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<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Key message</Emphasis> <p><b>Seasonal enhancement of root tensile strength in contrasting tree species indicates that environmental conditions, rather than species dormancy behavior, predominantly control root reinforcement potential in bioengineering applications.</b></p> Abstract <p>Root tensile strength is a critical factor in soil reinforcement and vegetation-based slope stabilization, yet its seasonal variability remains insufficiently explored, particularly among tree species with contrasting dormancy patterns. This study examined how root mechanical properties, in particular how tensile strength varies between leaf-off (winter) and leaf-on (summer) in two functionally distinct (evergreen vs. deciduous) tree species (i.e. <i>Picea abies</i> and <i>Fraxinus excelsior</i>), growing on adjacent hillslopes with uniform soil and climatic conditions in the Hyrcanian Forest, Iran. Live root samples were collected at 30&#xa0;cm depth and tested using an Instron Universal Testing Machine to assess the tensile force and strength over a range of root diameters (0.32–4.97&#xa0;mm). In both species, tensile force increased with diameter, while tensile strength decreased, following a power-law regression. More importantly, mean tensile strength was significantly higher in leaf-off than in leaf-on in both species. An ANCOVA further revealed a significant Season × Species interaction, indicating that although both species exhibited higher tensile strength during leaf-off, the magnitude of seasonal change differed between them. This seasonal enhancement is likely driven by physiological changes such as reduced moisture content and internal pressure during colder months. These results suggest that seasonal environmental conditions influence root mechanical properties in both functional types, while species-specific traits modulate the strength of this response. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of how seasonal dynamics affect root biomechanics and highlight importance of accounting for temporal variability when selecting species for bioengineering applications, particularly in environments with pronounced seasonal change.</p>

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Seasonal modulation of root mechanical properties in contrasting tree species under uniform environmental conditions

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月11日

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  • Marzieh Esmaiili,
  • Ehsan Abdi,
  • Elyas Hayati

摘要

Key message

Seasonal enhancement of root tensile strength in contrasting tree species indicates that environmental conditions, rather than species dormancy behavior, predominantly control root reinforcement potential in bioengineering applications.

Abstract

Root tensile strength is a critical factor in soil reinforcement and vegetation-based slope stabilization, yet its seasonal variability remains insufficiently explored, particularly among tree species with contrasting dormancy patterns. This study examined how root mechanical properties, in particular how tensile strength varies between leaf-off (winter) and leaf-on (summer) in two functionally distinct (evergreen vs. deciduous) tree species (i.e. Picea abies and Fraxinus excelsior), growing on adjacent hillslopes with uniform soil and climatic conditions in the Hyrcanian Forest, Iran. Live root samples were collected at 30 cm depth and tested using an Instron Universal Testing Machine to assess the tensile force and strength over a range of root diameters (0.32–4.97 mm). In both species, tensile force increased with diameter, while tensile strength decreased, following a power-law regression. More importantly, mean tensile strength was significantly higher in leaf-off than in leaf-on in both species. An ANCOVA further revealed a significant Season × Species interaction, indicating that although both species exhibited higher tensile strength during leaf-off, the magnitude of seasonal change differed between them. This seasonal enhancement is likely driven by physiological changes such as reduced moisture content and internal pressure during colder months. These results suggest that seasonal environmental conditions influence root mechanical properties in both functional types, while species-specific traits modulate the strength of this response. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of how seasonal dynamics affect root biomechanics and highlight importance of accounting for temporal variability when selecting species for bioengineering applications, particularly in environments with pronounced seasonal change.