Abstract:Through field investigation and laboratory experiment, this study quantitatively evaluated the water holding capacities of ground covers (litter and moss) and soils among three forest types (Picea likiangensis coniferous forest, Picea likiangensis coniferous forest-Salix oritrepha shrub and Sibiraea angustata shrub) in an ecotone of the source area of Minjiang River. The results showed that the reserves of ground covers was significantly different among the three forest types, which was following the order of forest-shrub (72.67 t/hm2) > coniferous forest (43.87 t/hm2) > shrub (11.00 t/hm2). The reserves of moss was 27.00 t/hm2 and 44.71 t/hm2 in coniferous forest and forest-shrub, respectively, which accounted for more than 61.5% of the ground cover reserves. The maximum water holding capacity of ground covers followed the order of forest-shrub (21.23 mm) > coniferous forest (11.33 mm) > shrub (2.45 mm). The maximum water holding capacities of litters was 7.45 and 12.12 mm in coniferous forest and forest-shrub, respectively, which were both larger than those of moss layers. Moreover, the maximum water holding capacity of litter and moss was 4.3~4.4 and 1.4~2.0 times larger than those of their reserves in coniferous forest and forest-shrub, respectively. The soil bulk density increased and the maximum water holding capacity of soil decreased with the increasing of soil depths. The maximum water holding capacity of soil in 0—20 cm depth was in the order of forest-shrub (153.70 mm) > shrub (132.28 mm) > coniferous forest (128.25 mm). Combined considering the water holding capacity of ground covers and soils, the water holding capacity of the ecotone ecosystem was significantly different among the three forest types, following the order of forest-shrub (174.93 mm) > coniferous forest (139.58 mm) > shrub (134.73 mm). Moreover, the soil layer was the dominant component of the water holding capacity of ecosystem, accounting for more than 87.9% of the total water holding capacity of the whole ecosystem. These results would increase our comprehensive understanding of the eco-hydrological effects in the source region of Minjiang River.