RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Does parental tree size determine acorn germination in Quercus ilex L. dehesas?
A1 Houdas, Hermine Joséphine
A1 Madrigal González, Jaime
A1 Pallàs Martín, Anna
A1 Silla, Fernando
A1 Fernández Santos, Belén
K1 Acorn traits
K1 Germination
K1 Parental tree
K1 Quercus
K1 Regeneration
K1 Seed selection
K1 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente
AB Quercus ilex L. is an evergreen tree species widely spread throughout southwestern Europe. However, its poornatural regeneration poses major challenges since the 1980s, and so assisted regeneration is speculated to becritical for either maintaining existing populations or recovering degraded ones. This method, nonetheless, raisesmajor operational challenges related to fruit harvesting and selection in the field. For instance, the link betweenparental tree traits, such as age and size, and acorn characteristics has seldom been addressed; yet it could bedecisive for streamlining acorn selection. In this study, we employed Structural Equation Models (SEM) toexamine the relationship between parental tree Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and acorn traits determinant forseed germination in Quercus species worldwide. Specifically, we measured acorn dry mass (ADM), seed moisture(SM), and pericarp thickness (PT) in a Q. ilex population in central-western Spain. Our results indicate a sig-nificant positive influence of parental tree DBH on ADM, with larger acorns associated with higher germinationpercentages. Similarly, SM positively influenced germination, though it was influenced by acorn size through twocontrasting pathways. PT, on the other hand, negatively impacted germination and was also negatively affectedby ADM. These findings suggest that acorn selection should prioritize large/old trees to maximize germinationvia increased ADM. Further research, nonetheless, is needed to progress in the relationships between parentaltree traits and acorn characteristics in this and other similar contexts in which large-scale plans for Q. ilexregeneration would be planned.
PB Elsevier
SN 0378-1127
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/76997
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/76997
LA eng
NO Forest Ecology and Management, 2025, vol. 583, p. 122587
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 02-ago-2025