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Healthy meadow communities generally hive excellent soil binding properties. However, belowground characteristics of these communities have seldom been evaluated. In 4 meadow community types (CTs) we measured root mass and root length density (RLD) at 19-cm intervals to 40 cm soil depth. The CTs occurred along a wet to dry soil moisture gradient. The ranking of CTs from wettest to driest was: Carex rubrawer& (CANE) > Juncus balticus (JUBA) > Cmex dougWi (CADO) > Poa rtenz&d (PONE). Total RLD and mass to 40 cm paralleled the order of soil wetness, i.e., there were more roots at the wetter sites. Values of total RLD and mass for the 4 CTs were: 95.6 cm cm-3 and 3,382 g m-2 respectively for CANE, 33.6 cm cm-3 and 2,545 g m-2 for JUBA; 25.7 cm cm-3 and 1,526 g m-2 for CADO; and 8.8 cm cm3 and 555 g m-2 for PONE. Root mass and RLD declined with depth, a result consistent with other gramhtoid systems. The RLD values for CANE, JUBA, and CAD0 are exceptionally high compared to literature values from other graminoid plant communities. The high RLD of the wet CTs suggests that they have superior sitestabilizing characteristics.

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