Water and bioelement fluxes in four Quercus pyrenaica forests along a pluviometric gradient

Abstract

There was a positive correlation between the annual evapotranspiration and the precipitation in the May-August period, but not with annual precipitation. From all water fluxes within the ecosystems, deep drainage represented the most important difference between plots. An excess of water in the soil is produced in winter, resulting in nutrient leaching of the soil and a consequent loss of fertility, which becomes greater as the pluviometry gradient increases.