FAQs

Hello everyone,

We want to give an update addressing some commonly asked questions regarding our project.

What do you mean by leaf traits and tree growth rings in terms of the tree's tolerance to drought?

• Species that exist in different environments, for example that receive different amounts of precipitation throughout the year, are generally capable of adapting their morphology to better match these environments.
• In terms of leaf traits, individuals existing in an environment that experiences dry conditions for a longer period of the year will have leaves that are better able to cope with drought conditions, such as small thick leaves, with smaller stomates that are more dense in their spacing. In addition, tree ring growth rates are very good indicators of a species drought tolerance.
• The size of the annual tree ring is a proxy for how much the tree is investing into growth for that specific year. If the tree continues to grow at it's regular speed in a drought year, it has a different growth strategy and tolerance than a tree which slows it's growth during a drought year.

 

(Source: Griffen web)

How are you addressing permits for your research?

• We are in the process of renewing a permit that will let us import leaf and plant material from Spain and India back to the US.

What are you doing for safety in the field?

• We are both CPR and First Aid certified through the American Heart Association, and will be traveling with first aid kits. We also plan to have field assistants with us so that we are not traveling alone.

Why have you chosen to study these two oak species, when there are other species of oak closer to home (in the US) that are being impacted by drought, such as in California?

• This is a great question! We felt that our respective oak species in Spain and India both are such important oak species that they merit our attention.
• In the case of Kyra's project in Spain, she picked the cork oak not only because of its economic value for Spain (the cork industry in Spain is valued at 2 billion dollars), but also because it occupies a wide range of sites with varying precipitation and dry season length within a relatively small area. In Spain, you don't have to travel very far to get vastly different environments, which aids the goal of this project.
• Alex choose to do her research project, because it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Maplecroft cited it as the 2nd most vulnerable country in the world. In addition, the country is a host to 1/6 of the world's population. Since a lot of India's population still lives in rural areas and is dependent on the protection the forests provides, understanding how their oaks will respond to climate change and if it will be able to tolerate differences will be very important. Finally, while the rural population is still dependent on the oaks for key resources such as leaves for fodder and acorns for food, the banj oak (which is 80% dominant in it's ecosystem) is very understudied.