Ecohydrology of terrestrial ecosystems

Water controls the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems directly, as a resource for the biota, and indirectly, as a driver for abiotic processes on the Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, and belowground. The biota, in turn, modulate several hydrological processes and the rate of the water cycle. Here we review recent advances related to fundamental processes and feedbacks emerging from the interactions among hydrologic processes and ecosystems, with a particular focus on soil moisture dynamics and river flow. Most terrestrial vegetation interacts with hydrological processes through the soil-water balance, which is affected by soil properties, random climate drivers, and feedbacks with the biota. River flow enhances the ecohydrological connectivity of the landscape, spreading sediments, nutrients, propagules, and waterborne disease through waterways. © 2010 by American Institute of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Author Amilcare Porporato Civil and Environmental Engineering