subjected seedlings to contrasted levels of water availability and additions of calcium and magnesium carbonate, and assessed their morpho-physiological response. Results: Response to drought and soil chemistry composition differed between populations and families. For some traits, introgressed populations responded similarly to drought than the non-introgressed population. Conversely, the response to soil chemistry was not clearly related to introgression. When considering half-sib families within populations, the population effect diminished, which revealed the importance of intra-population variation. However, relevant traits for water scarcity adaptations, such as specific leaf area and root:shoot ratio, remained significantly different at the population level, which highlights the relevance of these traits for management. Conclusions: Our study shows that the adaptive management and restoration of cork oak forests should consider not only geographic provenances, but also half-sib lines within populations.

中文翻译：

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种群和同胞半家庭在驱动栎属适宜森林恢复功能特征方面的作用

研究重点：不同栎种群和半同胞科的幼苗对多种胁迫的反应不同，这可能对该地中海物种的未来分布产生影响。背景与目标：全球变化可能会增加干旱地区干旱的频率和严重程度。植物物种的分布将在很大程度上取决于它们对干旱和其他环境胁迫的综合影响做出反应的能力。形态功能性状的遗传多样性是这种反应的关键组成部分。然而，对于许多标志性物种而言，关于应对多种压力的信息却很少。本研究评估了地中海嗜酸树，软木橡树的种群和半同胞科对干旱和土壤条件变化的响应的变异性。材料和方法：我们从两个软木栎种群中提取了半同胞科的橡子，这些种群通过耐碱物种栎栎（Quercus ilex）进行基因渗入L.，并来自位于其核心栖息地的非渗入式软木橡树种群。我们使橡子萌发，使幼苗处于对比的水可利用水平以及添加碳酸钙和碳酸镁的水平，并评估了它们的形态生理响应。结果：人口和家庭对干旱和土壤化学成分的反应不同。在某些特征上，渗水种群对干旱的反应与不渗水种群相似。相反，对土壤化学的反应与渗入没有明显关系。当考虑人口中的同胞半家庭时，人口效应减弱，这揭示了人口内部变异的重要性。然而，在种群水平上，针对缺水适应的相关性状，例如特定的叶面积和根：茎比，仍存在显着差异，这凸显了这些性状与管理的相关性。结论： 我们的研究表明，软木栎林的适应性管理和恢复不仅应考虑地理来源，而且还应考虑种群内的半同胞系。