“…The effect of root systems on controlling soil erosion mainly depends on the distribution and architecture of the roots (Li, Zhang, Geng, & Wang, ; Ye, Guo, Li, & Cai, ; Yu et al, ). The number of fine roots (<1 mm) largely controls soil detachment capacity (De Baets et al, ; De Baets, Poesen, Knapen, & Galindo, ; Leung, Yan, Hau, & Tham, ), which has been negatively correlated with root density (De Baets & Poesen, ; Zhang, Tang, & Zhang, ). Tap root systems have lower capacities to reduce soil detachment than fibrous root systems (De Baets et al, ; De Baets & Poesen, ; Zhang, Tang, Ren, & Zhang, ).…”