Quaranta Luca, Di Marzio Piera, Fortini Paola
Department Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, 86090 Pesche, Italy.
National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jan 20;14(2):285. doi: 10.3390/plants14020285.
In the Mediterranean basin, urban forests are widely recognized as essential landscape components, playing a key role in nature-based solutions by enhancing environmental quality and providing a range of ecosystem services. The selection of woody plant species for afforestation and reforestation should prioritize native species that align with the biogeographical and ecological characteristics of the planting sites. Among these, L. (Turkey oak) is considered a promising candidate for urban reforestation. However, its fitness within urban forest environments remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify suitable leaf functional traits for assessing the response of in urban forests and to analyze the main climatic variables influencing its performance in urban contexts. We also proposed practical, rapid monitoring tools to compare urban and natural forests across different seasons. The results demonstrated that experiences significant water stress in urban forests due to the combined effects of drought and high temperatures. To find the tools to mitigate this stress, the differences between leaf traits such as specific leaf area, thickness, and the contents of chlorophyll, anthocyanins, and flavonols in urban and natural forests were analyzed. Our findings underscore the high adaptability of to varied climatic and environmental conditions. This study provides a practical method for rapidly assessing the responses of tree species to climate change. In the future, this approach will be tested on other native species that are characteristic of Mediterranean forest ecosystems to help with choosing afforestation and reforestation strategies.
在地中海盆地，城市森林被广泛认为是重要的景观组成部分，通过提高环境质量和提供一系列生态系统服务，在基于自然的解决方案中发挥关键作用。造林和再造林中木本植物物种的选择应优先考虑与种植地点的生物地理和生态特征相匹配的本地物种。其中，土耳其栎被认为是城市再造林的一个有前景的候选物种。然而，人们对其在城市森林环境中的适应性仍知之甚少。本研究旨在确定适合评估土耳其栎在城市森林中响应的叶片功能性状，并分析影响其在城市环境中表现的主要气候变量。我们还提出了实用、快速的监测工具，以比较不同季节的城市森林和自然森林。结果表明，由于干旱和高温的综合影响，土耳其栎在城市森林中经历了显著的水分胁迫。为了找到缓解这种胁迫的工具，分析了城市森林和自然森林中叶片性状（如比叶面积、厚度以及叶绿素、花青素和黄酮醇含量）之间的差异。我们的研究结果强调了土耳其栎对不同气候和环境条件的高度适应性。本研究提供了一种快速评估树种对气候变化响应的实用方法。未来，将在其他具有地中海森林生态系统特征的本地物种上测试这种方法，以帮助选择造林和再造林策略。
