Vegetation cover as an important factor affecting the properties and evolution of Spolic Technosols: A case study from a dump of the abandoned iron ore mine in central Poland

IF 5.4 1区农林科学 Q1 GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Catena Pub Date : 2025-03-13 DOI:10.1016/j.catena.2025.108906

Łukasz Uzarowicz , Wojciech Kwasowski , Jarosław Lasota , Ewa Błońska , Beata Górka-Kostrubiec , Magdalena Tarnawczyk , Damian Murach , Marta Gilewska , Weronika Gryczan , Edyta Pawłowicz , Piotr Jankowski

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The study’s objective was to examine the transformation of properties of Technosols following the spontaneous development of forest vegetation on a dump of the former Fe ore mine in central Poland. A sequence of soils representing sites with an increasing degree of development of the vegetation cover was studied. The development of vegetation contributed to the soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation in the topsoil, manifested by an increase in total organic carbon content (up to 39 % and 7.2 % in O and A horizons, respectively). Transformation of SOM in soil caused acidification of the topsoil (down to a pH of 4.7), followed by the leaching of carbonates. The soil-forming processes stimulated by the development of vegetation led to the release of pedogenic Fe and Al in the A horizons of the Technosols. This is confirmed by an increase of Al_ox + ½Fe_ox from 0.2 % in soils with no vegetation to 0.3–0.4 % in soils of the best-developed forest communities. The highest magnetic susceptibility (up to 39.9 × 10^–8 m³ kg⁻¹) was found in the topsoil (the A horizons) from the sites with the best-developed forest vegetation cover. This suggests that the progress of pedogenesis on the studied dump caused the formation of mineral phases (mostly Fe oxides) with higher magnetic susceptibility. The development of vegetation on the dump enhanced the microbial activity of Technosols, which was manifested by an increase in the soil enzyme activity in the topsoil. The research showed that plants are drivers of soil-forming and biological processes in Technosols developing on surfaces of mine waste dumps. The first effects of pedogenesis are restricted to the topsoil of studied Technosols. Vegetation development followed by the SOM accumulation leads to the transformation of soil properties and determines the course of further evolution of Technosols on mine waste dumps.

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来源期刊

Catena 环境科学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

10.50

自引率

9.70%

发文量

816

审稿时长

54 days

期刊介绍： Catena publishes papers describing original field and laboratory investigations and reviews on geoecology and landscape evolution with emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects of soil science, hydrology and geomorphology. It aims to disseminate new knowledge and foster better understanding of the physical environment, of evolutionary sequences that have resulted in past and current landscapes, and of the natural processes that are likely to determine the fate of our terrestrial environment. Papers within any one of the above topics are welcome provided they are of sufficiently wide interest and relevance.