Abstract
A study of rainfall partitioning into throughfall, stem flow and interception loss was conducted during five annual cycles in a patch of semideciduous forest within the Trachypogon savanna in the Orinoco Llanos. Annual seasonal rainfall (April-November) was 1238 mm, 1228 mm, 1531 mm, 1345 mm and 1398 mm for 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985, respectively. During the years analyzed (1981–1984), the throughfall measured using a roving gauge technique was 75.7% (±1.2%), 81.8% (±1.2%), 74.1% (±1.1%) and 77.4% (±0.2%), respectively, of the gross precipitation. The rain required to initiate average throughfall in the grove ranged from 0.6 to 1.0 mm. Of the rainfall reaching the grove canopy, 1.0% (±0.2%), 1.1% (±0.2%) and 0.4% (±0.00%) flowed down the trunks as stem flow in 1983, 1984 and 1985, respectively. Consequently, interception loss accounted for 19% and 12% of gross rainfall for 1983 and 1984, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that throughfall, stem flow and interception loss as a function of gross rainfall followed similar linear patterns. Volume of stem flow was related to tree diameter but it decreased at the highest diameter class.
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