Fine roots benefit soil physical properties key to mitigate soil detachment capacity following the restoration of eroded land

Background and aims Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to improve ecological restoration in degraded ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate how vegetation controls soil detachment capacity ( D c ) by concentrated flow based on the linkages between root traits and soil physics. Methods We selected 60 plots along a land degradation gradient caused by long-term water erosion in a small catchment, central China. These plots consisted of woodlands, scrublands, grasslands and bare lands. And soil physical properties, root traits and D c were measured in each plot. Results Fine roots (0.2 mm