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Susitna Joint Venture
Document Number
J.D21
Please Return To
DOCUM ENT CONTROL
BELOW-GROUND ECOSYSTEMS PRO~ECT
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constructed and used to simulate rainfall by applying water at a uniform
rate (intensity).All runoff and eroded sediment was collected and measur-
ed.In addition to infiltration/runoff relationships,this method provides
an estimation of the erodibility of the surficial materials by measurements
of the quantity of sediment contained in the runoff.
Four different areas were tested at the mine site.Two were unmined
areas:one contained soil developed from alluvium,while the second contain-
ed sandstone parent material.Two mined areas were also examined:one was
an area of 1I0 ldll minesoil,the other contained regraded and rec laimed "newll
minesoil.Before each infiltration test was started,the amount of vegeta-
tive cover and the slope characteristics were measured.Soil samples were
collected at 7.S-cm increments to a depth of 30 em for subsequent laboratory
analysis,and bulk density was measured at various depths with a neutron
probe.Each of the four areas was tested with water application rates of 5
and 10 cm/hr,and at least six individual tests were conducted in each
area.
All laboratory analyses required to fully characterize the physical
characteristics of the pedologic/geologic materials to a depth of 30 cm were
completed during 1980.For each 7.S-cm depth increment,determinations were
made for grain-size distribution,average particle density,moisture content
before and after testing,and moisture retention characteristics.Organic
matter content was also determined for the upper 7.5-cm increment.The
quant ity of sediment contained in each runoff sample was also measured.
All analytical results were compiled,additional parameters were calculated
from these basic data,and preliminary data analyses and interpretation were
begun.A report describing the results of this study will be prepared in
1981.
2.8 BELOW-GROUND ECOSYSTEMS PROJECT (R.M.Miller,
Project Coordinator)
2.8.1 Background
The surface mining of large coal depos its in the western United
States will result in the disturbanc'e of extensive tracts of land requiring
reclamation.Although the exact criteria defining successful reclamation in
the West have yet to be determined,the establishment of vegetation that
approximates the pre-mining communities in both composition and productivity
is the goal of most reclamation strategies.Furthermore,current regula-
tions require that revegetation be accomplished quickly in comparison to the
rate of natural succession.Thus,a better understanding is needed of the
ecology,physiology,and edaphic factors in natural and disturbed ecosystems
in order to evaluate what constitutes successful reclamation of mined land
and to determine what can realistically be expected under the time con-
straints of Office of Surface Mining regulations.
E .2.8.2 Approach
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Current research in this project is directed at understanding the
consequences of different topsoil-handling procedures on reestablishment of
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below-ground processes ecosystems.Soil physical and chemical character-
istics are also being investigated to determine those factors of soil
fert il i ty and moisture that may aid or control seed ling estab.lishment and
vegetation distribution in both disturbed and native soils.Current in-
vestigations will also elucidate the role of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza
(YAM)in revegetat ion.
[Several investigations are currently under way and address the
following questions:
[•What is the relationship between colonizing plant
species and YAM?
•What are the survival dynamics of YAM propagules during
topsoil storage?
During the study on the effects of topsoil storage on vesicular-
arbuscular mycorrhiza (see sect ion 2.1.3 in this report),soil samples
were also acquired for determination of those soil parameters that may be
affected by the stockpil ing process.Due to the heterogeneous nature of
these storage piles,result·ing not only from how they are built but also
from the composition of soil and plant materials layered or mixed within,
trends are difficult to discern.Correlation coefficients are presented in
Tab le 12 for Jim Bridger stockpiles ranging in age from 0.5 to 6 years.
and Stora2e on SoilsEffects
What are the population dynamics of YAM fungi ln
disturbed and undisturbed soils?
What are the soil factors that control YAM and plant
community distributions?
•
Acco!l1plishments
•
•What transformations occur in soil during storage that
may influence seedling establishment?
2.8.3
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Many of the changes that take place in stored topsoil are related to
the duration of storage.Leaf litter,shrub stems,roots,etc.,in the
stockpile will be acted upon by the soil microflora;the exact conditions
are controlled by the amount of moisture and oxygen present,but the
cellulose within the plant material will be broken down,result ing in an
increase in water-soluble organic carbon,(Table 13).We believe that this
soluble carbon pool is composed of organic acids.The limiting factor for
the reaction rate at the Jim Bridger site is moisture,since the anaerobic
conditions nec~ssary for organic acid production are present.We are
currently investigating acetic acid,butyric acid,and propionic acid
levels in stored topsoil.These acids are detrimental to root development
and may be the "staling factor"of stored topsoils.Also,since moisture
is accumulating due to infiltration of the stockpiles,these acids could
be spread throughout the pile from localized pockets of activity.
