Litter moisture responses to precipitation pulses and atmospheric humidity in the hyperarid Namib Desert, 2022

We explored relationships between moisture inputs from simulated rainfall pulses and litter moisture in the hyperarid Namib Desert. Data are from three experiments. One experiment assessed differences in water holding capacity among two litter conditions (senesced or green) and two litter species (a grass, Stipagrostis sabulicola, and a shrub, Salvadora persica). A second experiment explored relationships between moisture inputs from simulated rainfall pulses and litter moisture in a field experiment. The same two litter conditions and species were used as the water holding capacity experiment. A third experiment explored litter moisture responses to simulated rainfall pulses and burial by soil (0, 1, and 3 cm).