Vegetation influences on water yields from grassland and shrubland ecosystems in the Chihuahuan Desert

Neave, Melissa; Abrahams, Athol D.

doi:10.1002/esp.389

Cited by 65 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In general, we measured higher infi ltration and lower runoff and sediment concentration on vegetation patches than on bare soils. This differential response is in agreement with previous studies, under simulated or natural rainfall conditions, conducted in semiarid Mediterranean areas (Cerdà, 1997b;Bochet et al, 2006), and in other semiarid areas throughout the world (Dunkerley and Brown, 1995;Reid et al, 1999;Schlesinger et al, 1999;Neave and Abrahams, 2002;Bhark and Small, 2003). The differences in the hydrological behaviour between bare and vegetated areas are commonly attributed to the general improvement of the soil structure made by plants, which typically increase soil organic matter and aggregate stability, and decrease bulk density and penetration resistance (Greene, 1992;Bochet et al, 1999;Eldridge and Rosentreter, 2004).…”

Section: Wet Soilssupporting

confidence: 93%

Factors and interactions controlling infiltration, runoff, and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape

Mayor

Bautista

Bellot

2009

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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In semiarid ecosystems, the transfer of water, sediments, and nutrients from bare to vegetated areas is known to be crucial to ecosystem functioning. Rainfall simulation experiments were performed on bare-soil and vegetated surfaces, on both wet and dry soils, in semiarid shrub-steppe landscapes of SE Spain to investigate the spatial and temporal factors and interactions that control the fi ne-scale variation in water infi ltration, runoff and soil loss, and hence the water and sediment fl ows in these areas. Three types of shrub-steppe landscapes varying in plant community and physiography, and four types of plant patches (oak shrub, subshrub, tussock grass, and short grass mixed with chamaephytes) were studied. Higher infi ltration and lower runoff and soil loss were measured on vegetation patches than on bare soils, for both dry and wet conditions. The oak-shrub patches produced no runoff, while the subshrub patches showed the highest runoff and soil loss. Despite these differences among patch types, the infl uence of vegetation patch type on the variables analysed was not signifi cant. The response of bare soil surfaces clearly varied between landscape types, yet the differences were only relevant under dry soil conditions. Stone cover, particularly the cover of embedded stones, and crust cover, were the key explanatory variables for the hydrological behaviour of bare soils. The study documents quantitatively how bare soils and vegetation patches function as runoff sources and runoff sinks, respectively, for a wide range of soil moisture conditions, and illustrates that landscape-type effects on bare-soil runoff sources may also exert an important control on the site hydrology, while the role of the vegetation patch type is less important. The effects of the control factors are modulated by antecedent soil moisture, with dry soils showing the most contrasting soil water infi ltration between landscapes and surface types.

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Section: Wet Soilssupporting

confidence: 93%

Factors and interactions controlling infiltration, runoff, and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape

Mayor

Bautista

Bellot

2009

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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“…McMahon (1998), for example, estimated grass covers of 21 and 14% for the north and south-facing slopes, as well as the distance between grass mounds, finding greater distances on the creosote slope. This difference can be significant in terms of runoff and sediment yield, as shown by Neave and Abrahams (2002) and Wilcox et al (2003a) for similar ecosystems. Higher erosion rates from the creosote hillslope with a lower grass cover can result in more developed drainages (Figure 4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

Ecohydrology of root zone water fluxes and soil development in complex semiarid rangelands

