Throughfall heterogeneity induced by the redistribution of precipitation in vegetation canopies has repeatedly been hypothesized to affect the variation in the soil water content and runoff behavior, especially in forests. However, observational studies relating the spatial variation in the soil water content directly to net precipitation are rare, and few confirm modeling hypotheses. Here, we investigate whether throughfall patterns affect the spatial heterogeneity in the soil water response in the main rooting zone. We assessed rainfall, throughfall and soil water content (at two depths, 7.5 and 27.5 cm) on a 1 ha temperate mixed-beech forest plot in Germany during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons using independent, high-resolution, stratified, random designs. Because the throughfall and soil water content cannot be measured at the same location, we used kriging to derive the throughfall values at the locations where the soil water content was measured. We first explored the spatial variation and temporal stability of throughfall and soil water patterns and subsequently evaluated the effects of input (throughfall), soil properties (field capacity and macroporosity), and vegetation parameters (canopy cover and distance to the next tree) on the soil water content and dynamics.

Throughfall spatial patterns were related to canopy density. Although spatial autocorrelation decreased with increasing event sizes, temporally stable throughfall patterns emerged, leading to reoccurring higher- and lower-input locations across precipitation events. Linear mixed-effects model analysis showed that soil water content patterns were poorly related to spatial patterns of throughfall and that they were more influenced by unidentified, but time constant, factors.

Instead of the soil water content itself, the patterns of its increase after rainfall corresponded more closely to throughfall patterns: more water was stored in the soil in areas where throughfall was elevated. Furthermore, soil moisture patterns themselves affected the local soil water response, probably by mediating fast drainage and runoff. Locations with a low topsoil water content tended to store less of the input water, indicating preferential flow. In contrast, locations with a high water content stored less water in the subsoil. Moreover, the distance to the next tree and macroporosity modified how much water was retained in soil storage. Overall, throughfall patterns imprinted less on the soil water content and more on the soil water dynamics shortly after rainfall events; therefore, percolation rather than the soil water content may depend on the small-scale spatial heterogeneity in canopy input patterns.

• Throughfall spatial patterns translate into spatial patterns of soil moisture dynamics – empirical evidence