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Stemflow in a neotropical forest remnant: vegetative determinants, spatial distribution and correlation with soil moisture

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Tree size and exposure is a key driver of stemflow; canopy heterogeneity leads to spatial randomness of stemflow; stemflow impacts soil moisture in superficial layers.

Abstract

Stemflow (SF) plays a relevant role in forest hydrology by delivering rain to the soil around trees. This study sought to explore the effects of tree traits on the amount of SF in an Atlantic Forest remnant in Southeast Brazil using stepwise regressions from April 2016 to March 2017. In addition, we evaluated the spatial association among trees in regard to SF using bivariate Ripley’s K as well as the impact of SF on soil water content (SWC) at five different layers (up to 1 m) using linear regression. We found that the diameter at breast height (DBH), percentage of mosses on the tree trunk, average leaf area, and relative position of the tree within the canopy were selected as explanatory variables in total and monthly average SF models. For the wet season SF models, crown area, percentage of mosses cover on the trunk, average leaf area, and relative position within the canopy were the selected variables, whereas for the dry period SF models, DBH and percentage of mosses were selected. A complete spatial randomness (CSR) between the SF classes was confirmed. We observed that SF impacted the SWC in the superficial layers. Therefore, tree size, exposure, and seasonal differences were the key drivers of SF amount due to the leaf losses during the dry period. Heterogeneity of the canopy is probably responsible for the CSR of SF in the study area. We expect that this study will contribute to the understanding of the hydrological processes in the Atlantic forest hotspot by clarifying the aspects of water capture by trees.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais; PPM-X- 045/16), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; Processo: 401760/2016-2), and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; Bolsa PNPD). We kindly thank Renato Antônio da Silva for assistance with field work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Campus Universitário, PO Box 3037, Lavras, Minas Gerais, 37200-0001, Brazil

    Marcela de Castro Nunes Santos Terra, Carlos Rogério de Mello, Vinícius Augusto de Oliveira, Vinícius Oliveira Silva, André Ferreira Rodrigues & Geovane Junqueira Alves

  2. Departament of Forest Sciences, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Campus Universitário, PO Box 3037, Lavras, Minas Gerais, 37200-000, Brazil

    José Marcio de Mello

  3. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK

    Matheus Henrique Nunes

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  1. Marcela de Castro Nunes Santos Terra
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  2. Carlos Rogério de Mello
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  3. José Marcio de Mello
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  4. Vinícius Augusto de Oliveira
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  5. Matheus Henrique Nunes
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  6. Vinícius Oliveira Silva
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  8. Geovane Junqueira Alves
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Contributions

MdCNST was responsible for the conception and writing of the manuscript; CRdM has lead the research project, collaborated with the conception and given critical revision of the article; VAdO has helped with writing, and critical revision; MHN has helped with data analysis and interpretation (statistical support); VOS, AFR, and GJA have collaborated with data collection (field work) and critical revision of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marcela de Castro Nunes Santos Terra.

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Communicated by A. Gessler.

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Santos Terra, M.d.N., de Mello, C.R., de Mello, J.M. et al. Stemflow in a neotropical forest remnant: vegetative determinants, spatial distribution and correlation with soil moisture. Trees 32, 323–335 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-017-1634-3

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