Organic capping type affected nitrogen availability and associated enzyme activities in reconstructed oil sands soils in Alberta, Canada

Jamro, Ghulam Murtaza; Chang, Scott X.; Naeth, M. Anne

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.09.005

Cited by 31 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the other hand, PM was found to release more N than FFM in a similar field incubation established at a different reclaimed site (McMillan et al 2007), as well as during a 315 d laboratory incubation (MacKenzie and Quideau 2012). Field measurements using ion-exchange PRS probes (μg N 10 cm −2 ) have similarly reported either lower (Howell et al 2017) or higher (Jamro et al 2014) N release from FFM than from PM. The primary objective of this study was to quantify potential carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) release rates from PM and FFM materials used to reconstruct sandy soils following oil sands mining.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release from peat and forest floor-based cover soils used during oil sands reclamation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reclamation practices in the oil sands region of Alberta involve the reconstruction of soil profiles using a combination of salvaged mineral substrates and organic-matter-rich surface materials, including peatmineral mix (PM) and forest floor -mineral mix (FFM). The successful re-establishment of vegetation on reclaimed sites is for a large part dependent on the nutrients these materials can provide. Hence, the overall objective of this study was to compare carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) release rates from PM and FFM materials used to cap reconstructed sandy soils. A 325 d laboratory incubation was conducted to measure these rates. The two materials released comparable amounts of N on a per kilogram of soil basis (111-118 mg N kg −1 ). However, when results were normalized based on each material's organic C content, N release was six times greater for FFM than for PM, in accordance with results of previous studies. In addition, overall C mineralization and P release rates were over one order of magnitude higher with FFM than with PM. As opposed to N, however, P release seemed to be controlled more by abiotic processes than by organic matter mineralization. While the FFM material overall released more N and P, it also degraded faster; in comparison, PM may provide a smaller but more stable release of N.Key words: mineralization, nitrogen, organic matter, phosphorus, soil reclamation.Résumé : Les méthodes de restauration du sol dans la région des sables bitumineux de l'Alberta supposent la reconstitution du profil pédologique au moyen de substrats minéraux récupérés et d'un matériel de surface riche en matière organique, notamment un mélange de tourbe et de minéraux (TM) et un autre de couverture morte et de minéraux (CMM). Une bonne végétalisation des sites restaurés dépend dans une large mesure des oligoéléments que procurent ces matériaux. C'est pourquoi l'étude avait pour objectif général de comparer le taux de libération du carbone (C), de l'azote (N) et du phosphore (P) par le TM et le CMM employés pour rebâtir les sols sablonneux. Les chercheurs ont mesuré ces taux en procédant à une expérience d'incubation de 325 jours en laboratoire. Les deux matériaux libèrent une quantité comparable de N par kilo de sol (111 à 118 mg de N kg −1 ). Cependant, quand on normalise les résultats d'après la concentration de C organique de chaque mélange, on constate que le CMM libère six fois plus de N que le TM, ce qui concorde avec les résultats des études antérieures. D'autre part, la minéralisation du C et le taux de libération du P du CMM dépassent ceux du TM de plus d'un ordre de grandeur. Contrairement à l'azote, le taux de libération du P semble contrôlé par des mécanismes abiotiques et non la minéralisation de la matière organique. Même si le CMM libère généralement plus de P et de N, ce matériau se détériore plus vite. Le TM, en revanche, pourrait libérer moins de N, mais de manière plus stable. [Traduit par la Rédaction] Mots-clés : minéralisation, azote, matière organique, phosphore, restau...

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release from peat and forest floor-based cover soils used during oil sands reclamation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Soils provide water and nutrients to the plants growing on site with differences in moisture and nutrient regimes expected between different site types depending on factors such as topographic position, slope, aspect, soil texture, organic matter content and mineral composition. Soil nutrient availability differs between reclamation soil types and may be a limiting factor for plant development [16]. The presence of a forest floor is a defining feature of forest soils and it plays a vital role in storing moisture, nutrients and carbon on site but the forest floor is completely lacking from newly created sites [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has been done for a variety of different ecosystem properties including soil microbial communities [18], nutrient supply profiles [19], aquatic vegetation [20], and tree growth [15]. Other studies have compared selected reclamation treatments to each other, but not necessarily to natural forests, in terms of initial plant community establishment [21], tree growth [22], tree seedling establishment [6], soil nutrient availability [16], or microbial communities [23]. Most of these studies have shown significant differences in the studied ecosystem properties between different reclamation treatments and natural forests, but few studies have examined temporal changes on different reclamation site types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Pinno

