Soil indicators to assess the effectiveness of restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems

Costantini, Edoardo; Branquinho, Cristina; Nunes, Alice; Schwilch, Gudrun; Stavi, Ilan; Valdecantos, Alejandro; Zucca, Claudio

doi:10.5194/sed-7-3645-2015

Cited by 28 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…We also found that BGB was higher in legume grasslands than gramineous grasslands. Additionally, in shrub‐grassland, the majority of the roots concentrated in the upper 10–30 cm of the soil (Costantini et al ., ). These results were in agreement with previous findings regarding the legume grasslands would increase and gramineous grasslands would decrease the infiltration rate (Meek et al ., ; Fischer et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legume Grasslands Promote Precipitation Infiltration better than Gramineous Grasslands in arid Regions

Huang

Tian

et al. 2016

Land Degrad Dev

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Precipitation infiltration is the most important process for soil water supply of vegetation in the arid regions. Higher infiltration rate is advantageous for vegetation growth and maintenance in the arid areas. Four grassland types (Medicago sativa, Agropyron cristatum, Caragana korshinskii and Stipa capillata) were selected in this study. Results showed that the infiltration capacity in the legume grasslands was about 30% higher than in the gramineous grasslands and the difference was significant (p < 0·05). Furthermore, the infiltration rate in legume shrub‐grassland was 16% less than the legume grasslands, but the difference was not significant (p > 0·05). The below‐ground biomass, total porosity, capillary porosity, soil organic matters and soil aggregate were the main factors to determine the soil infiltration rates. The capillary porosity and soil aggregate of the top soil presented significant negative effects on soil infiltration rate (p < 0·05). The below‐ground biomass in 10–30 cm soil layer was the most important factor, which significantly and positively correlates with the soil infiltration rate (p < 0·01). It is possible to conclude that the legume grasslands presented the higher soil infiltration rate and promoted precipitation infiltration in the studied area. And the legume grasslands might be a more suitable option for vegetation restoration from the perspective of soil infiltration and water supply in the arid regions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legume Grasslands Promote Precipitation Infiltration better than Gramineous Grasslands in arid Regions

Huang

Tian

et al. 2016

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Ripping, for instance, was not found to increase plant establishment success. Nevertheless, ripping treatments are routinely used to reduce erosion and slope failure, improve water harvesting and moisture retention, and incorporate soil amendments to the early root growth zone in many restoration scenarios (Evans & Willgoose, ) and, therefore, may have many indirect effects that lead to longer‐term site stability and ecological function that are not currently being captured in plant‐based monitoring metrics (Costantini et al, ; Muñoz‐Rojas et al, , ). BHP Billiton Iron Ore carries out landform assessment in addition to the biotic monitoring, but the data have not been assessed in a comprehensive manner.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of Open‐Cut Mining in Semi‐Arid Systems: A Synthesis of Long‐Term Monitoring Data and Implications for Management

2017

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Restoration is becoming an increasing global priority. Particularly in high impact developments like open cut mining, restoring ecosystems to pre‐disturbance states is difficult but essential. Successful restoration of vegetation communities requires complex achievements of cover, density, community composition, species richness, and structural elements. This study synthesises 10 years of monitoring surveys to measure restoration success in six mining operations in the semi‐arid Pilbara of Western Australia, with the goal of quantifying current and past restoration performance. We assessed composition, structure, cover, density, and richness. We found that each metric resulted in slightly different performance measures within mining operations. For example, native perennial grasses in restored sites fell short of reference density and cover, while woody species density and cover were regularly within the reference range. Richness was often much higher in restored than in reference sites. Finally, to explore the potential drivers of performance, we analysed the influence of restoration characteristics on each of the vegetation metrics. We found that older restoration had increased cover and density of all vegetation types compared to more recent restoration, while other variables had impacts on restoration results that shifted between metrics and monitoring periods. Compositional similarity with reference sites was higher when restoration occurred on low impact mining activities, when first year rainfall was higher, and when seeding treatments were not applied. Overall, this assessment of long‐term monitoring data highlighted where each performance measure was important to understanding overall restoration patterns in semi‐arid systems and paves the way for improving future restoration practice. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Soil structure is a fundamental soil physical property because it controls the storage and movement of water, gas, and nutrients, and it affects root growth and microbial activity (Bronick & Lal, ). Most research in restored soils has indirectly evaluated the soil structure by means of hydrological properties, such as infiltration and water retention (Wei, Yum, & Chen, ; Costantini et al, ). These studies were based on the assumption of ideal pore shapes but failed to give information on the soil pore system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic amendments and mulches modify soil porosity and infiltration in semiarid mine soils

et al. 2017

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The restoration of soils affected by mining activities depends on the improvement of soil physical quality. This study aimed to determine the medium‐term effects of organic amendments and mulches on soil physical properties and soil hydrological response. The experimental restoration was conducted in a homogeneous slope using a factorial design (organic amendments × mulches). The organic amendments consisted of compost from domestic organic residues, sewage sludge from an urban water treatment facility, and a control without amendment. The mulches consisted of gravel, woodchips, and a control without mulch. Modifications of the soil structure induced by the combinations of techniques were quantified by micromorphometric analysis of 2D porosity. Undisturbed soil cores were collected to determine the soil bulk density. Soil hydrological behaviour was determined by rainfall simulations. Samples from natural undisturbed soils surrounding the quarry were also taken as a reference. Restored soils with organic amendments have a higher total porosity than did nonamended substrates. Each restoration treatment combination resulted in a different pore system with very diverse hydrological responses. Organic amendments resulted in infiltration improvement and water erosion reduction. The woodchip mulch was more effective at trapping runoff and sediment, although this type of mulch did not favour vertical water movement towards deeper horizons. Therefore, the use of organic amendments should be encouraged in mine soil restoration and should be strongly recommended for its proven environmental benefits (enhancement of soil structure and infiltration and reduction of soil losses). However, the mulches did not produce the expected results in the tested arid–semiarid area.

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Soil indicators to assess the effectiveness of restoration strategies in dryland ecosystems

Cited by 28 publications

References 63 publications

Legume Grasslands Promote Precipitation Infiltration better than Gramineous Grasslands in arid Regions

Legume Grasslands Promote Precipitation Infiltration better than Gramineous Grasslands in arid Regions

Restoration of Open‐Cut Mining in Semi‐Arid Systems: A Synthesis of Long‐Term Monitoring Data and Implications for Management

Organic amendments and mulches modify soil porosity and infiltration in semiarid mine soils

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