Abstract
Understanding the soil moisture behavior in relation to land use in tropical Andean mountain catchments is essential for comprehending water fluxes, ecohydrological relations and hydrological dynamics in this understudied ecosystem. Soils are a key factor of these ecosystems, especially in reference to water level regulation and anthropogenic activities that can alter the interactions, and generate physical, chemical and biological imbalances. In this study, we investigated the relationship between precipitation, soil water content (SWC) and the flow at different pedon scales, and hillslope and microcatchment scales subjected to different land uses. The results showed the relation between the soils uses, topographical conditions and soil moisture at the microcatchment scale. At the pedon scale, soil moisture is higher and with a low variability in depth; high soil moisture content throughout the study period was registered in forest > pasture > coffee agroforestry systems. The topographic wetness index (TWI), despite its adjusted interpretation of the behavior of humidity at the microcatchment scale, is a poor predictor of the behavior of soil humidity at the pedon scale. Pedon water content has a close relation with the precipitation behavior, especially in prolonged dry and humid periods. The soils studied tend to present udic moisture regimes with a dry period of approximately 67 accumulative days per year. The mean flow behavior responds to precipitation and soil moisture behavior at a monthly scale. Understanding the consequences of the land cover changes in relation to soil water behavior, as well as how soil water interacts with the different components of the hydric balance at different scales, allows an understanding of the complex interactions in natural microcatchments under different land use systems.
Highlights
Land use changes can have a significant impact on the terrestrial component of the water cycle, Roa-García et al [1]
Soil moisture is closely related to soil structure because it affects plant growth by influencing root distribution and the ability to take up water, facilitate oxygen and water infiltration, improve water storage and increase water transfer through soil, Rampazzo et al [2]; Pardo et al [3,4]
The effects of land use and land cover types representative of largely deforested areas of the Amazon basin were studied by Zimmermann et al [6], who reported the importance of land cover on soil hydrological flow paths in surfaces (12.5 and 20 cm depth)
Summary
Land use changes can have a significant impact on the terrestrial component of the water cycle, Roa-García et al [1]. The studies under forest cover of Lai et al [5] showed the importance of the dynamic interactions between rainfall, antecedent moisture and static soil properties (e.g., soil texture, structure, horizon and macropores) in soil water behavior. The effects of land use and land cover types representative of largely deforested areas of the Amazon basin were studied by Zimmermann et al [6], who reported the importance of land cover on soil hydrological flow paths (infiltrability and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity) in surfaces (12.5 and 20 cm depth). The soils under riparian and natural forest have a higher storage capacity and water availability than the soils under pastures [7]. The results of Guo et al [9] suggested the average soil moisture content in decreasing order of grassland > shrubland > soybean land > maize land > adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) land > forestland
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