The objective of this thesis is to study and model the influence of climate and soil on the dynamics of root water uptake and root development. The assessment of the vertical root distribution and functioning by means of simple parameters linked to hydrologic, pedologic and vegetation characteristics can be useful for several purposes, both practical and theoretical. The more important novelty brought by this work is the analysis of the effect of the stochasticity of the hydrological forcing on these root dynamics. The stochastic ecohydrological models that we have developed show how different profiles of mean soil moisture influence the shape of the root system and favour different strategies of water uptak
