Response of water retention characteristics in litters based on the leaf type

ABSTRACT Studying water-holding characteristics of different leaf litters is of great importance for a deeper understanding of forest hydrological processes. In this study, three types of leaf litters were selected: Pinus massoniana, Cinnamomum camphora and Magnolia grandiflora. By measuring natural water content (R0), maximum water-holding capacity (Wm), maximum water-holding rate (Rm), effective water retention rate (Wav), and effective water retention capacity (Rav), the differences in water-holding performance of different leaf litters were investigated. The results indicated that as the soaking time was extended, the dynamic changes in the water absorption rate of each litter layer followed a power function relationship, while the relationship between the real-time water-holding capacity of each litter layer and soaking time followed a logarithmic function relationship. Broadleaf litter takes longer than needle-leaf litter to reach saturation. With the increase in soaking time, the water absorption rate and the water-holding capacity of the litter layer with a unit area biomass of 1.00 kg m−2 were always higher than those of the litter layer with a unit area biomass of 0.50 kg m−2. The effective interception amount and the effective interception rate of different leaf litters were ranked as follows: M. grandiflora > C. camphora > P. massoniana.