Leaf Phenology Drives Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Throughfall under a SingleQuercus castaneifoliaCAMey.

Throughfall (TF) makes up the majority of understory rainfall and thereby plays an important role in controlling the amount of water reaching the forest floor.TFunder a singleQuercus castaneifolia(C.A.Mey, chestnut-leaved oak) tree in Northern Iran was measured during the leafed and leafless periods.TFquantity under theQ.castaneifoliacanopy made up 69.3% and 88.0% of gross rainfall during leafed and leafless periods, respectively. Phenoseason influencedTFdistribution patterns asTFtemporal patterns during the leafed period were slightly more stable than during the leafless periods. The minimum number ofTFcollectors needed to yield a representative meanTFwith accepted errors of 10% at 95% confidence level was twenty-six and twelveTFcollectors for leafed and leafless periods, respectively. We conclude that phenoseasonality significantly affectsTFspatiotemporal variability and presented the required number of collectors necessary for samplingTFunder an individualQ. castaneifoliatree.