Different strategies of drought resistance in three Mediterranean sclerophyllous trees growing in the same environmental conditions

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Measurements have been made of leaf conductance to water vapour, relative water content and water potential inOlea oleasterHoffmgg et Link,Ceratonia siliquaL. andLaurus nobilisL., three evergreen sclerophyllous trees growing in Sicily at sea level. Measurements were made hourly in May and September 1986. Although all the three species are regarded as components of a homogeneous group (sclerophylls) and they all showed a high degree of sclerophylly, the strategies they adopted to withstand drought were completely different.Olea oleasterbehaved as a ‘drought‐tolerating’ species. Drought was ‘avoided’ byCeratonia siliquaby a ‘water‐spending’ strategy and byLaurus nobilisby a ‘water‐saving’ strategy combined with the capability of recovering even minimal water losses by dropping leaf water potential drastically. Such differences in drought resistance are discussed in terms of differences in the bulk elastic modulus of leaf cells and wood anatomy.