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.
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1 December 2010
Ecohydrology of Terrestrial Ecosystems
Paolo D'Odorico,
Francesco Laio,
Amilcare Porporato,
Luca Ridolfi,
Andrea Rinaldo,
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
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BioScience
Vol. 60 • No. 11
December 2010
Vol. 60 • No. 11
December 2010
ecohydrology
green and blue water
river networks
vegetation-water resource feedbacks
water cycle
