Article
Ecology
Anna Ilek, John T. Van Stan, Karolina Morkisz, Jaroslaw Kucza
Summary: Bark plays a crucial role in canopy ecohydrological processes, but its hydrological properties are often overlooked in research.
Changes in physical properties and hydrology of bark along the stems of Norway spruce and silver fir trees were analyzed.
While bark thickness and water storage capacity varied with tree height, bark density, porosity, and hygroscopicity remained relatively constant along the stems, contributing to our understanding of canopy water balance and colonization by bark surface organisms.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Anna Ilek, Courtney M. Siegert, Adam Wade
Summary: Hygroscopicity is a crucial element of bark water storage, with the ability to reach over 60% of water holding capacity depending on tree species. Bark, as the outer layer of woody plants, reacts to wetting during rainfall and changes in relative humidity through absorption and desorption of water vapor. The study suggests that the ability of bark to absorb water vapor during non-rainfall periods affects bark saturation during rainfall and varies among tree species due to internal bark structure.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
John T. Van Stan, Salli F. Dymond, Anna Klamerus-Iwan
Summary: This perspective highlights the importance of bark-water interactions in advancing ecohydrological theory and practice, including across scales, ecosystem compartments, and major hydrologic states and fluxes in forests, while also touching upon the biogeochemical impacts on forest ecosystems.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Laureano Oliva Carrasco, Sandra J. Bucci, Fabian G. Scholz, Dante Loto, Ignacio Gasparri, Guillermo Goldstein, Paula Campanello
Summary: The study found significant differences in the biophysical properties of inner bark and sapwood in trees from forests with different moisture levels. In moist forests, sapwood serves as an important water storage tissue, while inner bark plays a crucial role in tree functioning in dry forests. The relative growth rate of tree species is negatively correlated with inner bark and sapwood density, and positively correlated with daily stored water used and percentage of inner bark.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jiang Zhou, Ciprian Briciu-Burghina, Fiona Regan, Muhammad Intizar Ali
Summary: This paper proposes a machine learning approach to build a model for soil water storage capacity. By using soil moisture as a proxy variable, this method enables a convenient estimation of soil water storage capacity at a large scale. The study shows satisfactory results in soil moisture estimation and demonstrates its applicability in continuous soil moisture monitoring.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Martin Valtera, Lukas Jacka, Roman Juras, Johanna Ruth Blocher, David Juricka, Jan Deutscher, Jiri Pavlasek
Summary: Due to climate change, short heavy rainfalls (SHRs) are increasing in frequency and intensity. Soil disturbances and surface microrelief can strongly influence rainwater distribution and subsurface runoff formation. This study investigated rainwater redistribution and the formation of preferential flow in response to natural and simulated SHRs in forested slopes with pit-mound microrelief. The results showed that the pit area had deeper redistribution of infiltrated water and the control plot had shallow biomat flow. Leaving pit-mound microrelief as a natural legacy in forest soils can mitigate the negative hydrological effects of intensive forest management and improve water yields on forested slopes.
