During the passage of rain through vegetation, water is redistributed by plant canopies and the forest floor. Most of the water reaches the soil as throughfall, some as stemflow, and another fraction of the rain is captured by the canopy and/or the forest floor and eventually evaporates. Previous studies showed that spatial patterns of throughfall exhibit a pronounced temporal stability in forests. Yet, whether these patterns influence soil moisture patterns in a way that matters for plant growth, soil biota or ground water recharge is currently not well known. Also, little is known about throughfall and stemflow patterns in grassland and crop canopies. Complex interactions between throughfall- and stemflow-induced spatial patterns and plant induced modifications, e.g. due to root uptake, hydraulic redistribution, and preferential flow, are even less understood. Not surprisingly, the influence of climate, soil, and plant species composition on the interaction between water influx to the forest floor and near-surface processes warrants further studies. In this session we welcome contributions that provide new insights into the various aspects of the redistribution of water in plant canopies and its consequences. Novel field experiments, new analytical approaches and research on grassland and crop ecosystems are particularly welcome. Moreover, we invite contributions that present new ideas and data regarding surveying and modelling of throughfall, stemflow, and resulting soil moisture patterns.