Abstract: In the karst region of Southwest China, surface soil layer is shallow and discontinuous, coupled with the concealment, complexity, and high heterogeneity of underground fracture structure, making the hydrological processes significantly different from other types of landforms. Due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the impact of spatial variability in the vegetation-soil-rock composite structure on infiltration and runoff generation, the interaction mechanisms between vegetation and hydrological processes in the critical zone are unclear. We systematically reviewed the main advancements and challenges in current research from three aspects: the characterization of critical zone, analysis of multi-interface runoff processes, as well as plant water use strategies and their eco-hydrological effects. Future research should focus on the eco-hydrological processes of the continuum of vegetation-soil-epikarst system. This includes analyzing the spatial characteristics of vegetation-rock-soil and their regulatory mecha-nisms on multi-interface hydrological processes, elucidating the driving and feedback effects of hydrological processes on vegetation succession, and clarifying the eco-hydrological effects of vegetation restoration at different scales. These works would provide a scientific basis for enhancing the stability of vegetation restoration and establish a scientific evaluation system for its effectiveness in the karst region of Southwest China..

Key words: Karst critical zone, hydrological process, epikarst, plant water use, eco-hydrology