Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Naithani, Kusum J
• Baldwin, Doug C
• Gaines, Katie P
• Lin, Henry
• Eissenstat, David M
• Wang, Ting

Titel

Spatial distribution of tree species governs the spatio-temporal interaction of leaf area index and soil moisture across a forested landscape

Ist Teil von

• PloS one, 2013-03, Vol.8 (3), p.e58704-e58704

Ort / Verlag

United States: Public Library of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2013

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Quantifying coupled spatio-temporal dynamics of phenology and hydrology and understanding underlying processes is a fundamental challenge in ecohydrology. While variation in phenology and factors influencing it have attracted the attention of ecologists for a long time, the influence of biodiversity on coupled dynamics of phenology and hydrology across a landscape is largely untested. We measured leaf area index (L) and volumetric soil water content (θ) on a co-located spatial grid to characterize forest phenology and hydrology across a forested catchment in central Pennsylvania during 2010. We used hierarchical Bayesian modeling to quantify spatio-temporal patterns of L and θ. Our results suggest that the spatial distribution of tree species across the landscape created unique spatio-temporal patterns of L, which created patterns of water demand reflected in variable soil moisture across space and time. We found a lag of about 11 days between increase in L and decline in θ. Vegetation and soil moisture become increasingly homogenized and coupled from leaf-onset to maturity but heterogeneous and uncoupled from leaf maturity to senescence. Our results provide insight into spatio-temporal coupling between biodiversity and soil hydrology that is useful to enhance ecohydrological modeling in humid temperate forests.