Abstract
Canopy interception, throughfall, stemflow, and runoff have received considerable attention during the study of water balance and hydrological processes in forested ecosystems. Past research has either neglected or underestimated the role of hydrological functions of litter layers, although some studies have considered the impact of various characteristics of rainfall and litter on litter interception. Based on both simulated rainfall and litter conditions in North China, the effect of litter mass, rainfall intensity and litter type on the maximum water storage capacity of litter (S) and litter interception storage capacity (C) were investigated under five simulated rainfall intensities and four litter masses for two litter types. The results indicated: 1) the S values increased linearly with litter mass, and the S values of broadleaf litter were on average 2.65 times larger than the S values of needle leaf litter; 2) rainfall intensity rather than litter mass determined the maximum interception storage capacity (Cmax); Cmax increased linearly with increasing rainfall intensity; by contrast, the minimum interception storage capacity (Cmin) showed a linear relationship with litter mass, but a poor correlation with rainfall intensity; 3) litter type impacted Cmax and Cmin; the values of Cmax and Cmin for broadleaf litter were larger than those of needle leaf litter, which indicated that broadleaf litter could intercepte and store more water than needle leaf litter; 4) a gap existed between Cmax and Cmin, indicating that litter played a significant role by allowing rainwater to infiltrate or to produce runoff rather than intercepting it and allowing it to evaporate after the rainfall event; 5) Cmin was always less than S at the same litter mass, which should be considered in future interception predictions. Vegetation and precipitation characteristics played important roles in hydrological characteristics.
Highlights
In the forest ecosystem, the canopy is regularly recognized as a main re-distributor of rainfall in space [1]
We investigated the hydrological functions of litter layers under four litter masses and five rainfall intensities for four litter species
The experiment was conducted to investigate the hydrological functions of the litter layer under four tree species, with broadleaf litter represented by Q.variabilis and A. truncatum and needle leaf litter represented by P. tabulaeformis and P. orientalis
Summary
In the forest ecosystem, the canopy is regularly recognized as a main re-distributor of rainfall in space [1]. Litter, which is composed of dead leaves, twigs, branches and other fragmented organic materials, plays a crucial role in hydrological processes by covering the mineral soil and functioning as another main rainfall re-distributor [5].In the short term, litter absorbs the energy of raindrops while preventing soil erosion [6,7,8], helps keep infiltration rates high, and reduces the soil temperature which lowers evaporation rates by insulating the soil surface from the atmosphere [9,10,11]. Over time, decomposed litter plays an important role in changing soil physical properties such as bulk density and pore volume It serves as a major source of soil organic matter, strongly influences the structure of soil, and increases soil stability and porosity while increasing the ability of water to infiltrate into the soil [12], [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
