Investigation of ecosystem legacy-based mine reclamation techniques : effects of soil transfers, forest connectivity and plant–soil feedbacks on soil food web recovery and plant establishment
department or school: Forestry, Faculty of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: McMahen, Katie (Kathleen)
issued: 2020-11-06T17:43:52Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Primary successional post-mining landscapes present physical, chemical and biological barriers to terrestrial ecosystem recovery. I investigated if legacies of the pre-disturbance ecosystem can be applied to help overcome these barriers, leveraging the processes that guide succession following natural disturbances. In a three-year field experiment at the Mount Polley Mine, Canada and in a greenhouse experiment using tailings, overburden and forest soil from the mine, I tested if (1) adding small volumes of forest soil to the seedling rooting zone during planting and (2) spatial connectivity with undisturbed forest would improve soil food web recovery and plant establishment. Soil additions improved seedling growth and/or nutrition in the greenhouse and field, corresponding with greater root colonization by microbial mutualists. In the field, soil additions increased soil faunal diversity and caused bacterial community shifts consistent with advancing succession, with greater benefits in lower quality soils. Sterilized greenhouse controls revealed that a later successional conifer benefited primarily from the biological inoculum, while an early successional shrub benefited more from the improved soil physiochemical conditions. Greater proximity to undisturbed forest increased plant diversity and shifted soil microbial communities, showing that retained patches of intact ecosystems can counteract dispersal limitations. Short-distance belowground connectivity with undisturbed forest improved plant diversity and mycorrhizal fungal community establishment but decreased seedling growth compared to areas “disconnected” with trenches. Field-testing of soil additions and spatial connectivity in conjunction with site preparation showed that application of ecosystem legacies can have additive benefits with reclamation methods targeting soil physical improvements. In a second greenhouse experiment, I tested if plants establishing in mine reclamation materials regenerate soil mi…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/76473
note: INVESTIGATION OF ECOSYSTEM LEGACY-BASED MINE RECLAMATION TECHNIQUES: EFFECTS OF SOIL TRANSFERS, FOREST CONNECTIVITY AND PLANT–SOIL FEEDBACKS ON SOIL FOOD WEB RECOVERY AND PLANT ESTABLISHMENT by Katie (Kathleen) McMahen B.Sc., The University of British Columbia, 2011 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Forestry) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) November 2020 © Katie (Kathleen) McMahen, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Investigation of ecosystem legacy-based mine reclamation techniques: effects of soil transfers, forest connectivity and plant–soil feedbacks on soil food web recovery and plant establishment submitted by Katie McMahen in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry Examining Committee: Dr. Suzanne Simard (Faculty of Forestry, UBC) Supervisor Dr. Leslie Lavkulich (Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC) Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Susan Grayston (Faculty of Forestry, UBC) Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Cindy Prescott (Faculty of Forestry, UBC) University Examiner Dr. Sean Smukler (Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC) University Examiner Additional Supervisory Committee Members: Dr. Carolyn Anglin (Anglin and Associates) Supervisory Committee Member iii Abstract Primary successional post-mining landscapes present physical, chemical and biological barriers to terrestrial ecosystem recovery. I investigated if legacies of the pre-disturbance ecosystem can be applied to help overcome these barriers, leveraging the processes that guide succession following natural disturbances. In a three-year field experiment at the Mount Polley Mine, Canada and in a greenhouse experiment using tailings, overburden and forest soil from the mine, I tested if…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2021-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0394928
language: eng
degree discipline: Forestry
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76473