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Table 12 Correlation Coefficients for Soil
Parameters,Age,and Moisture Levels a
Correlation Coefficient
Age In-situ H20
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Soil Parameter
Electrical Conduc t ivi ty
Water Soluble Carbon
Organic Carbon
Total Nitrogen
Olsen Phosphorus
Total Phosphorus
Mineral Nitrogen
Saturation Percent
In-situ H20
0.44***
0.58***
0.37***
0.36***
0.52*'**
0.31**
0.21*
0.38***
0.42***
0.41***
0.46**
0.28**
0.31**
0.09 n.s.
0.14 n.s.
0.02 n.s.
0.54***
Some Changes in Organic Carbon during Storage of Soil
96;n.s.•not significant;*...P <0.05;
P <0.01;and ***=P <0.001}[
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Table 13
Wakley-Black
Organic Carbon
(%)
Mineralizable
Carbon (lJg/g
soil;7 days)
Water Soluble
Carbon
(lJg/g soil)
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Atriplex confertifolia
community soil 0.81 110 58
Stockpiled topsoil
(8 months)0.67 63 116
Stockpiled topsoil
72 months 0.70 45 169
Many of the factors associated with storage are difficult to quan-
tify.Also,in many cases,the stored soils appear to be more fertile
than the undisturbed soils in terms of plant nutrients.The problem,
besides the staling factor,is that stockpiling results in a disruption of
soil physical characteristics,Le.,loss of soil structure and increased
bulk density.In the undisturbed soils,soil aggregates are of major
importance to soil stabilization.After storage,a loss of aggregates was
evident.Also,increases in electrical conductivity were found with storage
and appear to be associated with release of sequestered salts during the
breakdown of plant material.The addition of these salts to the soils
results in the disperson of clays,causing the soils to seal up.All of
these conditions would severely limit seedling establishment on reapplied
stored topsoil.
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Sub ro"ect B:Effects of To soil Handlin on Soil Microfun L
Of the Red Desert Investigators:R.M.Miller,
S.C.Rabatin,and S.Pippen)
In order to better understand the effects of topsoil storage and
different topsoil handling techniques on arid soil ecosystems,a syneco-
logical study 6f soil microfungi was undertaken.By means of a soil-
dilution plating technique,soil microfungal distributions were determined
for three undisturbed plant communities,the reclamation treatment plots,
and a five-year-old topsoil stockpile at the Jim Bridger Mine.Table 14
summarizes some of the findings of this investigation.All soil treatments
were found to have equal microfungal diversity;this was also true for
species richness on a per-sample basis.The total number of microfungal
species encountered was found to differ significantly (p =<0.05)for the
five-year stored topsoil.It appears that this loss of species richness is
only temporary since once the soil is reapplied (stored-applied soil),these
soils have a richness similar to the·other soils evaluated,Table 16.Even
though no significant changes in diversity were observed,except for those
ment ionedabove,the disturbed soils,Le.,direct-applied ,stored-applied,
and five-year stored topsoils,each contain a different soil microfungal
community.Doratomyces stemonites,Chrysoporum panorum,and xerophilic
penicillia were found to favor disturbed soils,while Myrothecium roridum
favored the undisturbed community soils.The predominance of xerophilic
penicillia --mainly Penicillium cyclopium series --in stored and stored-
applied topsoils,could be of major consequence,since many studies have
associated this group of fungi with storage rot of grains (Pitt,1979)"
The increase in the density of xerophilic penicillia during storage and
Table 14 Diversity as Measured by Brillouin's Index and
Species Richness (number of taxa)for Soil
Microfungi From Stockpiled Topsoil,Reclamation
Treatment Plots,and Undisturbed Community Soils a
Mean No.Total Taxa Brillouint s
Treatment Taxa/Sample (550 colonies)Index
Atriplex confertifolia
Community Soil 11.2A 37A 0.7282A
Atriplex gardneri
Community Soil 11.IA 38A 0.7726A
Artemisia tridentata
Community Soil 13.9A 4lA 0.8091A
Direct-Applied Topsoil 12.3A 38A 0.7917A
Stored-Applied Topsoil l3.8A 38A 0.8002A
Stockpiled Topsoil
After 5 Years 11.9A 30B 0.7296A
SValues followed by same capital letter are not significantly
different at P -0.05
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the continued high density of these organisms after replacement,along with
the associated lack of volunteer native plant establishment on the stored-
applied topsoils,suggest an association between this group of fungi and
apparent seed loss.Support ive of these findings are the high levels of
volunteer nat ive plants established on direct-applied topsoil (Figure 4);
these soils also have lower dens it ies of xerophi lie penicillia.Studies
have been initiated to look at the potential cause/effect of these trends.
