Roots

Name: Racines
Brand: Éditions Quae
SKU: 9782759242665
Price: 20.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 978-2-7592-4266-5

Roots - Philippe Hinsinger, Christophe Jourdan - Éditions Quae

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Roots

From plants to ecosystems

by Philippe Hinsinger (writer), Christophe Jourdan (writer)

Collection: Carnets de sciences

june 2026

Book

165 x 220 format 120 pages In stock

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Summary

Roots are essential to the life of all wild and cultivated plants, from the tiniest ones to towering trees. They provide plants with nutrients and water, and perform many other functions: anchoring the plant, preventing soil erosion, supplying sugars and other carbon compounds to underground organisms… Moreover, the interactions they have with their immediate environment stimulate microbial activity, which enriches the soil and, in turn, help protect the plant.

As an essential link in the water cycle, roots also help mitigate climate change by storing carbon in the soil and contribute in various ways to the proper functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Furthermore, they remain an important source of food (beets, carrots, cassava, sweet potatoes, etc.) and services (agricultural, forestry, pharmaceutical, etc.) for human societies.

By revealing the functions, interactions, and adaptive capabilities of roots in a wide variety of environments, this book explores their little-known roles. It is intended for all readers interested in plants, crops, forests, and soils.

Don’t we forget our roots

1 Anatomy of a root

At the tip of development

The rhizodermis, with or without root hairs

A well-organized cortex

The stele: the survival instinct

Woody or herbaceous

Roots and stems

Roots and leaves

2 The creative and plastic architecture of roots

The art of branching

Growing in all directions

Anchoring plants… and the soil

Growing at all costs

Roots and zeal

The fancy of specialized roots

3 Rhizosphere and root symbioses

The hotspot of root-soil interactions

A unique source of carbon underground

A carefully selected microbiome

Mycorrhizal symbioses

Nitrogen-fixing symbioses

Damages and galls

A circus beneath our feet

4 The roots of our ecosystems

Civil engineers building (eco)systems

Solids and voids, aggregates, and biopores

The water cycle, from bottom to top

Exploring resources

Exploiting resources: roots mining

From the surface to the deepest habitats

And after death? Life, once again!

5 Roots: another source of terrestrial food

Nutrient reserves

Underground delicacies

Cultivated roots

“Voyage, voyage…”

Roots of every color

Roots you can’t eat

Art, not pigs!

Large public

Scientists and professionals

Roots

Roots

Summary

Table of contents

Don’t we forget our roots

1 Anatomy of a root

At the tip of development

The rhizodermis, with or without root hairs

A well-organized cortex

The stele: the survival instinct

Woody or herbaceous

Roots and stems

Roots and leaves

2 The creative and plastic architecture of roots

The art of branching

Growing in all directions

Anchoring plants… and the soil

Growing at all costs

Roots and zeal

The fancy of specialized roots

3 Rhizosphere and root symbioses

The hotspot of root-soil interactions

A unique source of carbon underground

A carefully selected microbiome

Mycorrhizal symbioses

Nitrogen-fixing symbioses

Damages and galls

A circus beneath our feet

4 The roots of our ecosystems

Civil engineers building (eco)systems

Solids and voids, aggregates, and biopores

The water cycle, from bottom to top

Exploring resources

Exploiting resources: roots mining

From the surface to the deepest habitats

And after death? Life, once again!

5 Roots: another source of terrestrial food

Nutrient reserves

Underground delicacies

Cultivated roots

“Voyage, voyage…”

Roots of every color

Roots you can’t eat

Art, not pigs!

Our plants have roots, just like us…

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