Riparian vegetation is commonly recognized as a key ecosystem engineer affecting fluvial processes within river corridors. Several literature works dealt with the effects of the canopy and stems, whereas less attention was paid to the active role of the below-ground biomass, namely plant roots. In this paper, a comprehensive review of plant root biomechanics and its implications for river morphodynamic processes is presented by highlighting the different spatial and temporal scales involved in the several root-soil-water dynamics and mutual interactions. Firstly, the growth of roots and the governing processes (tropisms) are presented, then the root-soil biomechanical properties and available models are discussed, by focusing on the different uprooting mechanisms. The influence on incipient conditions of sediment transport, sediment transport rate, and local and large-scale morphodynamic processes, such as bank stabilization and braided-meander transition, is outlined, as well. The resulting identification of current research gaps aims to steer future investigations toward the development of new relationships for root-soil interactions, the improvement of numerical tools for bank stability and river ecomorphodynamic simulations, and the enhanced design of more resilient nature-based solutions for river restoration and flood protection.
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