Summary
This narrative review challenges the conventional treatment of soil hydraulic parameters as static in hydrological and land surface models. The authors synthesise evidence that biological feedbacks from plants, macro-fauna and microbial communities dynamically modify soil structure and thereby alter soil water behaviour and hydraulic function. They argue that incorporating these feedbacks into coupled soil–plant–atmosphere models is essential for predicting ecosystem responses to climate and land-use change, particularly given the potential for environmental perturbations to trigger irreversible shifts in soil moisture regimes.
UK applicability
The framework is applicable to UK soil and hydrological modelling, particularly given the United Kingdom's varied geology, land uses and increasing climate variability. Improved representation of biological controls on soil water dynamics would enhance predictions of flood and drought risk, land surface feedbacks to regional climate, and agricultural resilience in UK farming systems.
Key measures
Soil hydraulic parameters; soil water content signals; soil structure; biological feedbacks (plant, fauna, microbial); alternative stable states in soil moisture regimes
Outcomes reported
The review synthesises evidence that biological feedbacks from plants, fauna and microbes dynamically influence soil hydraulic parameters and water content behaviour, contrary to traditional static modelling approaches. The authors identify soil moisture as critical to carbon cycling, drought/flood/wildfire risk, disease regulation and agricultural productivity, and argue that environmental change may drive irreversible shifts in soil hydraulic function.
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