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Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate
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Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2020) | Viewed by 29241

Special Issue Editors

Dr. C. Jason Williams

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
Interests: ecohydrology; erosion; fire effects; plant community dynamics; wildland hydrology; infiltration and runoff
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Assit. Prof. Kossi Nouwakpo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
Interests: soil physics, soil erosion, land degradation and water quality, surface and subsurface hydrology, environmental sensing and monitoring, soil quality and environmental sustainability, modeling and computational tools in soil erosion and hydrology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Patchy attributes of water-limited lands provide unique landscapes for studying the dynamic interaction of structural and functional connectivity that governs hillslope hydrologic and erosion processes. For example, runoff and erosion from well-vegetated landscapes are low due to spatial heterogeneity in infiltration, runoff, and sediment detachment/deposition. Isolated bare patches are sources for runoff and soil detachment by rainsplash and sheetflow. Vegetated patches and ground cover intercept rainfall and overland flow, promote infiltration and sediment and nutrient retention, and protect the soil surface from raindrops and detachment by flow. Plant community degradation often increases runoff and soil loss through the fragmentation of the vegetation and ground cover patch-structure. Such increases in structural and functional connectivity (e.g., woody plant encroachment) often propagate long-term site degradation and are difficult to reverse. Disturbances (e.g., fire, drought) can potentially serve as ecohydrologic threshold reversal mechanisms by which the vegetation structure and ecohydrologic function are reset through ensuing plant community and ecohydrologic dynamics. This Special Issue aims to explore such unique relationships for water-limited landscapes around the globe. We seek papers that examine key ecohydrologic feedbacks between vegetation, soil, and climate and are particularly interested in how such relationships are affected by disturbances, immediate or transitional.

Dr. C. Jason Williams
Assit. Prof. Kossi Nouwakpo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • ecohydrology
  • disturbance
  • erosion
  • fire
  • drought
  • drylands
  • rangelands
  • runoff
  • woodlands
  • woody plant encroachment

