Forest Floor Interception

Abstract

The scientific disciplines of forest hydrology and forest biogeochemistry have contributed greatly to our understanding of the natural world even though they are relatively young disciplines. In this chapter, the historical origins, developments, and major advancements of these disciplines will be presented. The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES) will serve as a case study to illustrate the development, integration, and new research directions of these disciplines. Finally, this chapter on the historical roots and evolution of forest hydrology and biogeochemistry sets the stage for the remaining chapters of this volume by providing a conceptual framework in which most hydrological and biogeochemical work is conducted. Excellent reviews on forest hydrology and biogeochemistry are given by Sopper and Lull (1967), Bormann and Likens (1979), Lee (1980), Waring and Schesinger (1985), Likens and Bormann (1995), Schlesinger (1997), Ice and Stednick (2004a), de la Cretaz and Barten (2007), NRC (2008), and DeWalle (2011).