Vegetation and soil development on reclaimed mine lands at high elevation in south eastern British Columbia
| dc.contributor.author | Fyles, James William | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-08-13T22:25:12Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-08-13T22:25:12Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 1980 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 1980 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Biology | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Science M.Sc. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | The establishment of a functioning soil/vegetation system on coal mine spoils near timberline in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains is rapid under intensively managed conditions. Although the vegetation appears to be dependent on fertilization for a period of approximately five years, after this time the reclaimed areas are, in many respects, similar to unmanaged native grassland. The rate of development toward this condition is strongly influenced by microclimate and soil nutrient status as modified by fertilization and spoil characteristics. A decrease in soil pH and increases in root and shoot biomass production, detritus accumulation, soil co2 evolution in both field and laboratory and cellulose decomposition occur during the first six years following seeding. High levels of total soil nitrogen exist in all sites because of indigenous nitrogen in the waste rock. Variable levels of available phosphorus appear to be related to the duration of snow cover and the composition of spoil materials and may influence soil microbial activity through an interaction with nitrogen. The major differences between native grassland and mature reclaimed areas appear to be related to differences in the quality of soil organic matter between these systems. Grassland soils contain higher levels of humus, causing lower C:N ratios and high nitrogen mineralization rates. Reclaimed areas may be considered nutrient self- sufficient when nitrogen mineralization occurs without fertilization at a rate adequate to support the desired level of plant growth. The production of organic detritus by fertilization of reclaimed areas is a practical method to encourage nutrient self-sufficiency through the build-up of organic matter and the improvement of nutrient cycling. A three stage sequence describing the ecological development of high elevation reclaimed lands in southeastern British Columbia is proposed. | en_US |
| dc.format.extent | 80 pages | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/17845 | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | en_US |
| dc.title | Vegetation and soil development on reclaimed mine lands at high elevation in south eastern British Columbia | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
Files
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
- Name:
- FYLES_James_William_MSC_1980_191454.pdf
- Size:
- 9.03 MB
- Format:
- Adobe Portable Document Format