Ecophysiological Competence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus alba</Emphasis> L., <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fraxinus angustifolia</Emphasis> Vahl., and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crataegus monogyna</Emphasis> Jacq. Used in Plantations for the Recovery of Riparian Vegetation |
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Authors: | Jose A Manzanera Maria F Martínez-Chacón |
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Institution: | Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Research Group for Sustainable Management, E.T.S.I. Montes, Ciudad Universitaria s.n., 28040, Madrid, Spain. joseantonio.manzanera@upm.es |
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Abstract: | In many semi-arid environments of Mediterranean ecosystems, white poplar (Populus alba L.) is the dominant riparian tree and has been used to recover degraded areas, together with other native species, such as
ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl.) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.). We addressed three main objectives: (1) to gain an improved understanding of some specific relationships between
environmental parameters and leaf-level physiological factors in these riparian forest species, (2) to compare the leaf-level
physiology of these riparian species to each other, and (3) to compare leaf-level responses within native riparian plots to
adjacent restoration plots, in order to evaluate the competence of the plants used for the recovery of those degraded areas.
We found significant differences in physiological performance between mature and young white poplars in the natural stand
and among planted species. The net assimilation and transpiration rates, diameter, and height of white poplar plants were
superior to those of ash and hawthorn. Ash and hawthorn showed higher water use efficiency than white poplar. White poplar
also showed higher levels of stomatal conductance, behaving as a fast-growing, water-consuming species with a more active
gas exchange and ecophysiological competence than the other species used for restoration purposes. In the restoration zones,
the planted white poplars had higher rates of net assimilation and water use efficiency than the mature trees in the natural
stand. We propose the use of white poplar for the rapid restoration of riparian vegetation in semi-arid Mediterranean environments.
Ash and hawthorn can also play a role as accompanying species for the purpose of biodiversity. |
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Keywords: | Floodplain vegetation Gas exchange Hawthorn Narrow-leaf ash White poplar |
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