Characteristics of soil infiltration response to rainfall in differently converted forest hillslopes in a southern subtropical area of China

PurposeUnderstanding the characteristics of soil infiltration response to rainfall is critical for soil water transport processes and hydrologic modeling. However, little is known about how they vary with forest conversion at different temporal stages (< 20 years) below the rooting zone. Therefore, this study aims to investigate soil infiltration response patterns in different subtropical forest conversion hillslopes, including mature original forest (thick root), young secondary forest (middle root), and very young secondary grassland (fine root), and analyzed the effects of environmental factors on the dynamics of soil infiltration.Materials and methodsSeveral metrics were evaluated to characterize and quantify the nature of these responses by estimating changes in the soil water content, the response time difference between two adjacent soil depths, and infiltration velocities for 1144 infiltration events at 6 locations on the three hillslopes.Results and discussionSoil infiltration responses were similar on both forestland hillslopes, yet significantly different from those on the grassland hillslope. The preferential flow was more evident in the profile of thick-rooted vegetation, and the velocity of the wetting front was faster in the profiles of middle- and fine-rooted vegetation. Topography and root characteristics interact to influence soil infiltration response at the hillslope scale.ConclusionsConversion from thick-rooted forests into fine-rooted grasslands altered the rainfall-related soil infiltration dynamics below the rooting zone. In particular, the occurrence of preferential flow and infiltration rates varied, which helps enhance our understanding of ecohydrological processes in the context of changing land use and hydroclimatic conditions.