Percolation through leaf litter: What happens during rainfall events of varying intensity?

Dunkerley, David

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.04.039

Cited by 57 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This process becomes more pronounced as more water accumulates. This phenomenon has also been reported by Dunkerley (). Other studies reported the opposite conclusions.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

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Rainfall interception by tree crown and leaf litter: An interactive process

Xiao

Niu

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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Rainfall interception research in forest ecosystems usually focuses on interception by either tree crown or leaf litter, although the 2 components interact when rainfall occurs. A process‐based study was conducted to jointly measure rainfall interception by crown and litter and the interaction between the 2 interception processes for 4 tree species (Platycladus orientalis and Pinus tabulaeformis represented needle‐leaf species, and Quercus variabilis and Acer truncatum represented broadleaf species) at 3 simulated rainfall intensities (10, 50, and 100 mm hr−1). Results indicated that (a) crown and litter interception processes incorporated 3 phases: the dampening phase, the steady saturation phase, and the postrainfall drainage phase, but the dampening phase for litter interception usually lasted 30 min longer than for crown interception; (b) the maximum and minimum interception storage (Cmax and Cmin) for the crown were 0.63 and 0.36 mm on average, and litter Cmax and Cmin were 5.38 and 2.36 mm, respectively; (c) generally, crown and litter Cmax and Cmin increased when gross precipitation increased significantly (p < .05) from 10 to 100 mm; and (4) crown Cmax and Cmin for needle‐species were 1.8 and 1.2 times larger than broadleaf species, whereas broadleaf litter showed the opposite, its Cmax and Cmin were 2.0 and 1.6 times larger than needle‐leaf litter on average; however, no significant differences were observed in crown and litter Cmax and Cmin between species on per leaf area and litter thickness basis. Results were normalized by total leaf area and litter thickness to provide a way to scale up from young trees to mature forests. Overall, rainfall interception was affected by biotic and abiotic factors together and could be quantified via multiple linear regression functions.

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“…This process becomes more pronounced as more water accumulates. This phenomenon has also been reported by Dunkerley (). Other studies reported the opposite conclusions.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Acting as a buffer for the soil, the litter layer can increase infiltration and soil water content and decrease soil respiration and evaporation (Walsh & Voigt, 1977). Generally, I L is less than 20% of P g (Dunkerley, 2015) but can reach up to 40-70% in some cases (e.g., Price, Rochefort, & Quinty, 1998;Brye, Norman, Bundy, & Gower, 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rainfall interception by tree crown and leaf litter: An interactive process

Xiao

Niu

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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“…Wilson et al (2014) found Cmin values between 0.5 and 3.5 g g −1 (grams of water by grams of forest litter) in a forest of Quercus sp. The result of~2.3 g g −1 for eucalyptus litter found by Dunkerley (2015) is also presented in grams of water per grams of forest litter, and it is inside the range found by Wilson et al (2014). For Cerrado's forest litter, we found Cmax values between 0.4 and 3.6 g g −1 and Cmin values between 0.2 and 2.9 g g −1 .…”

Section: Gonzalezsupporting

confidence: 83%

Understanding the water dynamics on a tropical forest litter using a new device for interception measurement

2018

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Forest litter is a layer on the forest floor formed by materials falling from the vegetation. It plays an important role in the interception process in forests and, combined with canopy interception, can represent up to 50% of the total evaporation. However, the forest litter interception is usually underestimated and has been neglected mainly because of the difficulties in performing these measurements. This paper presents an equipment called Litter Interception Device (LID), which can be used both in laboratory and on site to measure the forest litter interception and the intensity of water flux to the soil. We tested and calibrated the LID in laboratory using three different simulated rainfall intensities above three different litter samples amounts. The samples were collected in an undisturbed wooded Cerrado area located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The maximum and minimum water storage capacities of the wooded Cerrado litter ranged between 1.0–3.07 and 0.78–2.27 mm, respectively. The device enables continuous measurements of the litter interception with 0.006 mm min−1 of precision and can assist future studies on the role of forest litter on hydrological processes and water balance improvements.

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“…Water infiltration over a larger area is much more complex than at a single point and is strongly affected by surface characteristics (Seyfried, ; Wilcox, Breshears, & Allen, ). For example, it can be enhanced by grasses and herbaceous vegetation (Blackburn, ; Cerdà, ) and by leaf litter (Dunkerley, ). In our sites, Kfs values were 2 times higher in spots with herbaceous vegetation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The presence of a litter layer also serves to intercept raindrops, reduce run‐off speed, and entrap sediment, all of which can lessen soil loss (Dunkerley, ; Nunes et al, ; Stocking, ). At all of our sites, however, when litter was present, it consisted of a very thin layer of fine woody debris that only partially covered the soil and probably had little influence on our erosion results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of forest regrowth on soil hydraulic properties and erosion in a semiarid region of Brazil

et al. 2017

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Dryland tropical forests are important but little‐understood ecosystems. These landscapes are at risk globally because of accelerated deforestation and the consequent losses of hydrological functions. An example is the Caatinga shrublands in northeastern Brazil; these dry tropical forests are undergoing rapid change as the land is converted to cultivated cropland and pastureland and then often abandoned after the land is exhausted, allowing forests to regrow. In this study, we evaluated how these changes influence soil hydraulic properties and soil erosion in Caatinga landscapes, by examining four sites of different ages: a recently abandoned pasture, a young (7 years of regrowth) secondary forest, an intermediate (35 years of regrowth) secondary forest, and an older (more than 55 years) forest. Rainfall simulation was used to assess soil infiltrability and susceptibility to erosion. In addition, we determined hydrological conductivity in the field using the Beerkan method (Kfs) and collected samples for laboratory‐determined measurements (Ks). We found that infiltrability and Kfs values were progressively higher as time since land abandonment increased, whereas Ks values were not significantly different across sites. Infiltrability was approximately 2 times smaller than Ks and Kfs—possibly owing to the formation of soil crusts from raindrop impact. Soil erosion did not show a progressive improvement with forest age and was better explained by site characteristics, such as herbaceous cover and slope. In general, our results suggest that in Caatinga landscapes, more than 35 years is required for the recovery of soil hydraulic properties following land abandonment.

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Percolation through leaf litter: What happens during rainfall events of varying intensity?

Cited by 57 publications

References 42 publications

Rainfall interception by tree crown and leaf litter: An interactive process

Rainfall interception by tree crown and leaf litter: An interactive process

Understanding the water dynamics on a tropical forest litter using a new device for interception measurement

The influence of forest regrowth on soil hydraulic properties and erosion in a semiarid region of Brazil

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