The impact of forest use and reforestation on soil hydraulic conductivity in the Western Ghats of India: Implications for surface and sub-surface hydrology

Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology. Little is known about Walkerana phrynoderma, a frog endemic to the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats of India. Baseline information (i.e., distribution, threats, habitat characteristics, activity patterns, and relative abundance) is provided for this species, with the aim of improving our understanding of the status of the species in the wild. Visual-encounter, transect, and time-activity budget surveys were conducted in and around the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. The frog skin was swabbed to determine the presence/absence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and habitat and environmental characteristics were recorded at sites where W. phrynoderma was found. These data were compared with those of sites apparently lacking this species that had suitable habitat. Walkerana phrynoderma is restricted to evergreen forests between 1300 and 1700 m a.s.l. in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and at Munnar; thus, its range was extended from the state of Tamil Nadu to the adjoining state of Kerala. Pesticide runoff and human disturbance are the most severe threats to the species; B. dendrobatidis was not detected. This nocturnal anuran prefers forest edges and is associated with well-shaded forest foors in cool areas near freshwater streams. Walkerana phrynoderma is rarely encountered whereas its congener, W. leptodactyla, is more common. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances, especially waste disposal and development of tourism infrastructure, should be evaluated. The land that is owned by the Forest Department peripheral to the protected areas could be designated as eco-sensitive sites to prevent changes in land use that could have an adverse effect on W. phrynoderma.

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The effects of sustained forest use on hillslope soil hydraulic conductivity in the Middle Mountains of Central Nepal

Ecohydrology ◽

10.1002/eco.1367 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 478-495 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Chandra Prasad Ghimire ◽

L. Adrian Bruijnzeel ◽

Mike Bonell ◽

Neil Coles ◽

Maciek W. Lubczynski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Central Nepal ◽

Middle Mountains ◽

Soil Hydraulic ◽

Forest Use

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The impact of clay dispersion and migration on soil hydraulic conductivity and pore networks

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 404 ◽

pp. 115297

Author(s):

Awedat Musbah Awedat ◽

Yingcan Zhu ◽

John McLean Bennett ◽

Steven R. Raine

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Clay Dispersion ◽

Pore Networks ◽

Soil Hydraulic ◽

And Migration ◽

The Impact

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Estimating hydraulic conductivity of a crusted loamy soil from beerkan experiments in a Mediterranean vineyard

10.5194/soil-2016-79 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Vincenzo Alagna ◽

Vincenzo Bagarello ◽

Simone Di Prima ◽

Fabio Guaitoli ◽

Massimo Iovino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Rainfall Event ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Insertion Depth ◽

Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Hydraulic ◽

The Impact

Abstract. In bare soils of semi-arid areas, surface crusting is a rather common phenomenon due to the impact of raindrops. Water infiltration measurements under ponding conditions constitute a common way for an approximate characterization of crusted soils. In this study, the impact of crusting on soil hydraulic conductivity was assessed in a Mediterranean vineyard (western Sicily, Italy) under conventional tillage. The BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) algorithm was applied to the infiltration data to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of crusted and uncrusted soils. Soil hydraulic conductivity was found to vary during the year and also spatially (i.e., rows vs. inter-rows) due to crusting, tillage and vegetation cover. A 55 mm rainfall event resulted in a decrease of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, by a factor close to two in the inter-row areas, due to the formation of a crusted layer at the surface. The same rainfall event did not determine a Ks reduction in the row areas (i.e., Ks reduced by a non-significant factor of 1.05) because the vegetation cover intercepted the raindrops and therefore prevented alteration of the soil surface. The developed ring insertion methodology on crusted soil, implying pre-moistening through the periphery of the sampled surface, together with the very small insertion depth of the ring (0.01 m) prevented visible fractures. Consequently, beerkan tests carried out along and between the vine-rows and data analysis by the BEST algorithm allowed to assess crusting-dependent reductions in hydraulic conductivity with extemporaneous measurements alone. Testing the beerkan infiltration run in other crusted soils and establishing comparisons with other experimental methodologies appear advisable to increase confidence on the reliability of the method, that seems suitable to allow simple characterization of crusted soils.