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 167 KiB  
Editorial
Introduction to the Special Issue “Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate”
by C. Jason Williams and S. Kossi Nouwakpo
Water 2022, 14(5), 760; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14050760 - 28 Feb 2022
Viewed by 1746
Abstract
Vegetation transitions on arid and semi-arid landscapes present unique opportunities for examining structural and functional (pattern and process) ecohydrologic feedbacks that regulate site ecological resilience [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 3461 KiB  
Article
Inferring Sediment Transport Capacity from Soil Microtopography Changes on a Laboratory Hillslope
by Sayjro Nouwakpo, Chi-hua Huang, Laura Bowling, Phillip Owens and Mark Weltz
Water 2021, 13(7), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13070929 - 29 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2229
Abstract
In hillslope erosion modeling, the Transport Capacity (Tc) concept describes an upper limit to the flux of sediment transportable by a flow of given hydraulic characteristics. This widely used concept in process-based erosion modeling faces challenges due to scarcity of experimental [...] Read more.
In hillslope erosion modeling, the Transport Capacity (Tc) concept describes an upper limit to the flux of sediment transportable by a flow of given hydraulic characteristics. This widely used concept in process-based erosion modeling faces challenges due to scarcity of experimental data to strengthen its validity. In this paper, we test a methodology that infers the exceedance of transport capacity by concentrated flow from changes to soil surface microtopography sustained during rainfall-runoff events. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) corresponding to pre- and post-rainfall events were used to compute elevation change maps and estimate spatially-varying flow hydraulics ω taken as the product of flow accumulation and local slope. These spatial data were used to calculate a probability of erosion PE at regular flow hydraulics intervals. The exceedance of Tc was inferred from the crossing of the PE = 0.5 line. The proposed methodology was applied to experimental data collected to study the impact of soil subsurface hydrology on soil erosion and sediment transport processes. Sustained net deposition occurred under drainage condition while PE for seepage conditions mostly stayed in the net erosion regime. Results from this study suggest pulsating erosion patterns along concentrated flow networks with intermittent increases in PE to local maxima followed by declines to local minima. These short-range erosion patterns could not be explained by current Tc-based erosion models. Nevertheless, Tc-based erosion models adequately capture observed decline in local PE maxima as ω increased. Applying the proposed approach suggests a dependence of Tc on subsurface hydrology with net deposition more likely under drainage conditions compared to seepage conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)
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35 pages, 8537 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Effectiveness of Tree Removal to Re-Establish Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation and Associated Spatial Patterns in Surface Conditions and Soil Hydrologic Properties
by C. Jason Williams, Justin C. Johnson, Frederick B. Pierson, Cameron S. Burleson, Viktor O. Polyakov, Patrick R. Kormos and S. Kossi Nouwakpo
Water 2020, 12(8), 2213; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12082213 - 6 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4516
Abstract
Pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodland encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe communities throughout western North America has substantially altered the vegetation structure and hydrologic function of one of the most ecologically important rangeland ecosystems in the world. [...] Read more.
Pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodland encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe communities throughout western North America has substantially altered the vegetation structure and hydrologic function of one of the most ecologically important rangeland ecosystems in the world. Various pinyon and juniper tree removal practices are employed to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and an associated resource-conserving ecohydrologic function. The effectiveness of these practices is highly variable owing to the vast domain in which woodland encroachment occurs, climate fluctuations, differences in treatment applications, and myriads of pre-treatment conditions and post-treatment land uses. This study evaluated the long-term (13 years post-treatment) effectiveness of prescribed fire and mechanical tree removal to re-establish sagebrush steppe vegetation and associated spatial patterns in ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties of two woodland-encroached sites. Specifically, we assessed the effects of tree removal on: (1) vegetation and ground cover at the hillslope scale (990 m2 plots) and (2) associated spatial patterns in point-scale ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties along transects extending from tree bases and into the intercanopy areas between trees. Both sites were in mid to late stages of woodland encroachment with extensive bare conditions (~60–80% bare ground) throughout a degraded intercanopy area (~75% of the domain) surrounding tree islands (~25% of domain, subcanopy areas). All treatments effectively removed mature tree cover and increased hillslope vegetation. Enhanced herbaceous cover (4–15-fold increases) in burned areas reduced bare interspace (bare area between plants) by at least 4-fold and improved intercanopy hydraulic conductivity (> than 2-fold) and overall ecohydrologic function. Mechanical treatments retained or increased sagebrush and generally increased the intercanopy herbaceous vegetation. Intercanopy ground surface conditions and soil hydrologic properties in mechanical treatments were generally similar to those in burned areas but were also statistically similar to the same measures in untreated areas in most cases. This suggests that vegetation and ground surface conditions in mechanical treatments are trending toward a significantly improved hydrologic function over time. Treatments had limited impact on soil hydrologic properties within subcanopy areas; however, burning did reduce the soil water repellency strength and the occurrence of strong soil water repellency underneath trees by three- to four-fold. Overall, the treatments over a 13-year period enhanced the vegetation, ground surface conditions, and soil hydrologic properties that promote infiltration and limit runoff generation for intercanopy areas representing ~75% of the area at the sites. However, ecological tradeoffs in treatment alternatives were evident. The variations in woodland responses across sites, treatments, and measurement scales in this long-term study illustrate the complexity in predicting vegetation and hydrologic responses to tree removal on woodland-encroached sagebrush sites and underpin the need and value of multi-scale long-term studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)
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16 pages, 4847 KiB  
