One of the most basic ways to combat erosion is with vegetation, allowing plant roots to hold soil in place. But how well can plant roots stabilizing soil, and what mechanism makes roots more or less effective? Professor Claire Grierson of the University of Bristol discusses a recent interdisciplinary study she and colleagues conducted, which found that microscopic root hairs have a surprisingly large effect in reducing erosion.

The study, titled "Micro-scale interactions between Arabidopsis root hairs and soil particles influence soil erosion" and published in Communications Biology, can be found here: www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-0886-4.