Functional soil landscape modelling in the Andean mountain forest zone: impact of land use and natural disturbances

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Spatial patterns of soil types and related hydrological, mechanical, chemical and biological properties considerably affect ecosystem behaviour and functioning on the local as well as on the landscape scale. In the tropical montane forests of Southern Ecuador landslides are assumed to have significant impact on pedogenesis, pedodiversity, landscape evolution and biodiversity. Consequently, soil landscape modelling needs to take into account the main governing factors of landslide dynamics like topography, soil hydrology, and vegetation development. Based on comprehensive datasets from previous funding periods and ongoing research our project aims at functional soil landscape modeling with special focus on pedodiversity and landslide risk assesment. Results will further be used for disturbance analyses, and hydrological modelling on the local, catchment and landscape scale in close cooperation with other working groups. Soil landscape modelling will be conducted using advanced statistical models like classifcication and regression trees (CART) and artificial neuronal networks (ANN). Hydrological modeling is conducted using GIS segmentation algorithms together with process based 2D- and 3D- hillslope and catchment models. Special attention will be directed to spatial heterogeneity and parameter uncertainty. A total of 8 existing monitoring plots provide us with throughfall, matric potential, water content and discharge data of subcatchments for model calibrations. Occurrence and relevance of preferential flow can be assessed with the help of dye tracer image analyses from previous funding periods.