Vegetation development and nutrients supply of trees in habitats with high sulfur concentration in reclaimed former sulfur mines Jeziórko (Southern Poland)

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2017-09, Vol.24 (25), p.20556-20566
• Main Authors: Likus-Cieślik, Justyna, Pietrzykowski, Marcin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Betula; Betula - growth & development; Betula - metabolism; Birch trees; Calamagrostis epigejos; conifer needles; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Foliage; habitats; Leaves; Mine reclamation; Mining; Neutralization; nitrogen; Nitrogen - analysis; Nutrient content; Nutrients; Phosphorus; Phosphorus - analysis; Pine needles; Pine trees; Pinus - growth & development; Pinus - metabolism; Plant Leaves - metabolism; Poland; pollutants; Reclamation; Reforestation; Research Article; Soil - chemistry; Soil analysis; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil pollution; Soil properties; Sulfur; Sulfur - analysis; trees; Trees - growth & development; Trees - metabolism; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wood
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9638-5

The paper presents an assessment of vegetation (composition and cover-abundance), nutrient supply, and especially sulfur accumulation in the trees foliage (birch and pine) used in reforestation and wood small-reed ( Calamagrostis epigejos ( L. ) Roth) appearing in succession on reclaimed areas of the former Jeziórko sulfur mine (southern Poland, Tarnobrzeg region). In researched area, three categories of vegetation cover were determined: category D—degraded and unsuccessfully reforested plots, and two categories with successful reforestation: P—pine and B—birch stands. On each category, four study plots (4–6 areas each, depends on site category) were established. Soil and vegetation samplings (current year and 2-year-old pine needles, birch leaves, and wood small-reed foliage) were collected on the subplots established in regular grid square (10 × 10 m) in each category. Basic soil properties and nutrient content in soils and vegetation were analyzed. Trees grew well in areas where neutralization and reclamation treatments were carried out properly and showed a good supply of nutrients (exception of phosphorus and nitrogen), while on category D, only herbaceous vegetation with low cover-abundance and dominated by wood small-reed were noted. Linear correlations between the soil and trees nutrients content occurred, while the correlations between the soil and wood small-reed did not occur. Wood small-reed did not display increased sulfur uptake which may indicate a strategy of blocking pollutant uptake from the soil and may be recommended as a species resistant to sulfurous soils.