Ecophysiological and metabolic response patterns to drought under controlled condition in open-pollinated maternal families from a Fagus sylvatica L. population

•Leaf ecophysiological and metabolic response to water stress were studied in Fagus sylvativa L. seedlings from different open-pollinated families.•Primary metabolism was very reactive to water stress with remarkable changes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism.•Despite the decrease of net photosynthesis in all families in response to drought, there was an up-regulation of the pool of carbohydrates, and especially in the trisaccharide raffinose.•Leaf concentration of some metabolites from primary and secondary metabolism were also specific of the genetic background represented by the open-pollinated families.