Growth and Water Use Characteristics of Six Eastern North American Oak (Quercus) Species and the Implications for Urban Forestry    (View PDF)

Daniel K. Struve, Petra Sternberg, Nick Drunasky, Kurt Bresko, and Rico Gonzalez

Abstract: Seedling growth and water use of six North American oak species were studied in a series of four experiments to determine inter- and intraspecies water use characteristics. Xeric-site adapted species (chestnut oak, Q. prinus [L.] and black oak, Q. velutina [Lamb.]) had slower growth (height and dry weight accumulation and lower shoot:root ratios) than mesic-site adapted species (bur oak, Quercus macrocarpus [Michx.]; pin oak, Q. palustris [Muenchh.], northern red oak, Q. rubra [L]; and Shumard oak, Q. shumardii [Buckl.]). Principal component analysis (a statistical technique used to identify correlated variables) using 11 variables found that seedling water use loaded positively with seedling growth factors (taller seedlings tended to have higher dry weights and greater leaf and root areas and used more water than shorter seedlings, which tended to have lower dry weights, smaller leaf, and root areas) in the first principal component. However, in the third experiment, seedling growth factors loaded negatively with seedling water use for Q. prinus. Tall Q. prinus seedlings tended to use less water than short seedlings. However, other measures of water use (g water cm -1height and cm -2leaf and root area) loaded negatively on the first principal component. Correlations between seedling heights and seedling waters use were significant and positive, but great within-species and within half-sib family differences in height-adjusted water use (g water cm -1height) were found. By plotting height-adjusted water use against seedling height, efficient and inefficient water use seedlings could be identified. Inefficient water use seedlings were shorter and had higher water use cm -1height than efficient water use seedlings. Inefficient water use seedlings were described as having a xeric-water use habit, whereas tall seedlings had a mesic-water use habit. Potentially, height-adjusted water use could be used as a method for selecting individual oak seedlings better adapted to stressful urban planting sites.

Keywords: Dry weight; water use efficiency; xeric- and mesic-site adapted species. Species used in this study. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpus (Michx.)); pin oak (Q. palustris (Muenchh.)); chestnut oak (Q. prinus (L.)); northern red oak (Q. rubra (L)), (Q. shumardii (Buckl.)), (Q. velutina (Lamb.))

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2006.026