Climate change predict in the Mediterranean basin a faster warming than in most other areas in the world, associated with reduced rainfall during the growth season. The Mediterranean area is therefore an advanced field laboratory to study and model climate change impact on ecosystems. Mediterranean forests are subjected to a combined pressure of global climate changes and deforestation which could modify rapidly their local climatic conditions . Research into the adaptations of forest to stress factors has long attracted the attention of scientists because plant adaptations are crucial in determining the functioning of ecosystems.
Our research focused on abundant legume species in Kroumirie in association with the cork oak. We have shown that this association type can increase soil fertility and thus the primary productivity of the forest ecosystem. An inventory of legumes in Kroumirie has been established. The results of the inventory and the study of the different growth parameters, ecophysiological and chemical, have mainly highlighted one species beneficial to the growth of cork oak in the face of current and future climatic changes ‘Cytisus triflorus’. Therefore, the objective of this project is to promote this type of association by encouraging its introduction in cork oak populations made more vulnerable by the latest climatic change.
climate change, conservation, legume species, association species
