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Article: The role of epiphytes in rainfall interception by forests in the Pacific Northwest. I. Laboratory measurements of water storage.
- Article from:
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Article date:
- April 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 NRC Research Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract: Old-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests frequently contain large populations of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes. To determine the effect these epiphytes have on canopy hydrology we measured the maximum water fraction ([f.sub.(x)max]; maximum mass of internal and external water stored by an epiphyte divided by its tissue dry mass) of common lichens, bryophytes, and dead branches in the laboratory and the water storage and interception efficiency ([p.sub.i]) (the rainfall stored on a branch divided by the rainfall intercepted by the branch) of whole epiphyte-laden branches under a rainfall simulator at three intensities (11.3, 16.1, ...
<0.0001). For all three rainfall intensities, the branches required>
<0,0001). Peu importe l'intensite de la pluie, il fallait plus de 6 mm de pluie pour saturer les branches. Les valeurs de [p.sub.i] se situaient en moyenne entre 0,5 et 0,7 apres 2 mm de pluie et ne differaient pas selon l'intensite de la pluie (toutes les valeurs de p>