Quinta: A Physiologically-Based Growth Simulator for Drought Adapted Woody Plant Species

Numerous studies of resource capture and utilization in mature chaparral ecosystems of Southern California were undertaken during the International Biological Program (IBP) (Miller 1981). One of several species studied was Quercus dumosa, a deep-rooted scrub oak common in mixed stands of chaparral on north facing slopes. Similar studies of resource capture and use were carried out during the IBP by Lossaint (1973), Eckardt et al. (1975), and others (Poissonet et al. 1981), in Quercus ilex forests and Quercus coccifera dominated ecosystems of Southern France. Q. dumosa and Q. coccifera appear to be similar in growth form (Kummerow et al. 1981; Rambal and Leterme 1987; Tenhunen et al. 1984a) and in aboveground physiological function (Poole et al. 1981; Oechel et al. 1981; Tenhunen et al. 1987a). However, both species give the impression of being quite plastic depending on historical events and local site characteristics.