Traditional methods for studying roots rely on excavation - a labor-intensive, destructive, and difficult-to-replicate approach that limits the precision and comparability of measurements. These methodological constraints contribute to significant gaps in our understanding of belowground processes.

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a non-destructive geophysical tool used to detect buried structures in the shallow subsurface, has been applied to coarse root detection since 1999. These studies have explored both the limitations and potential of GPR, but none have evaluated this technology within the context of biodiversity experiments.

This research aims to test the effectiveness of GPR in quantifying coarse root biomass (diameter > 2 mm) depending on neighboring species diversity, with the goal of improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the biodiversity–productivity relationship - a phenomenon well documented in the scientific literature.

The IDENT site in Montréal, established in 2009, is an ideal research location due to its proximity, rich dataset (precise tree locations, densities, and sizes), the high intensity of interactions among individuals, and the remarkable homogeneity of its soil, which facilitates the interpretation of GPR signals.