Roots
See other examples
Basics Plant roots may find a home in small cracks (fissures), breaking apart rock.
Processes As the plant grows, the root size increases, forcing the rock to crack. Additionally,
chemical decay from the roots may also weaken rock minerals.
Scoring Score 3 if you think roots dominate a panel, 2 if they are obvious to you, 1 if some
roots are present on a panel, and 0 if you see no evidence of the role of roots.
Extras Removing roots may make actually increase the instability, and caution should be
taken when deciding to remove a plant.
Additional Basic information: Geological Society, Dr. Ritter’s Textbook, Dr. Douglass’
Resources virtual field trip,
A bit more advanced: Entry in Encyclopedia of Geomorphology
Try a Google Scholar Search
Nerdy paper: Tree root study in Ouchita mountains