Forest restoration and hydrological parameters effects on soil water conditions: a structural equation modelling approach

Débora Bessi,Carina Julia Pensa Correa,Marcel Okamoto Tanaka,Kelly Cristina Tonello,Lara Aranha Da Costa

doi:10.1590/2318-0331.231820180043

Débora Bessi, Carina Julia Pensa Correa + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2318-0331.231820180043

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Journal: RBRH	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Carlos

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although the effects of land use changes on hydrological functioning are widely addressed, issues such as which components of the hydrological system are affected, how and on what time scales are still poorly understood. In this context, we evaluated whether forest restoration improves soil water conditions in a Cerrado area, and whether the combined effects of forest structure and hydrological variables influence soil attributes. For this, we monitored three areas in different stages of natural succession over seven months, and evaluated vegetation structure indicators, hydrological indicators and soil indicators. Vegetation structure variables were analyzed with Principal Components Analysis, and to evaluate the direct and indirect effects among the variables we used structural equations modelling. Each successional stage differed in relation to forest structure, affecting the hydrological processes and causing the improvement of soil attributes with forest development. In the initial stage, throughfall was higher due to the more open vegetation, and the soil was more resistant to penetration. With the development of the vegetation, stemflow and interception also increased. As a result of the structural and hydrological changes, the model indicated that soil moisture was influenced directly by throughfall and stemflow, as well as by soil resistance to penetration and infiltration rates, and indirectly by forest structure, which influenced these variables, except infiltration rates. These results suggest that hydrological variables can be good indicators of forest restoration monitoring, providing a direct link to changes in soil conditions.

Highlights

Forest-water relationships has long studied worldwide (BOSCH; HEWLETT, 1982; FAO, 2013; LEVIA; GERMER, 2015; ZHANG et al, 2017; LUO et al, 2018; BROGNA et al, 2018)
Relative Illuminance Index (RII) decreased from the initial to the advanced stage
22% of the variation in rainfall interception was explained by the vegetation structure, with stronger influence by PC1

Summary

Introduction

Forest-water relationships has long studied worldwide (BOSCH; HEWLETT, 1982; FAO, 2013; LEVIA; GERMER, 2015; ZHANG et al, 2017; LUO et al, 2018; BROGNA et al, 2018). From the perspective of forest restoration, Perkins et al (2012) conclude that planting trees may trigger important eco-hydrological changes to soil water properties over time. Other studies have demonstrated that plant roots, living or dead, play a role in channelling and directing the water flow through the soil, indicating the occurrence of an hydrological response to the rainfall event (SARDANS; PEÑUELAS, 2014; SIEGERT; LEVIA, 2014; ELLISON et al, 2017). The infiltration capacity of forest soils is high, resulting in small runoff rates (PAULE-MERCADO et al, 2017). Soils with unprotected surfaces are more prone to get compacted (ALMEIDA et al, 2018), and their infiltration capacities can decrease drastically, resulting in increased surface runoff and water loss from the system (ALAOUI et al, 2017)

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Conclusion