Central role of bedding materials for gypsum-quarry restoration: An experimental planting of gypsophile species

Ballesteros, Miguel; Cañadas, Eva M.; Foronda, Ana; Peñas, Julio; Valle, Francisco; Lorite, Juan

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.06.001

Cited by 49 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…It is a by-product of gypsum quarrying normally used to fill quarry pits and reshape the landscape after quarrying. Pilot studies have confirmed its suitability to conduct gypsum vegetation recovery3536. This material, often remaining in the quarried areas, is a suitable substrate to test lichen and adhesive performance.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Successful lichen translocation on disturbed gypsum areas: A test with adhesives to promote the recovery of biological soil crusts

Ballesteros

Ayerbe

Casares

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The loss of biological soil crusts represents a challenge for the restoration of disturbed environments, specifically in particular substrates hosting unique lichen communities. However, the recovery of lichen species affected by mining is rarely addressed in restoration projects. Here, we evaluate the translocation of Diploschistes diacapsis, a representative species of gypsum lichen communities affected by quarrying. We tested how a selection of adhesives could improve thallus attachment to the substrate and affect lichen vitality (as CO2 exchange and fluorescence) in rainfall-simulation and field experiments. Treatments included: white glue, water, hydroseeding stabiliser, gum arabic, synthetic resin, and a control with no adhesive. Attachment differed only in the field, where white glue and water performed best. Adhesives altered CO2 exchange and fluorescence yield. Notably, wet spoils allowed thalli to bind to the substrate after drying, revealing as the most suitable option for translocation. The satisfactory results applying water on gypsum spoils are encouraging to test this methodology with other lichen species. Implementing these measures in restoration projects would be relatively easy and cost-effective. It would help not only to recover lichen species in the disturbed areas but also to take advantage of an extremely valuable biological material that otherwise would be lost.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Successful lichen translocation on disturbed gypsum areas: A test with adhesives to promote the recovery of biological soil crusts

Ballesteros

Ayerbe

Casares

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Experimental slopes were built in October 2011 on an area of 0·7 ha using spoil (see properties in Table S1), derived from gypsum extraction. This material was chosen on the basis of pilot experiments (Ballesteros et al, 2012(Ballesteros et al, , 2014. The design of the experimental slopes ( Figure 1) included three factors: (1) slope; (2) aspect; and (3) treatment.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hydroseeding is a common sowing technique for quarry and road-side rehabilitation that is increasingly used in ecological restoration; this approach often requires the use of various mulches, stabilisers, fertilisers as well as mixtures of commercial and native species seeds (Matesanz et al, 2006;Brofas et al, 2007;García-Palacios et al, 2010). The inclusion of native species is increasingly being used in restoration projects especially under adverse climatic and soil conditions (Matesanz & Valladares, 2007;Bochet et al, 2010;Oliveira et al, 2012) and is particularly relevant when the recovery of specific vegetation targets associated with singular substrates is the restoration goal (O'Dell & Claassen, 2009;Whiting et al, 2010;Ballesteros et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, mining companies are compelled to conduct restoration programs despite the lack of information on the most appropriate ecological restoration techniques and procedures. The restoration of gypsicolous flora affected by quarrying has been the focus of previous studies (Mota et al, 2004;Dana & Mota, 2006;Ballesteros et al, 2012Ballesteros et al, , 2014. Spontaneous succession may take considerable time due to site-specific environmental conditions, as unstable and unsuitable substrates, lack of propagules, or competition with nontarget species (Mota et al, 2004;Dana & Mota, 2006;Prach & Řehounková, 2006;Gilardelli et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spontaneous succession may take considerable time due to site-specific environmental conditions, as unstable and unsuitable substrates, lack of propagules, or competition with nontarget species (Mota et al, 2004;Dana & Mota, 2006;Prach & Řehounková, 2006;Gilardelli et al, 2015). Active measures such as planting (Ballesteros et al, 2014) and sowing (Ballesteros et al, 2012) have been shown to provide good restoration of gypsicolous plant communities, but they have mainly been implemented on relatively flat landforms. Techniques for successful restoration of steeper landforms have only been partially addressed (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Restoration of Gypsicolous Vegetation on Quarry Slopes: Guidance for Hydroseeding under Contrasting Inclination and Aspect

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The establishment of gypsicolous vegetation of high conservation value on land impacted by quarrying requires restoration measures to overcome constraints imposed by the new landforms created in the process. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of three standard hydroseeding methods to restore gypsicolous vegetation on quarry spoil slopes under a dry Mediterranean climate. The treatments were as follows: paper cellulose mulch, paper cellulose mulch + organic blanket, and wood fibre mulch, compared against a control. These treatments were tested on two slopes (10–15% vs 60–65%) and two contrasting aspects (north vs south). We evaluated the cover of all plant species 2·8 years after treatment, assessing both target gypsicolous species and non‐target species. Our results showed strong compositional and cover differences between hydroseeded and control plots. Control plots had a low cover of target species with a vegetation composed of early‐successional species that had the potential to hinder target species establishment over time. All hydroseeding treatments improved target vegetation cover, with wood fibre performing best in most situations studied here, alternatives being the cheaper but less effective paper mulch on shallow slopes, or the more expensive paper mulch + blanket on steep slopes in case of high erosion risk. Shallow and southern‐steep slopes were more suitable for the recovery of gypsum vegetation by hydroseeding, compared to northern‐steep slopes where non‐target species developed more readily outcompeting target species. These results will help to guide management decisions to restore gypsicolous vegetation by hydroseeding in disturbed gypsum habitats. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

The Edaphism: Gypsum, Dolomite and Serpentine Flora and Vegetation

Poveda

Garrido-Becerra

Merlo

et al. 2017

Plant and Vegetation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Central role of bedding materials for gypsum-quarry restoration: An experimental planting of gypsophile species

Cited by 49 publications

References 35 publications

Successful lichen translocation on disturbed gypsum areas: A test with adhesives to promote the recovery of biological soil crusts

Successful lichen translocation on disturbed gypsum areas: A test with adhesives to promote the recovery of biological soil crusts

Restoration of Gypsicolous Vegetation on Quarry Slopes: Guidance for Hydroseeding under Contrasting Inclination and Aspect

The Edaphism: Gypsum, Dolomite and Serpentine Flora and Vegetation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About