Using the root spread information of pioneer plants to quantify their mitigation potential against shallow landslides and erosion intemperate humid climates

作者：Gonzalez Ollauri Alejandro^*; Mickovski Slobodan B

来源：Ecological Engineering, 2016, 95: 302-315.

DOI：10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.028

• Herb
• Root spread
• Temperate humid climate
• Allometry
• Distributed model
• Shallow landslide

The aim of this paper was to quantify the mitigation potential of pioneer herbs against shallow landslides and erosion in temperate humid climates and to identify key plant information to aid species selection for slope stabilisation. The objectives ranged from the study of the climate, soil and root spread of three native perennial herbs growing on a landslide-prone slope in Northeast Scotland to the verification of an upgraded spatially distributed eco-hydrological model in order to test whether root spread information can be provided cost-effectively in temperate humid climates. The retrieved information on root spread was then used to evaluate the slope stabilisation potential of the pioneer herbs in the topmost soil horizons using a limit equilibrium method.
The results indicated that pioneer herbs, although presenting climate-influenced shallow root systems, could noticeably contribute to reducing soil mass loss and landslides. This was largely determined by the plant biomass and allometry, the latter being a potential readily measurable proxy for species selection in slope stabilisation that will need further investigation. Additionally, our observations supported the model predictions remarkably well when site-specific inputs were employed, showing that the proposed model is a suitable and cost-effective tool to provide spatial root spread information for eco-engineering purposes in temperate humid climates.

• 出版日期2016-10