Potential for significant precipitation cycling by forest‐floor litter and deadwood

Floriancic, Marius; Allen, Scott T.; Meier, Raphael; Truniger, Lucas; Kirchner, J. W.; Molnár, Péter

doi:10.1002/eco.2493

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…This was more evident at the wetter sites, as simulations at drier sites (wet and dry savanna) were closer to the empirical observations. In our case, the wetter sites corresponded to forest ecosystems where microclimates formed under the canopy, which could reduce temperature and evaporation, allowing moisture content to reach high values (Floriancic et al, 2023). Surface runoff, in combination with the topography of the site, could also increase the likelihood of high wood moisture content (Shorohova and Kapitsa, 2016); such topography is present at our wet sites.…”

Section: Climate Variables As Predictors Of Wood Microclimatementioning

confidence: 73%

“…Most studies use climate variables, such as air temperature and precipitation, to represent the microclimate where deadwood decay occurs and predict CO 2 fluxes from decaying wood (Chambers et al, 2000;Zhou et al, 2007;Hu et al, 2018;Cheesman et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2021). Even though there is a clear coupling between climate variables and microclimate, unique microclimate conditions may occur under the forest canopy (Floriancic et al, 2023). Few studies have measured wood moisture content and temperature directly, and those that have are limited to a low temporal resolution or impacted by wood degradation processes if using sensors (Woodall et al, 2020;Green et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wood microclimate as a predictor of carbon dioxide fluxes from deadwood in tropical Australia

Duan,

Chavez Rodriguez,

Hemming-Schroeder

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. Deadwood is an important yet understudied carbon pool in tropical ecosystems. Wood microclimate, as defined by wood moisture content and temperature, drives decomposer (microbial, termite) activities and deadwood degradation to CO2. Microclimate is strongly influenced by local climate, and thus, climate data could be used to predict CO2 fluxes from decaying wood. Given the increasing availability of gridded climate data, this link would allow the rapid estimation of deadwood-related CO2 fluxes from tropical ecosystems worldwide. In this study, we adapted a mechanistic fuel moisture model that uses weather variables (e.g. air temperature, precipitation, solar radiation) to characterize wood microclimate along a rainfall gradient in Queensland, Australia. We then developed a Bayesian statistical relationship between microclimate and CO2 flux from pine (Pinus radiata) blocks deployed at sites and combined this relationship with our microclimate simulations to predict CO2 fluxes from deadwood at 1-hour temporal resolution. We compared our pine-based simulations to moisture-CO2 relationships from stems of native tree species deployed at the wettest and driest sites. Finally, we integrated fluxes over time to estimate the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere and compared these estimates to measured mass loss in pines and native stems. Our statistical model showed a positive relationship between CO2 fluxes and wood microclimate variables. Comparing cumulative CO2 with wood mass loss, we observed that carbon from deadwood decomposition is mainly released as CO2 regardless of the precipitation regime. At the dry savanna, only about 19 % of the wood mass loss was released to CO2 within 48 months, compared to 86 % at the wet rainforest, suggesting longer residence times of deadwood compared to wetter sites. However, the amount of carbon released in-situ as CO2 is lower when wood blocks are attacked by termites, especially at drier sites. These results highlight the important but understudied role of termites in the breakdown of deadwood in dry climates. Additionally, mass loss-flux relationships of decaying native stems deviated from that of pine blocks. Our results indicate that wood microclimate variables are important in predicting CO2 fluxes from deadwood degradation, but are not sufficient, as other factors such as wood traits (wood quality, chemical composition, and stoichiometry) and biotic processes should be considered in future modeling efforts.