Article
Ecology
Ayano Oka, Junko Takahashi, Yoshikazu Endoh, Tatsuyuki Seino
Summary: The study found that the chemistry of stemflow is related to the bark anatomy, with Mg2+ and Ca2+ leaching rates controlled by the thickness of the rhytidome and periderm, and K+ leaching rates influenced by cellular structures associated with resource storage and transfer. The results suggest that the anatomical features of bark play a role in determining the concentration of leachable macronutrient ions in stemflow, highlighting the importance of understanding nutrient cycles through the bark.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Enxu Yu, Mingfang Zhang, Yali Xu, Sheng Zhang, Zuozhu Meng, Yiping Hou
Summary: The study successfully developed the FWAT tool and applied it in a large forested watershed in the Upper Yangtze River basin finding that artificial restoration measures have a better effect on forest water conservation function than natural restoration. By 2030, the forest water conservation capacity of the artificial restoration scenario is expected to be about 7% higher than that of the natural restoration scenario, providing scientific support for the design of forest restoration and management strategies worldwide.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Althea F. P. Moore, Jalayna Antoine, Laura I. Bedoya, Ann Medina, Clifton S. Buck, John T. Van Stan, Sybil G. Gotsch
Summary: Arboreal epiphytes can increase rainwater storage and evaporation, and drought conditions may affect their hydrological role. This study explores the effects of drought on the water storage capacity and leaf properties of two epiphytes, highlighting the importance of understanding plant drought response on hydrology.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Ge Sun, Hongkai Gao, Lu Hao
Summary: The study suggests that large-scale afforestation significantly increases permanent surface water in the vegetation restoration regions of northern China, but afforestation and greening are not likely to cause an increase in water yield and surface water storage. The rise in permanent surface water changes in the study regions is more likely a result of hydraulic infrastructure construction, urbanization, and increase in precipitation, rather than vegetation recovery from afforestation. Future studies are needed to understand the sources of local precipitation and the effects of revegetation on precipitation, soil improvement, and water yield.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Luara Castilho Pereira, Leonardo Balbinot, Marcelle Teodoro Lima, Julieta Bramorski, Kelly Cristina Tonello
Summary: This study relates litter levels to water holding capacity in forest fragments under different passive restoration stages, revealing that the 46-year stage had the highest litter accumulation and water holding capacity. Passive restoration plays a key role in soil water maintenance in Cerrado savannas.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jesse R. Francis, Mark N. Wuddivira, Kegan K. Farrick
Summary: This study examines the rainfall interception dynamics between exotic pine and native secondary forest, revealing that the exotic pine forest intercepts more precipitation and reduces the rainfall reaching the forest floor compared to the native forest. Understory vegetation plays a critical role in the interception process. These findings highlight the need to re-examine the use of pine trees as a reforestation tool.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kelly Cristina Tonello, Sergio Dias Campos, Aparecido Junior de Menezes, Julieta Bramorski, Samir Leite Mathias, Marcelle Teodoro Lima
Summary: This study investigated the impact of bark water absorbability and wettability on stemflow yield, revealing a significant correlation between bark characteristics and stemflow generation. The classification of bark wettability proved to be an important factor in understanding stemflow dynamics and ecohydrology processes in forest ecosystems.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jinxia An, Guangyao Gao, Chuan Yuan, Juan Pinos, Bojie Fu
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of rainfall partitioning by two typical xerophytic shrubs in the Loess Plateau of China, and reveals the impacts of rainfall amount, intensity, and duration on rainfall partitioning. The findings contribute to a better understanding of eco-hydrological processes in shrub-dominated ecosystems and improve water balance estimation accuracy in dryland ecosystems.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Jose Miguel Reichert, Juliana Prevedello, Paulo Ivonir Gubiani, Eduardo Saldanha Vogelmann, Dalvan Jose Reinert, Claudine Ohana Barcellos Consensa, Julio Cesar Wincher Soares, Raghavan Srinivasan
Summary: Adjusting Eucalyptus tree stocking can increase cellulose, timber, or bioenergy production, but its impact on ecosystem water balance is still understudied. Research on soil and catchment hydrology, as well as forest management, is needed to improve water use efficiency and streamflow regulation in understudied ecosystems. By studying different Eucalyptus tree stocking conditions, it is possible to quantify rainfall partitioning, soil water balance, and water use efficiency.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jaroslaw Kucza, Anna Ilek
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2016)
Article
Soil Science
Anna Ilek, Jaroslaw Kucza, Malgorzata Szostek
Article
Engineering, Civil
Anna Ilek, Jaroslaw Kucza, Wojciech Witek
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2019)
Article
Forestry
Anna Ilek, Malgorzata Szostek, Jaroslaw Kucza, Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska, Wojciech Witek
ANNALS OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Forestry
Anna Ilek, Courtney M. Siegert, Adam Wade
Summary: Hygroscopicity is a crucial element of bark water storage, with the ability to reach over 60% of water holding capacity depending on tree species. Bark, as the outer layer of woody plants, reacts to wetting during rainfall and changes in relative humidity through absorption and desorption of water vapor. The study suggests that the ability of bark to absorb water vapor during non-rainfall periods affects bark saturation during rainfall and varies among tree species due to internal bark structure.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Anna Ilek, Malgorzata Szostek, Anna Mikolajczyk, Marta Rajtar
Summary: The study analyzed the impact of mixing pine and oak leaves, as well as fir and beech leaves, on the hydro-physical properties of the litter layer.
