| Title: |
Modifying soil properties with herbaceous plants for natural flood risk-reduction |
| Authors: |
Boldrin, David; Knappett, Jonathan A.; Leung, Anthony K.; Brown, J. L.; Loades, Kenneth W.; Bengough, A. G. |
| Source: |
Boldrin, D, Knappett, J A, Leung, A K, Brown, J L, Loades, K W & Bengough, A G 2022, 'Modifying soil properties with herbaceous plants for natural flood risk-reduction', Ecological Engineering, vol. 180, 106668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106668 |
| Publication Year: |
2022 |
| Collection: |
Discovery - University of Dundee Online Publications |
| Subject Terms: |
Bioretention; Flood mitigation; Herbaceous species; Nature-based solutions; Soil hydrology; Soil-plant interactions; Root systems; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2309; name=Nature and Landscape Conservation; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2308; name=Management; Monitoring; Policy and Law; /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2305; name=Environmental Engineering |
| Description: |
Background and aim : Nature-based solutions to engineering challenges are essential to limit climate change impacts on the urban environment. Quantitative understanding of multiple “engineering functions” provided by soil-plant interactions of different species is needed for species selection and re-establishing natural processes affected by urbanisation. Methods : Contrasting herbaceous species (legumes, grasses, and forbs) were selected and grown as monoculture or species mix in soil columns for a five-month growing season. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was initially tested for each column, and then the columns were monitored for three-weeks of evapotranspiration. Water loss, matric suction, and penetrometer resistance were measured. Finally, soil was tested for aggregate stability and water retention. Results : Saturated hydraulic conductivity of vegetated soil was generally larger than that of fallow soil (6.9e−6 ± 1.4e−6 m/s in fallow soil). Saturated hydraulic conductivity was significantly different between species (e.g., from 9.9e−6 ± 1.3e−6 m/s in Festuca ovina to 3.9e−5 ± 1.2e−6 m/s in Lotus corniculatus) and was negatively correlated with specific root length. The water stored in the soil was efficiently removed by plant transpiration (> 60% of evapotranspiration). Large changes in soil structure were observed in vegetated soil, with significant increases in soil strength, aggregate stability, and alteration of water retention properties. Conclusions : Multiple soil-plant interactions influence species selection for optimising nature-based solutions (e.g., bioretention barriers). Substantial scope exists to choose species mixes to manipulate soil hydro-mechanical properties. Enhanced biodiversity did not compromise the engineering services of nature-based solutions (e.g., water removal), and may have multiple benefits. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
0925-8574 |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0925-8574 |
| DOI: |
10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106668 |
| Availability: |
https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/3bf5c489-88ff-4989-b33f-2322be05e454; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106668; https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/files/74342490/1_s2.0_S092585742200129X_main.pdf; https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85130390123 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.733335C |
| Database: |
BASE |