Water Cycle on Forest Ecology

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are an integral part of the hydrological cycle, which makes it crucial for us to understand how water in forest areas functions in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and, in particular, growing incidents of drought. In this regard, it is imperative that we critically and objectively evaluate the role forests play within the hydrological cycle under changing climate conditions, especially when there is critical competition for water resources and a pressing need for environmental sustainability. Understanding all of the possible drivers, both biotic and abiotic, that control the water cycle in forest ecosystems is essential to better understanding the forest–water relationship and counteracting the adverse effects of climate change in forest areas.

Precipitation is the primary water source in forest ecosystems, which reaches the forest in the form of rainfall, fog, or snow. The volume and spatiotemporal patterns of precipitation above plant canopies differ significantly from observations at the surface. This difference occurs because plant canopies intercept and redistribute precipitation as throughfall and stemflow. When rainwater reaches the soil surface via throughfall and/or stemflow, it is retained in the forest floor. However, the water storage capacity of the forest floor may decline markedly due to water repellency, which causes decreased remoistening during the vegetation period and reduces the role of the forest floor as a storage medium. Soils with hydrophobic properties can resist or retard surface water infiltration and water-repellent soils have been associated with preferential flow, which creates spatial variability in soil moisture that can impact plant growth. Hence, it is critically important to understand the redistribution of rainfall by tree canopies and the forest floor in climate change projections for forest areas, where warmer and drier conditions are predicted to lead to more severe and recurrent droughts.

To this end, we are interested in contributions that intimately link forest and water studies and the vertical distribution of rainwater by tree canopies and the forest floor. Contributions to this Special Issue can come in the form of either empirical research or conceptual works, examining any key processes including, though not limited to, the influence of tree species composition on interception losses, stemflow and throughfall; the role of the forest floor in water retention and infiltration into the soil profile; the influence of drought on the rainfall redistribution by tree canopies and the forest floor; and new methods for exploring the forest–water relationship.

Dr. Anna Ilek
Guest Editor

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• ecohydrology
• forest ecosystems
• rainfall partitioning
• stemflow
• throughfall
• forest floor hydrology
• forest soil
• hydraulic condactivity