Efficacies of vegetation litter and roots in strengthening rainfall infiltration for different stand ages on the Loess Plateau

IF 5.4 1区农林科学 Q1 GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Catena Pub Date : 2024-11-01 DOI:10.1016/j.catena.2024.108502

Fengjiao Niu , Chengzhong Pan , Lan Ma , Yongsheng Cui

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Vegetation litter cover and root systems have important effects on hillslope hydrological processes. Their relative importance may change with the stage of growth after afforestation. However, limited information is available on the dynamics of the quantitative contributions of litter and roots to rainfall infiltration. In this study, Robinia pseudoacacia plantations differing in stand age (18, 25, 30, and 40 years) and fallow slope land (control) were selected to investigate the influence of litter cover and roots on infiltration processes on hillslopes following simulated rainfall. Both the accumulation and decomposition rates of litter and the biomass of roots increased with stand age. Under the same simulated rainfall, infiltration in the plantations initially increased and thereafter decreased with stand growth, which was 2.93–4.91 times that of the fallow slope land. With increase in stand age from 18 to 40 years, litter contributed 60%, 11%, 82% and 91% to the increase in infiltration, and roots contributed 40%, 89%, 18% and 9%, respectively, to aforementioned four stands. The average contribution of litter to the increase in infiltration was 1.56 times greater than that of roots. The contribution of litter generally increased with stand age. Litter cover and the root system played a crucial role in strengthening uniform infiltration and preferential infiltration, respectively. In the presence of litter, the contribution of preferential flow to total infiltration was 67% of that in the absence of litter. These results contribute to an improved understanding of the effects of afforestation on hillslope hydrological processes and provide a theoretical reference for the management of plantations.

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黄土高原不同树龄的植被枯落物和根系对加强降雨入渗的作用

植被枯落物覆盖和根系对山坡水文过程有重要影响。它们的相对重要性可能会随着植树造林后的生长阶段而改变。然而，关于枯落物和根系对降雨入渗的定量贡献的动态信息却很有限。本研究选择了不同树龄（18 年、25 年、30 年和 40 年）的刺槐人工林和休耕坡地（对照），以研究模拟降雨后枯落物覆盖和根系对山坡入渗过程的影响。枯落物的积累和分解率以及根的生物量都随着林龄的增加而增加。在相同的模拟降雨条件下，人工林的入渗量最初随着林分的增长而增加，随后随着林分的增长而减少，是休耕坡地的 2.93-4.91 倍。随着林龄从 18 年增加到 40 年，枯落物对入渗增加的贡献率分别为 60%、11%、82% 和 91%，根系对入渗增加的贡献率分别为 40%、89%、18% 和 9%。枯落物对入渗增加的平均贡献是根系的 1.56 倍。枯落物的贡献率一般随着林龄的增加而增加。枯落物和根系分别在加强均匀渗透和优先渗透方面发挥了重要作用。在有枯落物的情况下，优先流对总入渗量的贡献是无枯落物情况下的 67%。这些结果有助于更好地理解植树造林对山坡水文过程的影响，并为植树造林的管理提供理论参考。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Catena 环境科学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

10.50

自引率

9.70%

发文量

816

审稿时长

54 days

期刊介绍： Catena publishes papers describing original field and laboratory investigations and reviews on geoecology and landscape evolution with emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects of soil science, hydrology and geomorphology. It aims to disseminate new knowledge and foster better understanding of the physical environment, of evolutionary sequences that have resulted in past and current landscapes, and of the natural processes that are likely to determine the fate of our terrestrial environment. Papers within any one of the above topics are welcome provided they are of sufficiently wide interest and relevance.