Dryland Ecohydrology

by D'odorico, Paolo; Porporato, Amilcare

• ISBN13: 9781402042591
• ISBN10: 1402042590
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-04-01
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

Ecohydrology emerges as a new field of research aiming at furthering our understanding of the earth system through the study of the interactions between the water cycle and vegetation. By combining the analysis of biotic and abiotic components of terrestrial ecosystems, this volume provides a synthesis of material on arid and semiarid landscapes, which is currently spread in a number of books and journal articles. The focus on water-limited ecosystems is motivated by their high sensitivity to daily, seasonal, and decadal perturbations in water availability, and by the ecologic, climatic, and economic significance of most of the drylands around the world.Conceived as a tool for scientists working in the area of the earth and environmental sciences, this book presents the basic principles of eco-hydrology as well as a broad spectrum of topics and advances in this research field. The chapters collected in this book have been contributed by authors with different expertise, who work in several arid areas around the World. They describe the various interactions among the biological and physical dynamics in dryland ecosystems, starting from basic processes in the soil-vegetation-climate system, to landscape-scale hydrologic and geomorphic processes, ecohydrologic controls on soil nutrient dynamics, and multiscale analyses of disturbances and patterns.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Ecohydrology of Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems: An Introduction	1	(10)
Paolo D'Odorico
Amilcare Porporato
PART I: FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES AND INTERACTIONS IN THE SOIL-CLIMATE-VEGETATION SYSTEM	11	(96)
Soil Physical Properties, Processes, and Associated Root-Soil Interactions	13	(18)
Jan W. Hopmans
Soil Moisture Dynamics in Water-Limited Ecosystems	31	(16)
Paolo D'Odorico
Amilcare Porporato
Ecophysiology of Plants in Dry Environments	47	(20)
Leonardo Lombardini
Soil Moisture Controls on Water Vapor and Carbon Fluxes in Semi-arid Regions	67	(18)
John D. Albertson
Christopher A. Williams
Todd M. Scanlon
Nicola Montaldo
Interactions and Feedbacks between Climate and Dryland Vegetations	85	(22)
Yongkang Xue
PART II: HYDROGEOMORPHOLOGY OF ARID AND SEMIARID LANDSCAPES	107	(74)
Controls on Patterns of Soil Moisture in Arid and Semi-arid Systems	109	(20)
Rodger B. Grayson
Andrew W. Western
Jeffrey P. Walker
Durga D. Kandel
Justin F. Costelloe
David J. Wilson
The History and Evolution of Desert Hydrology and Landforms: The Role of Climate Change	129	(12)
Andrew S. Goudie
Hydroclimatology of Wind Erosion in Arid and Semi-arid Environments	141	(20)
Wim M. Cornelis
Hydrological and Geomorphological Significance of Riparian Vegetation in Drylands	161	(20)
Carlo Camporeale
Paolo Perona
Luca Ridolfi
PART III: ECOHYDROLOGIC CONTROLS ON NUTRIENT CYCLING	181	(76)
Modeling of Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems	183	(18)
Stafano Manzoni
Amilcare Porporato
Paolo D'Odorico
Interactions of Water and Nitrogen on Primary Productivity across Spatial and Temporal Scales in Grassland and Shrubland Ecosystems	201	(16)
Howard E. Epstein
Jose M. Paruelo
Gervasio Pineiro
Ingrid C. Burke
William K. Lauenroth
John E. Barrett
Interactions between Water Availability and Nutrient Cycling in Dry Tropical Forests	217	(16)
Larissa Read
Deborah Lawrence
Biogenic Emissions of Nitric Oxide and Nitrous Oxide from Arid and Semi-arid Land	233	(24)
Franz X. Meixner
Wen X. Yang
PART IV: DISTURBANCES AND PATTERNS IN ARID AND SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS	257	(76)
Pattern and Process in Savanna Ecosystems	259	(24)
Kelly K. Caylor
Herman H. Shugart
Fire Regimes in Dryland Landscapes	283	(20)
Christelle Hely
Samuel Alleaume
Termites as Mediators of the Water Economy of Arid Savanna Ecosystems	303	(12)
J. Scott Turner
Understanding Global Desertification: Biophysical and Socioeconomic Dimensions of Hydrology	315	(18)
Fernando T. Maestre
James F. Reynolds
Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald
Jeff Herrick
Mark Stafford Smith
Contributors	333	(4)
Index	337