@article{MarquartGoldbachBlaum2020,
  author    = {Marquart, Arnim and Goldbach, Lars and Blaum, Niels},
  title     = {Soil-texture affects the influence of termite macropores on soil water infiltration in a semi-arid savanna},
  series = {Ecohydrology : ecosystems, land and water process interactions, ecohydrogeomorphology},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Ecohydrology : ecosystems, land and water process interactions, ecohydrogeomorphology},
  number    = {8},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Chichester},
  issn      = {1936-0584},
  doi       = {10.1002/eco.2249},
  pages     = {11},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Subterranean termites create tunnels (macropores) for foraging that can influence water infiltration and may lead to preferential flow to deeper soil layers. This is particularly important in water limited ecosystems such as semi-arid, agriculturally utilized savannas, which are particularly prone to land degradation and shrub-encroachment. Using termite activity has been suggested as a restoration measure, but their impact on hydrology is neither universal nor yet fully understood. Here, we used highly replicated, small-scale (50 x 50 cm) rain-simulation experiments to analyse the interacting effects of either vegetation (grass dominated vs. shrub dominated sites) or soil texture (sand vs. loamy sand) and termite foraging macropores on infiltration patterns. We used Brilliant Blue FCF as colour tracer to make the flow pathways in paired experiments visible, on either termite-disturbed soil or controls without surface macropores in two semi-arid Namibian savannas (with either heterogeneous soil texture or shrub cover). On highly shrub-encroached plots in the savanna site with heterogeneous soil texture, termite macropores increased maximum infiltration depth and total amount of infiltrated water on loamy sand, but not on sandy soil. In the sandy savanna with heterogeneous shrub cover, neither termite activity nor shrub density affected the infiltration. Termite's effect on infiltration depends on the soil's hydraulic conductivity and occurs mostly under ponded conditions, intercepting run-off. In semi-arid savanna soils with a considerable fraction of fine particles, termites are likely an important factor for soil water dynamics.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{vanSchaikPalmKlausetal.2014,
  author    = {van Schaik, Loes and Palm, Juliane and Klaus, Julian and Zehe, Erwin and Schroeder, Boris},
  title     = {Linking spatial earthworm distribution to macropore numbers and hydrological effectiveness},
  series = {Ecohydrology : ecosystems, land and water process interactions, ecohydrogeomorphology},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Ecohydrology : ecosystems, land and water process interactions, ecohydrogeomorphology},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1936-0584},
  doi       = {10.1002/eco.1358},
  pages     = {401 -- 408},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Due to its high spatial and temporal variability, preferential flow is difficult to measure and quantify. Earthworms create macropores that provide common pathways for preferential flow. Therefore in this article, we link earthworm abundance to macropore numbers and hydrological effectiveness, with the future aim to use species distribution models of earthworms for the spatial parameterization of preferential flow. Earthworms are generally categorized into three ecological types with varying burrowing behaviour, resulting in a different impact on soil hydrological processes. Therefore, we studied the relationships between the abundance of the earthworm ecological types and macropores of different size classes and in different soil depths. The abundance and biomass of earthworms were well correlated to different sizes of macropores in different soil depths. This is mainly the case for the larger, vertically oriented macropores (>6mm diameter), which are generally connected to the soil surface and hydrologically most effective. The correlation of total earthworm biomass and macropores ranges from 072 to 089 for different soil depths. Although there is quite some variation in infiltration patterns, infiltration from macropores into the matrix is profile-specific, as it varies strongly between profiles, but not within one profile. Macropore coating seems to have a larger effect on this macropore matrix interaction than the soil physical properties of the matrix. Although the amount of macropores and their effectiveness are clearly related to the earthworm distribution, the variation in infiltration from macropores to soil matrix should be further studied.},
  language  = {en}
}