Abstract: The mechanical behavior of living stumps during earthquake action is crucial for slope stability, but it has been rarely studied, and its mechanical response law and slope support mechanism are not clear. To reveal the mechanical response characteristics of living stumps slope under earthquake action, a large-scale shaking table model test was conducted to study the influence of wave excitation intensity and direction on the main root bending moment and lateral root axial force of slope’s living stumps in Wenchuan earthquake. Combined with finite element three-dimensional numerical simulation, the influence of living stumps on slope shear strain and safety factor was studied, and the support mechanism of living stumps on slopes was explored. The results show that : ( 1 ) The main root of living stumps mainly bears the action of bending moment, and the absolute value of its bending moment gradually decreases from top to bottom along the depth of the main root and increases with the increase of excitation intensity. For every level of increase in excitation intensity, the bending moment increases by 4% to 40%. The direction of bending moment and the position of the inflection point are significantly affected by the lateral roots, but are basically not affected by the excitation direction and intensity. The direction of excitation has a significant impact on the magnitude of bending moment, with a 12% to 18% increase in XZ bidirectional excitation compared to X unidirectional excitation and a 30% to 42% increase compared to Z unidirectional excitation. ( 2 ) The lateral roots mainly bear the axial force, and the axial forces on both sides of the lateral roots present a tension compression state in pairs. The absolute value of the axial force increases with the increase of the excitation intensity and becomes larger as it approaches the root tip. The excitation direction does not change the tensile and compressive properties of the lateral root, but has an impact on the magnitude of the axial force. The axial force during XZ bidirectional excitation is 8%～10% higher than that during X unidirectional excitation, and 39%～47% higher than that during Z unidirectional excitation. ( 3 ) The presence of living stumps causes the redistribution of slope stress and its migration towards deeper soil layers. Living stumps assist the main root in exerting its "anti sliding pile" effect through the "anchor support" effect of lateral roots, thereby enhancing the seismic stability of the slope. The degree of anti sliding effect of living stumps is related to their position, manifested as the strongest at the top of the slope, followed by the middle of the slope, and the weakest at the bottom of the slope. The research conclusion has important reference value for the selection of root system types and arrangement positions of living stumps, verification of seismic design methods for living stump slopes, exploration of seismic response laws of living stump roots and seismic support mechanisms in seismic research of living stump slopes.