title: The influence of season on carbon allocation to suberin and other stem components of cork oak saplings.
abstract: The growth pattern of cork oak (Quercus suber L.), an important component of South Mediterranean woodlands, is seasonal. Seasonality has been found for shoot, radial and cork ring growth as well as for carbon (C) photoassimilation, nutrients remobilization and water relations, among other physiological aspects. However, little is known about the seasonality of C allocation to cork oak chemical compounds, including suberin, a major component of cork. In order to achieve this goal, an isotopic tracer experiment was conducted using 18-month-old cork oaks so that the fate of C photoassimilated in different seasons could be traced into biochemical (main organic) stem components. Two distinct patterns of C allocation, associated with the stages of active plant growth and dormancy, were identified and described. Evidence was provided that translocation of photoassimilated C to stems does not cease during the dormancy period and that suberin is the major C sink for the C assimilated throughout the whole active growth period, as compared with other stem components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agrarian Production, Agroenergy Group, Technical University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Aguado
authors.affiliation: Department of Agrarian Production, Agroenergy Group, Technical University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Curt
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Agrarian Production, Agroenergy Group, Technical University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000378:metabolism; D029963:Quercus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D002244:Carbon; C065875:suberin
keywords: Quercus suber; biochemical compounds; carbon assimilation; isotopic tracers; seasonality; suberin