Using functional traits for sediment retention and runoff control in herbaceous vegetation: A review and application to north west European agricultural catchments
Résumé
The efficiency of herbaceous vegetation to mitigate soil erosion has been established, as well as their different effects on the soil erosion processes. However, a good understanding of the relationship between the plant aboveground functional traits and the hydraulic resistance is required to improve this efficiency. Even though the effects of vegetation on the soil erosion processes have been reviewed, there is still a gap of knowledge on the plant traits influencing targeted processes, such as sediment retention. Identifying the efficient functional traits to reduce concentrated runoff and soil erosion would allow selecting plant species and designing herbaceous infrastructures to go further into land planning and soil protection.