Vegetation Communities of a Coal Reclamation Site in Southeastern Ohio

Cavender, Nicole; Byrd, Shana; Bechtoldt, Catherine L.; Bauman, Jenise M.

doi:10.1656/045.021.0104

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…However, the distribution of woody cover was not uniform on PWMA. Furthermore, reclaimed mine lands can be dominated by large blocks of nonnative vegetation that persist for decades (Cavender et al ). Thus, management aimed at setting back succession (prescribed fire) is not needed as much as management aimed at improving the composition of vegetation (disking and herbicide applications) and advancing succession (increasing coverage and distribution of shrub cover).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Non‐native species are commonly planted during reclamation because they establish quickly and allow mining companies to fulfill their bond requirements. Extensive coverage of non‐native plants limits establishment of native herbaceous and woody vegetation by arresting succession and causing reclaimed mine lands to persist in these plant communities for decades (Brothers , Groninger et al , Cavender et al ). These reclamation practices may not provide high‐quality habitat for bobwhites because vegetation is dense at ground level, potentially impeding bobwhite movement and foraging.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Habitat manipulation influences northern bobwhite resource selection on a reclaimed surface mine

et al. 2015

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More than 600,000 ha of mine land have been reclaimed in the eastern United States, providing large contiguous tracts of early successional vegetation that can be managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). However, habitat quality on reclaimed mine land can be limited by extensive coverage of nonnative invasive species, which are commonly planted during reclamation. We used discrete-choice analysis to investigate bobwhite resource selection throughout the year on Peabody Wildlife Management Area, a 3,330-ha reclaimed surface mine in western Kentucky. We used a treatment-control design to study resource selection at 2 spatial scales to identify important aspects of mine land vegetation and whether resource selection differed between areas with habitat management (i.e., burning, disking, herbicide; treatment) and unmanaged units (control). Our objectives were to estimate bobwhite resource selection on reclaimed mine land and to estimate the influence of habitat management practices on resource selection. We used locations from 283 individuals during the breeding season (1 Apr-30 Sep) and 136 coveys during the non-breeding season (1 Oct-Mar 31) from August 2009 to March 2014. Individuals were located closer to shrub cover than would be expected at random throughout the year. During the breeding season, individuals on treatment units used areas with smaller contagion index values (i.e., greater interspersion) compared with individuals on control units. During the non-breeding season, birds selected areas with greater shrub-open edge density compared with random. At the microhabitat scale, individuals selected areas with increased visual obstruction >1 m aboveground. During the breeding season, birds were closer to disked areas (linear and non-linear) than would be expected at random. Individuals selected non-linear disked areas during winter but did not select linear disked areas (firebreaks) because they were planted to winter wheat each fall and lacked cover during the non-breeding season. Individuals also selected areas treated with herbicide to control sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) throughout the year. During the breeding season, bobwhites avoided areas burned during the previous dormant season. Habitat quality of reclaimed mine lands may be limited by a lack of shrub cover and extensive coverage of non-native herbaceous vegetation. Managers aiming to increase bobwhite abundance should focus on increasing interspersion of shrub cover, with no area >100 m from shrub cover. We suggest disking and herbicide application to control invasive species and improve the structure and composition of vegetation for bobwhites. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.KEY WORDS Colinus virginianus, discrete choice, habitat management, northern bobwhite, reclaimed surface mine, resource selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

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Habitat manipulation influences northern bobwhite resource selection on a reclaimed surface mine

et al. 2015

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“…However, despite these improvements, soil conditions on reclaimed mine sites remain low in fertility, high in compaction, prone to drought conditions, and subject to invasive herbaceous species (Steiger, 1996;Bauman et al, 2015). Our study only sampled from one SMCRA site and, therefore, our results did not reflect the regional changes in the fungal species pools or illustrate variations of soil chemistry among different sites within the region (Cavender et al, 2014). In addition, soil feedbacks, influenced by parent material, age of restoration, and the reclamation vegetation can ultimately influence both soil chemistry and below-ground soil fungal communities (Dickie et al, 2006;Burke et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Coal Mine Soils Influence Ectomycorrhizal Composition and Symbiosis

Bauman¹,

Hiremath²,

Santas³

2019

JASMR

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Surface mining for coal leads to significant changes in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community composition by removing host plants and altering the structure and chemistry of the soil environment. These changes impact ECM fungal composition and efficiency of ectomycorrhizal formation. This study investigates the influence of soil abiotic factors on ECM community composition and root colonization. Two different surface coal mine sites in Ohio, U.S.A. were used: an abandoned surface mine and a site reclaimed under the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977. Within the abandoned site, three unique conditions were delineated: 1) remnant forest edge, 2) restoration plots consisting of Pinus virginiana, and 3) non-vegetated sites. American chestnut (Castanea dentata Marsh. Borkh) were sown as nuts for use as ECM trap trees. The presence and identity of native ECM were determined by fungal DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Relationships between fungal genera and soil characteristics were determined by a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination. A multiple regression was used to determine which soil variables influenced ECM root colonization. Results illustrated significant differences between the abandoned mine soils when compared to the reclaimed soils in terms of pH, phosphorus, and potassium. ECM fungal composition was dependent upon the levels of phosphorus, organic matter, and magnesium in the soil. Certain ECM genera were associated with higher phosphorus and pH, while some were linked to nutrient impoverishment. Differences existed between two ectomycorrhizal fungal species within the Scleroderma genera, suggesting that not all species within a genus share environmental preferences. Organic matter was a significant predictor of ECM root colonization. Knowledge of these factors will be helpful for designing suitable mine reforestation strategies such as prediction of ECM fungi, use of ECM inoculum, and soil amendments.

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“…Grassland reclamation falls under SMCRA, but has led to higher rates of soil compaction and the proliferation of widespread ground covers that slow the natural encroachment of forests (e.g., Angel et al 2009;Groninger et al 2007). The groundcover vegetation commonly used in grassland reclamation are often low diversity and exotic cool season grasses and forbs, that tend to form denser biomass cover, are shallow rooted, and aggressive (e.g., Cavender et al 2014;Bauman et al 2015;Swab et al 2017).…”

Section: Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (Smcra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Forestry Reclamation Approach: Measuring Sediment Mass Accumulation Rates in Reclaimed Mine Lands and Naturally Regenerated Logged Forests of Eastern Kentucky

Bond¹

2019

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

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Vegetation Communities of a Coal Reclamation Site in Southeastern Ohio

Abstract: A manual and software for common statistical methods for ecological and biodiversity studies

Cited by 31 publications

References 22 publications

Habitat manipulation influences northern bobwhite resource selection on a reclaimed surface mine

Habitat manipulation influences northern bobwhite resource selection on a reclaimed surface mine

Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Coal Mine Soils Influence Ectomycorrhizal Composition and Symbiosis

The Forestry Reclamation Approach: Measuring Sediment Mass Accumulation Rates in Reclaimed Mine Lands and Naturally Regenerated Logged Forests of Eastern Kentucky

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