Hawkes

2015

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest development after land reclamation in the oil sands mining region of northern Alberta, Canada was assessed using long-term monitoring plots from both reclaimed and natural forests. The metrics of ecosystem development analyzed included measures of plant community structure and composition and soil nutrient availability. Early seral reclamation plots were grouped by site type (dry and moist-rich) and age categories, and these were compared with mature natural forests. There were few significant differences in ecosystem metrics between reclamation site types, but natural stands showed numerous significant differences between site types. Over time, there were significant changes in most plant community metrics such as species richness and cover of plant community groups (e.g., forbs, shrubs, and non-native species), but these were still substantially different from mature forests 20 years after reclamation. Available soil nitrogen did not change over time or by reclamation site type but available soil phosphorus did, suggesting that phosphorus may be a more suitable indicator of ecosystem development. The significant temporal changes in these reclaimed ecosystems indicate that studies of ecosystem establishment and development on reclaimed areas should be conducted over the long-term, emphasizing the utility of monitoring using long-term plot networks. OPEN ACCESSForests 2015, 6 2110

show abstract

“…Although net N mineralization rates and N supply rates in each incubation period did not differ between FMM and PMM, mean net nitrification, mean net N mineralization, and total inorganic N supply rates across the incubation periods were greater in FMM than in PMM, supporting the first hypothesis. Soil N transformation rates and N availability were linked to contrasting soil properties of FMM and PMM (McMillan et al ; Mackenzie & Naeth ; Brown & Naeth ; Jamro et al ). Similar C:N ratios between the cover soils may have determined the similar N transformation rates between them within each sampling period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forest floor mineral soil mix (FMM) and peat mineral soil mix (PMM) are common cover soils used for land reclamation to improve soil fertility and plant growth (DePuit ; Sydnor & Redente ). As FMM is salvaged from upland forests and PMM from peat‐forming wetlands, FMM and PMM have contrasting properties (Mackenzie & Naeth ; Hahn & Quideau ; Brown & Naeth ; Jamro et al ). For example, FMM has lower C:N ratios (Mackenzie & Naeth ; Jamro et al ), greater microbial biomass (McMillan et al ; Brown ; Jamro et al ; Hahn & Quideau ), greater enzyme activities (Brown ; Jamro et al ), and greater vegetation cover (Mackenzie & Naeth ; Brown & Naeth ; Forsch ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen transformation rates are affected by cover soil type but not coarse woody debris application in reclaimed oil sands soils

Kwak

Chang

Naeth

et al. 2016

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest floor mineral soil mix (FMM) and peat mineral soil mix (PMM) are cover soils commonly used for reclamation of open-pit oil sands mining disturbed land in northern Alberta, Canada; coarse woody debris (CWD) is another source of organic matter for land reclamation. We investigated net nitrogen (N) transformation rates in FMM and PMM cover soils near and away from CWD 4-6 years after oil sands reclamation. Monthly net nitrification and N mineralization rates varied over time; however, mean rates across the incubation periods and microbial biomass were greater (p < 0.05) in FMM than in PMM. Net N mineralization rates were positively related to soil temperature (p < 0.001) and microbial biomass carbon (p = 0.045). Net N transformation rates and inorganic N concentrations were not affected by CWD; however, the greater 15 N isotope ratio of ammonium near CWD than away from CWD indicates that CWD application increased both gross N mineralization/nitrification (causing N isotope fractionation) and gross N immobilization (no isotopic fractionation). Microbial biomass was greater near CWD than away from CWD, indicating the greater potential for N immobilization near CWD. We conclude that (1) CWD application affected soil microbial properties and would create spatial variability and diverse microsites and (2) cover soil type and CWD application had differential effects on net N transformation rates. Applying FMM with CWD for oil sands reclamation is recommended to increase N availability and microsites.

show abstract

Organic capping type affected nitrogen availability and associated enzyme activities in reconstructed oil sands soils in Alberta, Canada

Cited by 31 publications

References 43 publications

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release from peat and forest floor-based cover soils used during oil sands reclamation

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release from peat and forest floor-based cover soils used during oil sands reclamation

Temporal Trends of Ecosystem Development on Different Site Types in Reclaimed Boreal Forests

Nitrogen transformation rates are affected by cover soil type but not coarse woody debris application in reclaimed oil sands soils

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About