Gutiérrez-Jurado

Vivoni

Harrison

et al. 2006

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:In semiarid complex terrain, the landscape creates spatial niches for different types of vegetation through the effects of aspect, slope and curvature on the water and energy balance at the soil surface. The ecohydrology of rangelands is defined by the interaction of soils, plants and climate occurring on a topographic surface. While these interactions have been studied for subtle terrain, little is known about the controls exerted by terrain position, in particular terrain aspect, on ecosystem processes. Furthermore, differential plant establishment can lead to measurable differences in rates of soil development, which in turn can affect soil hydraulic properties and the surface water balance. In this study, we outline the physical mechanisms affecting plant establishment, soil development and hydrologic fluxes in semiarid complex terrain. We illustrate the interactions between vegetation, root zone water fluxes and soil development using, as an example, a small drainage basin in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), New Mexico. In the study basin, opposing hillslopes are characterized by marked differences in ecosystem composition and soil profile properties, with the north-facing hillslope dominated by one seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) and the south-facing slope consisting of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). We assess the effect of terrain aspect on root zone hydrologic fluxes and soil development in the two ecosystems by using soil observations, hydraulic properties from pedotransfer functions (PTFs), and numerical modelling of vadose zone fluxes. Modelling results show marked differences in root zone fluxes in the north-facing juniper and south-facing creosote ecosystems. Differences in the amplitude and frequency of soil water content and pressure correspond to changes in soil profile and vegetation characteristics. For example, soil properties of the calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) horizons and differential plant water uptake impact the simulated soil water pressure over an 8-year period in the opposing ecosystems. It is believed that these variations in water fluxes reinforce the development of CaCO 3 horizons present in the soil profiles, leading to a feedback between vegetation establishment, soil water fluxes and geomorphic processes in the catchment. Our results also indicate that soil properties and water fluxes compensate for large differences in evaporative demand and lead to similar actual evapotranspiration (AET) in the opposing slopes.

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“…Existing hypotheses in the literature (Schlesinger et al, 1990) have related these vegetation changes to ongoing feedbacks on water and sediment transfers and the consequent nutrient dynamics associated with these fluxes. The last 150 years in the US southwest has seen a shift in dominant vegetation species from grass to shrubs, which has resulted in high erosion rates and potentially high nutrient losses associated with these high rates of sediment and water transfers (Buffington and Herbel, 1965;Fredrickson et al, 1998;Schlesinger et al, 1999;Neave and Abrahams, 2002;Parsons et al, 2003). Currently, degrading landscapes in the US southwest are a mosaic of vegetation patches comprising both grass and shrub species, and research is showing that these vegetation patterns affect redistribution of water, sediment and nutrients within the landscape leading to further changes in the reorganization of the ecosystem structure (Abrahams et al, 1995;Parsons et al, 1996;Wainwright et al, 2000 Scheffer andCarpenter, 2003;Peters et al, 2005;Turnbull et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation controls on small‐scale runoff and erosion dynamics in a degrading dryland environment

Michaelides

Lister

Wainwright

et al. 2009

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:This paper investigates the controls of vegetation on runoff and erosion dynamics in the dryland environment of Jornada, New Mexico, USA. As the American southwest has seen significant shifts in the dominant vegetation species in the past 150 years, an understanding of the vegetation effects on hydrological and erosional processes is vital for understanding and managing environmental change. Small-scale rainfall simulations were carried out to identify the hydrological and erosional processes resulting from the grassland and shrubland vegetation species. Results obtained using tree-regression analysis suggested that the primary vegetation control on runoff and erosion is the shrub type and canopy density, which directly affects the local microtopographic gradient of mounds beneath the shrubs. Significant interactions and feedbacks were found to occur among the local mound gradient, crust cover, soil aggregate stability and antecedent soil moisture between the different vegetation species for both the runoff and erosion responses. Although some of the shrub species were found to produce higher sediment yields than the grass species, the distinguishing feature of the grassland was the significantly higher enrichment in the fine sediment fraction compared to all other surface cover types. This enrichment in fines has important implications for nutrient movement in such environments.

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Vegetation influences on water yields from grassland and shrubland ecosystems in the Chihuahuan Desert

Cited by 65 publications

References 13 publications

Factors and interactions controlling infiltration, runoff, and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape

Factors and interactions controlling infiltration, runoff, and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape

Ecohydrology of root zone water fluxes and soil development in complex semiarid rangelands

Vegetation controls on small‐scale runoff and erosion dynamics in a degrading dryland environment

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