Rainfall interception by tree crown and leaf litter: An interactive process |
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| Authors: | Xiang Li Qingfu Xiao Jianzhi Niu Salli Dymond E Gregory McPherson Natalie van Doorn Xinxiao Yu Baoyuan Xie Kebin Zhang Jiao Li |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating of State Forestry Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China;2. China National Forestry Economics and Development Research Center, State Forestry Administration, Beijing, China;3. Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, USA;4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, USA;5. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, USA;6. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Rainfall interception research in forest ecosystems usually focuses on interception by either tree crown or leaf litter, although the 2 components interact when rainfall occurs. A process‐based study was conducted to jointly measure rainfall interception by crown and litter and the interaction between the 2 interception processes for 4 tree species (Platycladus orientalis and Pinus tabulaeformis represented needle‐leaf species, and Quercus variabilis and Acer truncatum represented broadleaf species) at 3 simulated rainfall intensities (10, 50, and 100 mm hr?1). Results indicated that (a) crown and litter interception processes incorporated 3 phases: the dampening phase, the steady saturation phase, and the postrainfall drainage phase, but the dampening phase for litter interception usually lasted 30 min longer than for crown interception; (b) the maximum and minimum interception storage (C max and C min ) for the crown were 0.63 and 0.36 mm on average, and litter C max and C min were 5.38 and 2.36 mm, respectively; (c) generally, crown and litter C max and C min increased when gross precipitation increased significantly (p < .05) from 10 to 100 mm; and (4) crown C max and C min for needle‐species were 1.8 and 1.2 times larger than broadleaf species, whereas broadleaf litter showed the opposite, its C max and C min were 2.0 and 1.6 times larger than needle‐leaf litter on average; however, no significant differences were observed in crown and litter C max and C min between species on per leaf area and litter thickness basis. Results were normalized by total leaf area and litter thickness to provide a way to scale up from young trees to mature forests. Overall, rainfall interception was affected by biotic and abiotic factors together and could be quantified via multiple linear regression functions. |
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| Keywords: | crown interception gross precipitation interception process leaf area litter interception litter thickness |
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