@article {150,
	title = {Ontogenetic conflicts and rank reversals in two Mediterranean oak species: implications for coexistence},
	journal = {Journal of EcologyJournal of Ecology},
	volume = {100},
	number = {2},
	year = {2012},
	pages = {467-477},
	publisher = {Blackwell Publishing Ltd},
	abstract = {1. In heterogeneous environments, species segregate spatially in response to selective abiotic and biotic filters occurring throughout plant ontogeny. Ontogenetic conflicts in recruitment may lead to spatially discordant patterns of regeneration among microhabitats with different plant cover. In addition, species differing in seed size may be subjected to opposing ecological and evolutionary pressures throughout the life cycle of the plant. 2. We used a multi-stage demographic approach aimed at characterizing the main stage-specific probabilities of recruitment (seed survival, seed germination, seedling emergence and survival during the first 3~years of life) in two Mediterranean oak species coexisting at southern Spain. We calibrated linear and nonlinear likelihood models for each of these consecutive life history stages and calculated overall probabilities of recruitment along a wide range of plant cover and seed size variation. 3. Seed predation and seedling mortality over the dry season were the most limiting processes for the two studied oak species. However, species ranking diverged substantially through the life history stages considered in this study due to different ontogenetic trends among species. 4. At the intraspecific level, recruitment-driving processes during the seed and the seedling stages showed opposing tendencies along the explored range of plant cover and seed size. Thus, small-sized acorns and open areas were favoured for the seed stage, whereas large acorns and dense microhabitats did for the seedling stage. 5. The existence of opposing selective pressures on seed mass and their differential influence on the two studied oak species determined the occurrence of species-specific optimal seed sizes (small acorns for Quercus canariensis vs. acorns of large or intermediate size for Quercus suber). 6. The spatial patterns predicted by our overall-recruitment models provided some evidence of regeneration niche partitioning in the two coexisting oak species, supporting their current distribution patterns as saplings and adults at the study area. 7. Synthesis. We conclude that within- and among-species differences through plant ontogeny, arising from species differential response to microhabitat heterogeneity and seed size variation, could be of great importance for oak species niche segregation, driving stand dynamics and spatial pattern distribution along the landscape. The information provided by this study could be also applied to optimize management and restoration programmes since it has enabled us to identify the most favourable conditions and traits for recruitment in oak species that exhibit serious constraints for natural regeneration.},
	keywords = {Mediterranean forest, plant cover, Quercus canariensis, Quercus suber, regeneration niche, reproductive ecology, seed size, seed{\textendash}seedling conflict},
	isbn = {1365-2745},
	author = {P{\'e}rez-Ramos, Ignacio M. and Urbieta, Itziar R. and Zavala, Miguel A. and Mara{\~n}{\'o}n, Teodoro}
}
@article {74,
	title = {Allozyme variation in cork oak (Quercus suber L.): the role of phylogeography and genetic introgression by other Mediterranean oak species and human activities},
	journal = {Theoretical and Applied Genetics},
	volume = {97},
	year = {1998},
	month = {1998},
	pages = {647-656},
	abstract = {Genetic variation in the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) was investigated using 11 loci from seven enzyme systems in 40 populations sampled over the entire distribution of this species in the western Mediterranean Basin. Mean heterozygosity values over the polymorphic loci (Ho=0.283), the percentage of polymorphic populations (M=0.76), and the total genetic diversity (Ht=0.31) from which 11\% was accounted for among-population variation, are among the highest recorded in oak species. In contrast to previous results in holm oak (Q. ilex L.), another evergreen species in the same area, cork oak possessed a smaller allele pool and a lower average number of alleles per locus and per population (A=2.0). More particularly, very few low-frequency alleles were observed in cork oak except for eight populations in which allozyme polymorphism at locus Pgi 1, diagnostic between both species, indicates that these low-frequency alleles are introgressed from holm oak. On the basis of the genetic distance estimated from allozyme frequencies, 32 of the 40 cork oak populations studied were classified into two very distinct sets which also corresponded to distinct geographic areas. One set gathered together the 18 populations from the Iberian peninsula and two adjacent areas in France, i.e. the centre of origin of cork oak, according to paleobotanical data. This set was characterized by a larger allele pool, a higher within-population genetic diversity and a lower differentiation between populations than was observed in the other set, which comprised the populations from North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, continental Italy and the region of Provence (southeastern France). In these more southern and eastern disjunct areas, cork oak migration from Iberia may have occurred at different periods since the end of the Tertiary. The possible effect of human activity on cork oak genetic structure, i.e. the selection of good-quality cork, acorn over-use for animal food, and even human nutrition, is discussed.},
	keywords = {Allozyme polymorphism, Human activity and population genetic structure, phylogeography, Quercus suber},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s001220050941},
	author = {Toumi, L. and Lumaret, R.}
}
