Engineer plants mountain avens (Dryas octopetala, Swiss Alps) and creeping pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia axillaris, New Zealand) trapping and locking moving sediments in place. Both are growing in Utrecht University’s botanic gardens!
Engineer plants mountain avens (Dryas octopetala, Swiss Alps) and creeping pohuehue (Muehlenbeckia axillaris, New Zealand) trapping and locking moving sediments in place. Both are growing in Utrecht University's botanic gardens! Around the world, retreating glaciers leave vast areas of unstable sediments behind. Researchers from Utrecht University, University of Bayreuth and University of Wuerzburg found that across mountain regions, plants actively aid the stabilisation of these sediments in a similar way, regardless of climate and plant species. By growing their stems and roots in a way that locks moving sediments in place, they 'eco-engineer' unstable glacier sediments to create safe living space for other plant species - and humans. The findings were published online today in the journal Ecosphere. Across mountain regions, completely different plant species stabilise moving sediments in a very similar way. Jana Eichel Engineer plants securing moving slopes.
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