Antonino Di Iorio

How vegetation reinforces soil on slopes

Once the instability process e.g. erosion or landslides has been identified on a slope, the type of vegetation to best reinforce the soil can then be determined. Plants improve slope stability through changes in mechanical and hydrological properties of the root-soil matrix. The architecture of a plants root system will influence strongly these reinforcing properties. We explain how root morphology and biomechanics changes between species. An overview of vegetation effects on slope hydrology is given, along with an update on the use of models to predict the influence of vegetation on mechanical and hydrological properties of soil on slopes. In conclusion, the optimal root system types for improving slope stability are suggested.

The Influence of Steep Slopes on Root System Development

Mechanical forces active on steep slopes tend to overturn plants, which respond by developing a specific asymmetrical architecture in the root system. This asymmetric architecture is the consequence of preferential lateral root emergence and elongation in the up-slope and down-slope directions. Root systems show a normal symmetrical architecture when the same species is grown on plane soil. The asymmetrical root architecture on steep slopes seems to increase the plants stability by modifying the distribution of mechanical forces into the soil. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that lateral roots developing in the up-slope or down-slope directions present considerable anatomical modifications in shape and tissue-organization compared with lateral roots from plants growing on plane soil.

Unravelling the response of poplar (Populus nigra) roots to mechanical stress imposed by bending

Abstract Mechanical stress is a widespread environmental condition that can be caused by several factors (i.e. gravity, touch, wind, soil density, soil compaction and grazing, slope) and that can severely affect plant stability. In response to mechanical stress and to improve their anchorage, plants have developed complex mechanisms to detect mechanical perturbation and to induce a suite of modifications at anatomical, physiological, biochemical, biophysical and molecular level. Although it is well recognized that one of the primary functions of root systems is to anchor the plant to the soil, root response to mechanical stresses have been investigated mainly at morphological and biomechanical level, whereas investigations about the molecular mechanisms underlying these important alterations are still in an initial stage. We have used an experimental system in which the taproot poplar seedlings are bent to simulate mechanical perturbation to begin investigate the mechanisms involved in root response to mechanical stress. The results reported herein show that, in response to bending, the poplar root changes its morphology by emitting new lateral roots, and its biomechanical properties by increasing the root biomass and lignin synthesis. In addition, using a proteomic approach, we found that several proteins involved in the signal transduction pathway, detoxification and metabolism are up-regulated and/or down-regulated in the bent root. These results provide new insight into the obscure field of woody root response to mechanical stress, and can serve as a basis for future investigations aimed at unravelling the complex mechanism involved in the reaction of root biology to environmental stress.

Involvement of lignin and hormones in the response of woody poplar taproots to mechanical stress

Mechanical stress is a widespread condition caused by numerous environmental factors that severely affect plant stability. In response to mechanical stress, plants have evolved complex response pathways able to detect mechanical perturbations and inducing a suite of modifications in order to improve anchorage. The response of woody roots to mechanical stresses has been studied mainly at the morphological and biomechanical level, whereas investigations on the factors triggering these important alterations are still at the initial stage. Populus has been widely used to study the response of stem to different mechanical stresses and, since it has the first forest tree genome to be decoded, represents a model woody plant for addressing questions on the mechanisms controlling adaptation of woody roots to changing environments. In this study, a morphological and physiological analysis was used to investigate factors controlling modifications in Populus nigra woody taproots subjected to mechanical stress. An experimental model analyzing spatial and temporal mechanical force distribution along the woody taproot axis enabled us to compare the events occurring in its above-, central- and below-bending sectors. Different morphogenetic responses and local variations of lignin and plant hormones content have been observed, and a relation with the distribution of the mechanical forces along the stressed woody taproots is hypothesized. We investigated the differences of the response to mechanical stress induction during the time; in this regard, we present data referring to the effect of mechanical stress on plant transition from its condition of winter dormancy to that of full vegetative activity.

