This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Cantón Y, Hallett PD, Lichner L. Biohydrology—Walking on drylands and swimming through pores. Ecohydrology. 2018;11:e2040., which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2040. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.