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Section: Climate Variables As Predictors Of Wood Microclimatementioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wood microclimate as a predictor of carbon dioxide fluxes from deadwood in tropical Australia

Duan,

Chavez Rodriguez,

Hemming-Schroeder

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“… 2019 , 2021 ), and capturing substantial moisture in barks and deadwood (Floriancic et al. 2022 ). In addition to the wetness state, the rapidity of transitions from wet to dry canopy conditions may also be consequential.…”

Section: What's Beyond Our Umbrella Science? Examples From Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shower thoughts: why scientists should spend more time in the rain

et al. 2023

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Stormwater is a vital resource and dynamic driver of terrestrial ecosystem processes. However, processes controlling interactions during and shortly after storms are often poorly seen and poorly sensed when direct observations are substituted with technological ones. We discuss how human observations complement technological ones and the benefits of scientists spending more time in the storm. Human observation can reveal ephemeral storm-related phenomena such as biogeochemical hot moments, organismal responses, and sedimentary processes that can then be explored in greater resolution using sensors and virtual experiments. Storm-related phenomena trigger lasting, oversized impacts on hydrologic and biogeochemical processes, organismal traits or functions, and ecosystem services at all scales. We provide examples of phenomena in forests, across disciplines and scales, that have been overlooked in past research to inspire mindful, holistic observation of ecosystems during storms. We conclude that technological observations alone are insufficient to trace the process complexity and unpredictability of fleeting biogeochemical or ecological events without the shower thoughts produced by scientists’ human sensory and cognitive systems during storms.

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“…One third of Switzerland and 40% of the global ice‐free land mass are covered by forests (Waring & Running, 2007). Forests alter the amount and chemical composition of water inputs to the underlying soils by retention and evaporation in canopies, understory and litter, accounting for 20% to 40% of annual precipitation (Allen et al, 2017; Floriancic et al, 2022). In forests, precipitation typically reaches the soil as throughfall, precipitation that may or may not have come into contact with the tree, and as stemflow, water that drips along the tree stems (Levia et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic offsets in throughfall and stemflow may have small effects on estimates of winter precipitation fractions

Floriancic,

Kirchner

2024

Hydrological Processes

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Forest canopies alter the amount and isotopic composition of precipitation reaching the forest floor. Thus retention, evaporation and transport processes in forest canopies, and their effects on water isotopes, are key to understanding forest water cycling. Using a two‐year isotope dataset from a mixed beech/spruce forest in Zurich, Switzerland, we assessed the isotopic offsets between precipitation, throughfall and stemflow. We also analysed how these offsets affect estimates of the fraction of soil water that is derived from winter precipitation. Throughfall was typically enriched in heavy isotopes compared to precipitation, but isotopically lighter than stemflow, with average δ2H of −64.3 ‰, −59.9 ‰ and − 56.3 ‰ in precipitation, throughfall and stemflow, respectively. The differences between beech and spruce were rather small compared to the seasonal differences in precipitation isotopes. Isotopic offsets between precipitation and throughfall/stemflow were smaller during the spring and summer months (March through August) than during fall and winter (September through February). Bulk and mobile soil waters at 10 and 40 cm showed smaller seasonal variations than those in precipitation, throughfall and stemflow, and were isotopically lighter than recent precipitation, with the largest offsets occurring during the summer months (June through August) for bulk soil waters. Thus, bulk soil waters at both depths contain a mixture of precipitation from previous events and seasons, with over‐representation of isotopically lighter winter precipitation. Mobile soil waters were more similar to recent precipitation than bulk soil waters were. Throughfall isotopes were slightly heavier than precipitation isotopes, resulting in different sinusoidal fits for seasonal isotopic cycles in precipitation and throughfall. These differences lead to small underestimates in the fraction of soil water originating from winter precipitation, when open‐field precipitation rather than throughfall is used as the input data. Together our results highlight the importance of isotope measurements in throughfall and stemflow for the assessment of precipitation seasonality and water cycling across forested landscapes.

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Potential for significant precipitation cycling by forest‐floor litter and deadwood

Cited by 19 publications

References 57 publications

Wood microclimate as a predictor of carbon dioxide fluxes from deadwood in tropical Australia

Wood microclimate as a predictor of carbon dioxide fluxes from deadwood in tropical Australia

Shower thoughts: why scientists should spend more time in the rain

Isotopic offsets in throughfall and stemflow may have small effects on estimates of winter precipitation fractions

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