Severe Drought Still Affects Reproductive Traits Two Years Later in a Common Garden Experiment of Frangula alnus

Longer periods of intensified droughts in Western Europe are predicted due to ongoing climate change. Studying the responses woody species during intense drought events can help toward understanding consequences for forest ecosystems. We studied effects an summer water limitation on several reproductive traits, two years after treatment, Frangula alnus Mill. shrubs grown a common garden. Drought-treated produced more berries one and event, while height increment second post-treatment year was still significantly retarded. The mean weight stones from picked treatment their germination percentage, which corrected stone weight, were higher treated shrubs. These results indicate resource re-allocation reproduction, rather than growth, action limitation. success, is transgenerational effect, has already been suggested be adaptation survival stressful growth conditions, also detectable severe drought. F. produces mature continuously whole summer. From middle July till end August, counts berries, decreased, whereas timing seedling emergence, advanced slightly. emergence correlated weak but with bud burst mother shrubs, variance analysis indicating stronger genetic control comparison emergence. Several corroborated previous findings. Population differentiation garden observed berry phenological traits. In conclusion, longer-term traits may add complexity change tree distributions