Article
Effects of Deforestation on Water Flow in the Vadose Zone
by Inge Wiekenkamp, Johan Alexander Huisman, Heye Reemt Bogena and Harry Vereecken
Water 2020, 12(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010035 - 20 Dec 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 9304
Abstract
The effects of land use change on the occurrence and frequency of preferential flow (fast water flow through a small fraction of the pore space) and piston flow (slower water flow through a large fraction of the pore space) are still not fully [...] Read more.
The effects of land use change on the occurrence and frequency of preferential flow (fast water flow through a small fraction of the pore space) and piston flow (slower water flow through a large fraction of the pore space) are still not fully understood. In this study, we used a five year high resolution soil moisture monitoring dataset in combination with a response time analysis to identify factors that control preferential and piston flow before and after partial deforestation in a small headwater catchment. The sensor response times at 5, 20 and 50 cm depths were classified into one of four classes: (1) non-sequential preferential flow, (2) velocity based preferential flow, (3) sequential (piston) flow, and (4) no response. The results of this analysis showed that partial deforestation increased sequential flow occurrence and decreased the occurrence of no flow in the deforested area. Similar precipitation conditions (total precipitation) after deforestation caused more sequential flow in the deforested area, which was attributed to higher antecedent moisture conditions and the lack of interception. At the same time, an increase in preferential flow occurrence was also observed for events with identical total precipitation. However, as the events in the treatment period (after deforestation) generally had lower total, maximum, and mean precipitation, this effect was not observed in the overall occurrence of preferential flow. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the combination of a sensor response time analysis and a soil moisture dataset that includes pre- and post-deforestation conditions can offer new insights in preferential and sequential flow conditions after land use change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)
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16 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
Soil Water Content Estimation Using High-Frequency Ground Penetrating Radar
by Ligang Zhou, Dongsheng Yu, Zhaoyan Wang and Xiangdong Wang
Water 2019, 11(5), 1036; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11051036 - 17 May 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6838
Abstract
The rapid high-precision and nondestructive determination of shallow soil water content (SWC) is of vital importance to precision agriculture and water resource management. However, the low-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology currently in use is insufficient for precisely determining the shallow SWC. Therefore, [...] Read more.
The rapid high-precision and nondestructive determination of shallow soil water content (SWC) is of vital importance to precision agriculture and water resource management. However, the low-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology currently in use is insufficient for precisely determining the shallow SWC. Therefore, it is essential to develop and use a high-precision detection technology to determine SWC. In this paper, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the use of a high-frequency GPR antenna to determine the SWC of loamy sand, clay, and silty loam. We collected soil samples (0–20 cm) of six soil types of loamy sand, clay, and silty loam and used a high-frequency (2-GHz) GPR antenna to determine the SWC. In addition, we obtained GPR data and images as well as characteristic parameters of the electromagnetic spectrum and analyzed the quantitative relationship with SWC. The GPR reflection two-way travel times and the known depths of reflectors were used to calculate the average soil dielectric permittivities above the reflectors and establish a spatial relationship between the soil dielectric permittivity ( ε ) and SWC ( θ ), which was used to estimate the depth-averaged SWC. The results show that the SWC, which affects the attenuation of wave energy and the wave velocity of the GPR signal, is a dominant factor affecting the soil dielectric permittivity. In addition, the conductivity, magnetic soil, soil texture, soil organic matter, and soil temperature have substantial effects on the soil dielectric permittivity, which consequentially affects the prediction of SWC. The correlation coefficients R2 of the “ θ   ~   ε ” cubic curve models, which were used to fit the relationships between the soil dielectric permittivity ( ε ) and SWC ( θ ), were greater than 0.89, and the root-mean-square errors were less than 2.9%, which demonstrate that high-frequency GPR technology can be applied to determine shallow SWC under variable hydrological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)
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14 pages, 2334 KiB  
Article
Failure and Collapse of Ancient Agricultural Stone Terraces: On-Site Effects on Soil and Vegetation
by Ilan Stavi, Tamir Rozenberg, Ashraf Al-Ashhab, Eli Argaman and Elli Groner
Water 2018, 10(10), 1400; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10101400 - 9 Oct 2018
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4015
Abstract
Ancient agricultural stone terraces, dated to the Roman and Byzantine ages, are prevalent across the Negev drylands of Southern Israel. The goal of these structures was to reduce hydrological connectivity by harvesting water runoff and controlling soil erosion, thus allowing cultivation of cereals. [...] Read more.
Ancient agricultural stone terraces, dated to the Roman and Byzantine ages, are prevalent across the Negev drylands of Southern Israel. The goal of these structures was to reduce hydrological connectivity by harvesting water runoff and controlling soil erosion, thus allowing cultivation of cereals. Land abandonment and the lack of maintenance have led to the failure and collapse of many of these stone terraces. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of failure and collapse of terraces on the on-site (on-field) geo-ecosystem functioning, as determined by vegetation cover and soil quality parameters. This was achieved by studying vegetal and soil properties in shrubby vegetation patches and inter-shrub spaces of intact-terrace plots and collapsed-terrace plots, as well as in the surrounding ‘natural’ lands. Mean cover of both shrubby and herbaceous vegetation was highest in intact terraces, intermediate in ‘natural’ lands, and lowest in collapsed terraces. The overall soil quality followed the same trend as the vegetation cover. Additionally, this study shows that the anthropogenic impact on geo-ecosystem functioning can be either beneficial or detrimental. While well maintained stone terraces benefit the soil and vegetation, abandoned and unmaintained terraces may result in accelerated soil erosion and land degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydrologic Feedbacks between Vegetation, Soil, and Climate)
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