Abstract. Rainfall is known as the main water replenishment in
dryland ecosystems, and rainfall partitioning by vegetation reshapes the
spatial and temporal distribution patterns of rainwater entry into the soil.
The dynamics of rainfall partitioning have been extensively studied at the
inter-event scale, yet very few studies have explored its finer intra-event
dynamics and the relating driving factors for shrubs. Here, we conducted a
concurrent in-depth investigation of all rainfall partitioning components at inter- and intra-event scales for two typical xerophytic shrubs (Caragana korshinskii and Salix psammophila) in
the Liudaogou catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. The event throughfall
(TF), stemflow (SF), and interception loss (IC), and their temporal
variations within the rainfall event, as well as the meteorological factors
and vegetation characteristics, were systematically measured during the
2014–2015 rainy seasons. Our results showed that C. korshinskii had significantly higher
SF percentage (9.2 %) and lower IC percentage (21.4 %) compared to S. psammophila
(3.8 % and 29.5 %, respectively), but their TF percentages were not
significantly different (69.4 % vs. 66.7 %). At the intra-event scale,
TF and SF of S. psammophila were initiated (0.1 vs. 0.3 h and 0.7 vs. 0.8 h) and peaked
(1.8 vs. 2.0 h and 2.1 vs. 2.2 h) more quickly, and TF of S. psammophila lasted longer
(5.2 vs. 4.8 h) and delivered more intensely (4.3 vs. 3.8 mm h−1), whereas SF of C. korshinskii lasted longer (4.6 vs. 4.1 h) and delivered more
intensely (753.8 vs. 471.2 mm h−1). For both shrubs,
rainfall amount was the most significant factor influencing inter-event
rainfall partitioning, and rainfall intensity and duration controlled the
intra-event TF and SF variables. The C. korshinskii with larger branch angle, more small
branches, and smaller canopy area, has an advantage over S. psammophila to produce SF more
efficiently. The S. psammophila has lower canopy water storage capacity to generate
and peak TF and SF earlier, and it has larger aboveground
biomass and total canopy water storage of individual plants to produce higher
IC compared to C. korshinskii. These findings contribute to the fine
characterization of shrub-dominated ecohydrological processes, and improve
the accuracy of water balance estimation in dryland ecosystems.