Insight into the variation of soil hydraulic properties under beech and spruce forest—A case study in the forest of Tharandt, NE Germany

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Background: The increasing vulnerability of forests in the temperate zone due to climate change has led to modification in the forest structure to secure woody raw materials and ecosystem benefits. Such changes will influence hydrological processes both at the stand and catchment scale. Soil hydraulic properties (SHP) play an important role in assessing the water cycle in these ecosystems. Yet, knowledge regarding the effect of forest- and site-specific conditions on SHP in temperate climates is scarce. Aims: This work addresses this research gap by assessing the variation of SHP under two common European forest stands, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies (1) with comparable site conditions, and (2) across differing site conditions. Methods: We determined the soil water retention curve (WRC) and the hydraulic conductivity curve (HCC) in several plots with the bimodal Kosugi–Mualem's hydraulic model. These functions were determined using combined field and laboratory measurements, including hydraulic conductivity and water content from soil samples. Results: (1) We observed distinct variations in SHP between beech and spruce forest stands with comparable site conditions; however, no clear pattern in the variation was discernible. (2) A noticeable effect of the site-specific characteristics on the SHP was detected. Moreover, SHP in each analysed forest type presented individual variations. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that SHP present a wide range of variations in terms of both forest- and site-specific conditions. Hence, due to its heterogeneity, we emphasise the need for more research to better characterise SHP in temperate zone forests. Moreover, this study underlines the urgent use of a minimum set of parameters in studies when addressing SHP (e.g., tree age, soil texture).

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)545-558
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of plant nutrition and soil science
Volume187
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-8948-1901/work/167215771

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Fagus sylvatica, hydraulic conductivity, Picea abies, pore size distribution, water retention capacity