Inter‐ and intraspecific variation of stemflow production from <i>Fagus grandifolia</i> Ehrh. (American beech) and <i>Liriodendron tulipifera</i> L. (yellow poplar) in relation to bark microrelief in the eastern United States

Abstract

Abstract Stemflow is a spatially concentrated hydrologic input at the tree base. Prior work has documented the differential effects of stemflow from a wide range of plant species on ecohydrological processes, such as the alteration of soil pH and spatial patterning of understory vegetation. No known work has coupled stemflow yield with high resolution measurements of bark microrelief that definitively ascribe differential stemflow yield to bark microrelief. As such, our research objectives were to: (1) correlate inter‐ and intraspecific variation in stemflow yield to a quantitative bark microrelief scale and (2) compare and contrast stemflow for two co‐occurring deciduous species— Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American beech) and Liriodendron tulipifera L. (yellow poplar). Using a newly developed instrument to measure bark microrelief, namely the LaserBark ™ automated tree measurement system, in combination with an 11‐month stemflow database for a broadleaved deciduous forest in eastern North America, it was found that bark microrelief values significantly differed between the two species [ P = 0·000, F (1,19) = 49·32]. Funneling ratios [ P = 0·000, H (1, 990) = 339·20] and stemflow generation [ P = 0·000, H (1, 990) = 146·75] also significantly differed between the two species. Our results indicate that bark microrelief exerts a considerable effect on stemflow yield from F. grandifolia and L. tulipifera , possibly affecting water and solute flux to the forest floor. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.