Industrial barrens: extreme habitats created by non-ferrous metallurgy

Abstract

Industrial barrens are bleak open landscapes evolved due to deposition of airborne pollutants, with only small patches of vegetation surrounded by bare land. These extreme environments appeared as a by-product of human activities about a century ago. The comparative analysis of information available from 36 industrial barrens worldwide allowed to identify factors and conditions that are necessary and sufficient for the appearance of these specific habitats. Vast majority of industrial barrens is associated with non-ferrous smelters, located predominantly in mountainous or hilly landscapes. Development of industrial barrens starts from gradual decline of vegetation due to severe pollution impact accompanied by other human-induced disturbances (primarily clearcutting) and is usually concluded by a fire, facilitated by accumulation of woody debris. Since vegetation recovery is hampered by soil toxicity caused by extreme contamination by heavy metals, soils remain bare and suffer from erosion enhanced by altered microclimate. In spite of general reduction in biodiversity, industrial barrens still support a variety of life, including regionally rare and endangered species, as well as populations that evolved specific adaptations to the harsh and toxic environment. Recently, most industrial barrens show some signs of natural recovery due to emission decline or closure of responsible polluters; some of barren sites have been or are being successfully revegetated. The remaining industrial barrens offer unique opportunities for conducting 'basic' ecological research, in particular for testing some general theories in an evolutionary novel stressful environment; some of barren habitats deserve conservation for scientific and educational purposes.

Interactions between mountain birch seedlings from differentiated populations in contrasting environments of subarctic Russia

“…In the vicinity of Monchegorsk 70 years of pollution impact has resulted in nearly total elimination of plant life, with sparsely growing stunted (1-2 m tall) mountain birches and willows (Salix spp.) dominating the previously healthy subarctic forest, now transformed into industrial barrens (Kozlov and Zvereva 2007;Kryuchkov 1993). Also field layer vegetation (Table 1) and uppermost soil layers in PH are all but destroyed (Kryuchkov 1993).…”

“…This was surprising, especially as the barrens around the Severonikel smelter are a focal study area for pollution ecology, and have been a host to several stress-related studies where plant mortality and performance have been as expected (see for example papers by Eränen andKozlov (2006, 2007), Kozlov and Zvereva (2007), Zvereva and Kozlov (2004) and references therein). The lack of a stress effect on birch seedlings in PH is likely due to a combination of several factors.…”

Effects of radioactive contamination on Scots pines in the remote period after the Chernobyl accident

“…Investigations over the last several decades (Mankovska and Steinnes 1995;Kozlowski 2000;Kozlov and Zvereva 2007) have demonstrated that forest ecosystems are vulnerable to human-induced environmental stresses, resulting in a progressive loss of biodiversity and general declines in forest health. Adverse impacts to the forest ecosystems lead to concomitant changes in the quality and extent of wildlife habitat (Galbraith et al 1995).…”

Phytoremediation of Copper-Contaminated Soil

“…On the other hand, however, due to their high costs, such installations will be placed in service only when their operation is enforced by effi cacious legal regulations. (Barcan 2002 ;Kozlov 2005 ;Kozlov and Zvereva 2007 ). Several papers confi rm considerable soil pollution caused by the Chinese smelters at Guixi, Huangshi, and Shuikoushan (Hu et al 2006 ;Yan et al 2007 ;Wei et al 2009 ), as well as by others, for example in Peru (e.g.…”

“…A brief description of 36 such objects, published by Kozlov and Zvereva ( 2007 ), shows that most of those areas developed in the 1970s, and 25 of them evolved in the surroundings of either Cu or Cu-Ni smelters, mainly in Russia (Kola Peninsula and the Southern Ural region), the United States, and Canada, as well as in Poland, Chile, and Slovakia. In many of the listed areas, plant cover has already been partially restored due to organized reclamation, or by slow processes of spontaneous succession, after the closure of installations or substantial reduction of their emissions.…”