Article
Agronomy
Malgorzata Szostek, Ewa Szpunar-Krok, Renata Pawlak, Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska, Anna Ilek
Summary: This study compared the effects of conventional, simplified, and organic farming systems on soil organic carbon content, organic matter fractions, total nitrogen, and enzymatic activity. The results showed that the simplified tillage system had the highest organic carbon and total nitrogen content, while the organic farming system had the lowest. The tillage systems also had significant effects on soil enzyme activity.
Article
Soil Science
Pawel Rutkowski, Monika Konatowska, Anna Ilek, Krzysztof Turczanski, Miroslaw Nowinski, Jakub Loffler
Summary: Proper recognition of forest habitat types, which includes consideration of soil as an important element, is crucial for forest management. The study revealed that rusty soils cover about 50% of forest lands managed by the State Forests. The type of rusty soil plays a key role in forest management.
SOIL SCIENCE ANNUAL
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Anna Ilek, Malwina Nowak, Ewa Blonska
Summary: Understanding the water-holding capacity of the litter layer is crucial for constructing forest hydrology models, with organic matter chemistry and season impacting the water absorption process in the litter layer.
ANNALS OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Courtney Siegert, Anna Ilek, Adam Wade, Callie Schweitzer
Summary: Prescribed fire as a silvicultural technique is growing in popularity in the eastern United States. This study found that prescribed fire regimes alter the structure of bark, leading to changes in hydrological processes and drier conditions in the forest. Bark physical properties vary among species, with oak bark having higher density and slower drying rate compared to pine bark. However, both species showed lower density, higher porosity, greater water storage capacity, and faster drying in stands burned every 3 years.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Malgorzata Szostek, Ewa Szpunar-Krok, Marta Janczak-Pieniazek, Anna Ilek
Summary: The short-term impact of biomass combustion fly ashes (BAs) fertilization on the growth of spring rape, accumulation of essential and trace elements in seeds, and soil properties were studied. The results showed that BAs fertilization had a positive effect on plant growth and soil properties. However, excessive application of BAs may lead to soil alkalization and salinity, and enhance the accumulation of trace elements in plants. Therefore, careful monitoring is necessary to avoid potential environmental problems when using these waste materials in the long term.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Malgorzata Szostek, Ewa Szpunar-Krok, Anna Ilek
Summary: The study examined the impact of fertilization of fly ashes from biomass combustion (BAs) on the chemical speciation of trace elements in Gleyic Chernozem soil. The application of BAs increased the total concentration of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), but did not significantly affect chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). The fractionation analysis showed that the residual fraction (F4) was the most abundant, indicating the relatively low risk of soil contamination. The study suggests the need for further analysis of individual trace element fractions to assess their actual environmental impact.
Article
Agronomy
Malgorzata Szostek, Natalia Matlok, Patryk Kosowski, Anna Ilek, Maciej Balawejder
Summary: This study aimed to detect changes in trace element chemical speciation in sewage sludge (SS) after the ozonation process. The modified Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure was used to determine the chemical speciation of trace elements in SS. The risk assessment code (RAC) coefficient, bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and translocation factor (TF) values were utilized to evaluate potential soil contamination and trace element accumulation in plants fertilized with ozonated SS. The findings indicated significant differences in the mean concentration of certain trace elements, while the ozonation process had varying impacts on the chemical fractions of different elements.
Article
Ecology
Anna Ilek, John T. Van Stan, Karolina Morkisz, Jaroslaw Kucza
Summary: Bark plays a crucial role in canopy ecohydrological processes, but its hydrological properties are often overlooked in research.
Changes in physical properties and hydrology of bark along the stems of Norway spruce and silver fir trees were analyzed.
While bark thickness and water storage capacity varied with tree height, bark density, porosity, and hygroscopicity remained relatively constant along the stems, contributing to our understanding of canopy water balance and colonization by bark surface organisms.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
