Root water uptake depends on soil moisture which is primarily fed by throughfall in forests. Several biotic and abiotic elements shape the spatial distribution of throughfall. It is well documented that throughfall patterns result in reoccurring higher and lower water inputs at certain locations. However,…
Canopies shape net precipitation patterns, which are spatially heterogeneous and control soil moisture response to rainfall. The vast majority of studies on canopy water fluxes were conducted in forests. In contrast, grassland canopies are often assumed to be spatially homogeneous, therefore likely not…
In stemflow, rainfall is collected and channeled to a concentrated soil water input. It can constitute up to 30% of incident precipitation in some ecosystems. However, the size of the zone influenced by stemflow is unclear, and statistically representative measurement of stemflow (on and in between sites)…
Vegetation and soil form a highly interactive system, within which water is one of the most important factors. By the redistribution of precipitation and its separation into interception, throughfall and stemflow, vegetation canopies introduce a strong small-scale heterogeneity to downwards-directed…