The effect of climate and soil moisture on the tree-ring pattern of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) in Central Transdanubia, Hungary

Dendrothronological studies have revealed several environmental signals of many oak species supporting the suitability of these species for climate reconstruction (Haneca et al. 2009). Despite the large number of studies, limited information is available on the influence of climatic condition and soil moisture on the growth characteristics of Turkey oak (Q. cerris). Although soil moisture is probably the most limiting factor on growth of most oak species, relevant studies in Hungary primarily focused on the effect of temperature and rainfall, and ignored the impact of soil moisture. The combined analysis of climatic factors and soil moisture would reveal the importance of the influencing factors and would point out the anatomical patterns and environmental signals of a given area. In the current study, we analyzed the dendrochronological characteristics of a grove in Western Hungary (Central Transdanubian Region), and correlated tree anatomical patterns with the mean monthly temperatures, monthly precipitation totals, and modeled soil moisture at five different depths. The grove is exposed to environmental stress due to the local soil and climatic factors. Our findings indicate that the most pronounced environmental signal stored in the oaks is the change of soil moisture that exposes a direct impact on tree growth.