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Using Beerkan experiments to estimate hydraulic conductivity of a crusted loamy soil in a Mediterranean vineyard

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics ◽

10.2478/johh-2018-0023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 191-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Vincenzo Alagna ◽

Vincenzo Bagarello ◽

Simone Di Prima ◽

Fabio Guaitoli ◽

Massimo Iovino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Rainfall Event ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Insertion Depth ◽

Infiltration Process ◽

Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Hydraulic ◽

The Impact

AbstractIn bare soils of semi-arid areas, surface crusting is a rather common phenomenon due to the impact of raindrops. Water infiltration measurements under ponding conditions are becoming largely applied techniques for an approximate characterization of crusted soils. In this study, the impact of crusting on soil hydraulic conductivity was assessed in a Mediterranean vineyard (western Sicily, Italy) under conventional tillage. The BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) algorithm was applied to the infiltration data to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of crusted and uncrusted soils. Soil hydraulic conductivity was found to vary during the year and also spatially (i.e., rows vs. inter-rows) due to crusting, tillage and vegetation cover. A 55 mm rainfall event resulted in a decrease of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity,Ks, by a factor of 1.6 in the inter-row areas, due to the formation of a crusted layer at the surface. The same rainfall event did not determine aKsreduction in the row areas (i.e.,Ksdecreased by a non-significant factor of 1.05) because the vegetation cover intercepted the raindrops and therefore prevented alteration of the soil surface. The developed ring insertion methodology on crusted soil, implying pre-moistening through the periphery of the sampled surface, together with the very small insertion depth of the ring (0.01 m), prevented visible fractures. Consequently, Beerkan tests carried out along and between the vine-rows and data analysis by the BEST algorithm allowed to assess crusting-dependent reductions in hydraulic conductivity with extemporaneous measurements alone. The reliability of the tested technique was also confirmed by the results of the numerical simulation of the infiltration process in a crusted soil. Testing the Beerkan infiltration run in other crusted soils and establishing comparisons with other experimental methodologies appear advisable to increase confidence on the reliability of the method that seems suitable for simple characterization of crusted soils.

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Preliminary assessment of the impact of long-term fire treatments on in situ soil hydrology in the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽

10.4102/koedoe.v54i1.1070 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Edward S. Riddell ◽

Ahmed Khan ◽

Benjamin Mauck ◽

Simphiwe Ngcobo ◽

Jonathan Pasi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

National Park ◽

Soil Strength ◽

Fire Frequency ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Soil Hydraulic ◽

The Impact

There has been significant attention focused on the impacts of fire frequency and season of burn on ecological processes in the Kruger National Park (KNP). Whilst there has been some examination of these fire effects on soil properties, the explicit linkages of these effects to the hydrology of soils in burnt areas has remained a gap in our understanding. During August 2010, a field scoping campaign was undertaken to assess the impacts, if any, of long-term fire treatments on the hydrology of soils on the experimental burn plots (EBPs) in the KNP. Using various hydrometric and soil physical characterisation instruments soil, hydraulic conductivity and soil strength variations were determined across the extreme fire treatment on the EBPs, the annual August (high fire frequency) plots and the control (no burn) plots, on both the granite and basalt geologies of Pretoriuskop and Satara, respectively. It was found that there were soil hydrological and structural differences to fire treatments on the basalt burn plots, but that these were not as clear on the granite burn plots. In particular, hot, frequent fires appeared to reduce the variation in soil hydraulic conductivity on the annual burn plots on the basalts and led to reduced cohesive soil strength at the surface.Conservation implications: The KNP burn plots are one of the longest running and well studied fire experiments on African savannahs. However, the impacts of fire management on hydrological processes in these water-limited ecosystems remains a gap in our understanding and needs to be considered within the context of climate and land-use changes in the savannah biome.

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