Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) is an ecologically and economically important species in middle Europe. Its high tolerance to wide range of environmental and climatic conditions such as drought, makes this tree species an ideal candidate for future afforestation. However, less is known on the vulnerability of individual within the species (intraspecific species vulnerabilbility) which is crucial to understand why some trees survive while others succumb to drought. The difference in intraspecific vulnerabilbility can be related to several factors such as long-term climatic stressors, water-use strategies, genetic traits and inter- and intraspecific competition.