Fine-root carbon and nitrogen concentration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Italy Prealps: possible implications of coppice conversion to high forest

Fine-root systems represent a very sensitive plant compartment to environmental changes. Gaining further knowledge about their dynamics would improve soil carbon input understanding. This paper investigates C and N concentrations in fine roots in relation to different stand characteristics resulting from conversion of coppiced forests to high forests. In order to evaluate possible interferences due to different vegetative stages of vegetation, fine-root sampling was repeated six times in each stand during the same 2008 growing season. Fine-root sampling was conducted within three different soil depths (0–10; 10–20; and 20–30 cm). Fine-root traits were measured by means of WinRHIZO software which enable us to separate them into three different diameter classes (0–0.5, 0.5–1.0 and 1.0–2.0 mm). The data collected indicate that N concentration was higher in converted stands than in the coppiced stand whereas C concentration was higher in the coppiced stand than in converted stands. Consequently the fine-root C:N ratio was significantly higher in coppiced than in converted stands and showed an inverse relationship with fine-root turnover rate, confirming a significant change of fine-root status after the conversion of a coppice to high forest.

Anatomical investigations of resprouting in Cardopatum corymbosum L. (Asteraceae): A hemicryptophyta living on erosion-prone slopes in a Mediterranean climate

Abstract Cardopatum corymbosum is a perennial hemicryptophyta species living on erosion-prone steep slopes where it forms very small, scattered communities that resist soil erosion. The aim of this study was to understand better the life cycle of this species before suggesting its use for eco-engineering purposes to stop soil erosion. We examined anatomical preparations with a light microscope, and plant anatomy was reconstructed by examining sequential cross sections of the stem cut from the shoot apex to the root collar. A single sprout above the root collar produces a rosette of leaves at the beginning of spring and a floral axis at the end of summer. The leaves and the floral axis die at the end of summer, whereas the basal portion of the new stem remains alive and forms, together with the root system, the perennial portion of this plant. This stem zone is named “transition zone” and presents leaf traces converging in the centre where they give rise to a vascular cylinder with a cambium ring dividing a secondary xylem from a secondary phloem. New buds form in the cortex of the transition zone that are quiescent and are not visible externally until the following spring when they resume growth and generate a new sprout. These buds should be considered adventitious because: (1) they form independently of leaves; and (2) their annual production could represent the plants response to ensure its survival after the loss of the above-ground portion of the stem. Given the efficient resprouting strategy coupled with a perennial root system, C. corymbosum is a good candidate for bio-engineering applications against the soil erosion typical of steep slopes in Mediterranean climates. This species could be considered for intensive re-vegetation in order to produce a protective soil covering.

Effect of water stress upon root meristems of pea seedlings: The role of quantitative and qualitative changes in protein patterns

To investigate the effect of water stress on the activity of meristems we used an hydroponics culture of pea seedlings to which polyethilene-glicole (PEG) has been gradually added to give the external water potential of –1.7 MPa. We focused our attention on primary root meristem although the meristematic tissue of plumules has been considered as well. Our data showed that under water stress conditions, meristematic cells from primary root arrest their activity irreversibly, while shoot meristems rapidly recover their activity when the seedlings are placed in a normal water conditions. However, the inhibition of cell division of primary root meristems does not interfere with the development of a complete root apparatus; in fact, lateral roots are still formed during water stress from initials situated in the pericycle zone, which give origin to a meristematic tip. The different sensitivity to water stress shown by meristematic cells situated in primary roots, lateral roots or shoot plumules suggests that the tolerance to water stress in meristematic tissue may depend upon factors related to its developmental stage or to the type of `mother initial’ responsible for forming this tissue. The quantitative and qualitative differences in the content of specific proteins showed between meristems during water stress may support this idea. Some of the proteins examined in our samples have shown a striking immuno-affinity for an antibody raised against a conserved sequence common to all the Dehydrins. The proteins recognised by the anti-Dehydrins antibody accumulated in a considerable amount in meristematic cells of plumules during water stress conditions. Since Dehydrins have been proposed to play a protective role during water stress, it may be speculated that the better tolerance shown by shoot or lateral-root meristems is correlated with the accumulation of these specific proteins.