Vegetation succession in reclaimed coal-mining slopes in a Mediterranean-dry environment

Heras, Mariano Moreno de las; Nicolau, José‐Manuel; Espigares, Tíscar

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2008.07.017

Cited by 139 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The differences observed in soil aggregation (soil bulk density, specific gravity and porosity) are mainly caused by the variation in organic matter content since organic matter is the main soil bonding agent (Bronick and Lal, 2005). These bonding factors were associated with the coarsening of soil aggregates by reducing the proportion of microparticles and increasing macroparticles (Moreno-de las Heras et al, 2008). Similarly, the direct association was found between the stability of soil physical parameters and SOM (Table 3), which is the result of the cementing effect of the organic compounds and the stimulation of soil microorganisms (Cerdà, 1998;Six et al, 2004).…”

Section: Triggering Factors Of Soil Formationmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In fact, homogeneously bare surfaces with some scattered individuals of woody plant are dominant in these sites, where spontaneous colonization and plant differentiation by ecological succession is severely constrained (Moreno-de las Heras et al, 2008). On the contrary, owing to a dynamic process of vegetation succession, spontaneous colonization may happen in the sites reclaimed with mixed plant types, and soil is covered by vegetation patches with different composition and density, which leads to different levels during the development of physical and chemical properties.…”

Section: Impact Of Different Plant Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia, China

Lin

Jian-jun

et al. 2010

Chin. Geogr. Sci.

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A field experiment was conducted in Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia, China to study the effects of plant types on the physical structure and chemical properties of open-cast mining soils reclaimed for 15 years, and to analyze the triggering factors of the soil formation. Results indicate that plant types affect soil-forming process especially in the upper layer (0-20 cm), and the spatial structure of reclaimed plant is the main reason for variability of the soil-forming process. In the upper soil layer at the site reclaimed with mixed plants, the concentrations of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) are the highest, and they were significantly higher at the sites reclaimed with Leymus chinensis, Caragana sinica, which is mainly due to a large amount of litter fall and root exudation in herbages and shrubs. However, the concentrations of SOM and SOC in the soils at the reclaimed sites are quite low comparing with those in local primary soil, which indicates the importance of using organic amendments during the ecological restoration in the study area.

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Section: Triggering Factors Of Soil Formationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Impact Of Different Plant Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia, China

Lin

Jian-jun

et al. 2010

Chin. Geogr. Sci.

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“…Legal requirements for restoring natural ecosystems have become the norm for many human activities that alter or transform natural environments, such as mining (Holl 2002;Moreno-de las Heras et al 2008;Tischew et al 2010). The pressure for such legislation arose because the on and off-site impacts of damaged sites, such as dust and polluted runoff, adversely affected human welfare and compelled society to enact laws and regulations (Milton et al 2003).…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

System dynamic modelling to assess economic viability and risk trade-offs for ecological restoration in South Africa

Crookes¹,

Blignaut²,

M³

et al. 2013

Journal of Environmental Management

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Can markets assist by providing support for ecological restoration, and if so, under what conditions? The first step in addressing this question is to develop a consistent methodology for economic evaluation of ecological restoration projects. A risk analysis process was followed in which a system dynamics model was constructed for eight diverse case study sites where ecological restoration is currently being pursued. Restoration costs vary across each of these sites, as do the benefits associated with restored ecosystem functioning. The system dynamics model simulates the ecological, hydrological and economic benefits of ecological restoration and informs a portfolio mapping exercise where payoffs are matched against the likelihood of success of a project, as well as a number of other factors (such as project costs and risk measures). This is the first known application that couples ecological restoration with system dynamics and portfolio mapping. The results suggest an approach that is able to move beyond traditional indicators of project success, since the effect of discounting is virtually eliminated. We conclude that systems dynamic modelling with portfolio mapping can guide decisions on when markets for restoration activities may be feasible.

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“…Reclamation programs involving mine soils provide the rare opportunity to examine ecosystem development from scratch (Pedrol et al 2010). Analysis of the spatial distribution patterns of afforested plants on reclaimed mine spoils may provide information for testing the underlying reclamation measures and thereby improve reclamation operations (Moreno-de las Heras et al 2008). However, little attention has been paid to the processes and spatial patterns of afforested plants, which are important factors for examining whether or not the underlying reclamation measures have been able to create sustainable plant communities and to provide theoretical evidence for improving ecological recovery techniques (Zhao et al 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of population structure and spatial distribution patterns of a restored forest during 17-year succession (1993–2010) in Pingshuo opencast mine spoil, China

Zhao

Wang

Bai

et al. 2015

Environ Monit Assess

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Afforestation of native tree species is often recommended for ecological restoration in mining areas, but the understanding of the ecological processes of restored vegetation is quite limited. In order to provide insight of the ecological processes of restored vegetation, in this study, we investigate the development of the population structure and spatial distribution patterns of restored Robinia pseudoacacia (ROPS) and Pinus tabuliformis (PITA) mixed forests during the 17 years of the mine spoil period of the Pingshuo opencast mine, Shanxi Province, China. After a 17-year succession, apart from the two planted species, Ulmus pumila (ULPU), as an invasive species, settled in the plot along with a large number of small diameter at breast height (DBH) size. In total, there are 10,062 living individual plants, much more than that at the plantation (5105), and ROPS had become the dominant species with a section area with a breast height of 9.40 m(2) hm(-2) and a mean DBH of 6.72 cm, much higher than both PITA and ULPU. The DBH size classes of all the total species showed inverted J-shaped distributions, which may have been a result of the large number of small regenerated ULPU trees. The DBH size classes of both ROPS and PITA showed peak-type structures with individuals mainly gathering in the moderate DBH size class, indicating a relatively healthy DBH size class structure. Meanwhile, invasive ULPU were distributed in a clear L shape, concentrating on the small DBH size class, indicating a relatively low survival rate for adult trees. Both ROPS and PITA species survival in the plantation showed uniform and aggregated distribution at small scales and random with scales increasing. ULPU showed a strong aggregation at small scales as well as random with scales increasing. Both the population structure and spatial distribution indicated that ROPS dominates and will continue to dominate the community in the future succession, which should be continuously monitored.

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Vegetation succession in reclaimed coal-mining slopes in a Mediterranean-dry environment

Cited by 139 publications

References 28 publications

Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia, China

Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia, China

System dynamic modelling to assess economic viability and risk trade-offs for ecological restoration in South Africa

Development of population structure and spatial distribution patterns of a restored forest during 17-year succession (1993–2010) in Pingshuo opencast mine spoil, China

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