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Linking plant morphological traits to uprooting resistance in eroded marly lands (Southern Alps, France)

Linking plant morphological traits to uprooting resistance in eroded marly lands (Southern Alps,... In marly catchments of the French Southern Alps, soils are subjected to harsh water erosion that can result in concentrated flows uprooting small plants. Evaluating and predicting plant resistance to uprooting from simple plant traits is therefore highly important so that the most efficient plant strategy for future restoration of eroded slopes can be defined. Twelve species growing on marly land were studied. For each species, in-situ lateral uprooting tests were conducted and morphological plant traits were measured on small plants at the early stages of their development. The results show that maximum uprooting force was most positively correlated with stem basal diameter. Resistance to uprooting depends on a combination of several traits. Tap root length, the proportion of fine lateral roots and root topology were the best predictors of anchorage strength. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Plant and Soil Springer Journals

Linking plant morphological traits to uprooting resistance in eroded marly lands (Southern Alps, France)

Plant and Soil , Volume 324 (1) – Nov 1, 2009

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References (49)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Subject
Life Sciences; Ecology; Plant Physiology; Soil Science & Conservation ; Plant Sciences
ISSN
0032-079X
eISSN
1573-5036
DOI
10.1007/s11104-009-9920-5
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In marly catchments of the French Southern Alps, soils are subjected to harsh water erosion that can result in concentrated flows uprooting small plants. Evaluating and predicting plant resistance to uprooting from simple plant traits is therefore highly important so that the most efficient plant strategy for future restoration of eroded slopes can be defined. Twelve species growing on marly land were studied. For each species, in-situ lateral uprooting tests were conducted and morphological plant traits were measured on small plants at the early stages of their development. The results show that maximum uprooting force was most positively correlated with stem basal diameter. Resistance to uprooting depends on a combination of several traits. Tap root length, the proportion of fine lateral roots and root topology were the best predictors of anchorage strength.

Journal

Plant and SoilSpringer Journals

Published: Nov 1, 2009

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