Subproject C:Some Effects of Halogeton Litter on Agropyron
smithii Seedlings (Investigators:K.L.Fishbeck and
R.M.Miller)
Several past studies of disturbed areas in the Great Basin suggest
that the annual weedy invader Halogeton glomeratus may exclude other plant
species and be the dominant plant form for many years after disturbance.
One of the ways in which exclusion may occur is through a loss of viability
of VAM propagules or the prevention of VAM endophyte infection of roots.
Earlier studies in this project indicated that a reduction of VAM infection
occurred in Agropyron seedlings when halogeton litter was added to the
pot.We repeated the experiment and varied the type of litter,dose,
application method,and watering regime on Agropyron smithii seedlings.
After 30 days growth,plants were harvested and measurements were taken for
shoot dry weight,root ~ry weight,leaf height,number of blades,and
percent mycorrhizal infect ion.Leaf and root tissue were analyzed for
phosphorus,nitrogen,potassium,copper,and zinc.Soils were analyzed for
organic carbon,total nitrogen,total phosphorus,electrical conductivity,
and mineral nitrogen.
It appears that the effects of halogeton litter on VAM are dose
dependent and that the dose effect is only evident under a frequent watering
regime (Table 15).The more moisture,the greater the litter effect.In
Table 16,a summary of litter type and dose effects are presented for the
24-hour watering regime.The greatest effect of litter,regardless of type,
is on root biomass where,with an increase in litter,a decrease in root
biomass occurred.Conversely,shoot biomass results are litter-type depen-
dent with shoot yields in the Atriplex confertifolia litter treatment
similar to those of the control (no litter).The soil and plant nutritional
data are currently being analyzed.
Table 15 Effects of Watering Regimes and Dose Rates of
Halogeton glomeratus Litter (standing dead)on
Mycorrhiza Formation in Agropyron smithii a
(J Watering Regime
(to 0.3 bar)o
Litter Dosefi)
1.0 3.0
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Every Day 69.94 ~1.73 68.15 ~2.21
Every Other 'Day 64.00 +1.94 62.34 +1.75
aDose,Dose •water significant at P •<0.05.
59.58 +1.08
63.87 +1.79
e-tJ IC"T':J C"T:'1 r:::'"J ~[L"i,Jj a:-:JD rT::"J cr:J [[CJ C:"j [,,',J c-J r-J r-J r""J r-J r-J r-:J .
Table 16 Litter Effects on Agropyron smithii Biomass and Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Infections
Treatment
Litter Root Biomass Shoot Biomass
dry wt.(g),SIR
Total Biomass
dry wt.(g)
Mycorrhiza
(%)
No Litter
Atriplex
confert ifolia
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0.725 +1.340A 0.488 +0.029AB
0.559 +0.094AB 0.520 +0.041A
0.748 +0.123B
1.002 +0.117B
1.213 +'O.145A 69.9 +1.7
1.079 +0.128AB 69.8 +2.4
Atriplex
confert ifolia
Agropyron smithii
Agropyron smithii
Halogeton
glomeratus
Halogeton
glomeratus
3
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3
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0.411 +0.022BC
0.448 +0.060B
0.321 +0.051BC
0.350 +0.049BC
O.185 +O.046C
0.513 +0.031AB
0.455 +0.020ABC
0.365 +0.038CD
0.403 +0.057BCD
0.299 +0.024D
1.271 +O.1-27B
1.129 +0.228B
1.257 +0.255B
1.154 +0.051B
2.365 +0.835A
0.924 +0.028BC
0.903 +0.066BC
0.686 +0.066CD
0.752 +0.106CD
0.484 +0.068D
67.6 +2.0
72.3 +1.6
66.3 +2.4
68.2 +2.2
59.6 +J.l 0\
(X)
NOTE:Means in the same column followed by different letters are significantly different (p a <0.05);n •5.
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Halogeton litter appears to cause a decrease in infection of Agro-
pyron roots with mycorrhizal fungi.The question that needs to be answered
is whether these effects are on the germination of mycorrhizal spores or on
the infection process itself.
[.Soil Parameters and M corrhiza Infection Potential
and K.A.Albrecht
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The soil factors that appear to be associated wi th high inoculum
potentials are for the most part related to plant-available soil moisture
levels,soil-plant moisture availability and soil aeration.Correlation
coefficients for mycorrhizal infect ion potential by treatment versus each
of the significant soil parameters are presented in Table 17.For all
plots,an osmotic effect was evident;with increasing soil salinity there is
a corresponding decrease in infection potential.Soils that have favorable
aeration characteristics also have high inoculum potentials.The positive
correlations for sand and porosity and the negative associat ion of 0.3-bar
moisture level and silt support this contention.In an arid ecosystem,
soils that retain moisture also accumulate salts.Thus,soils with good
porosity and drainage characteristics have high mycorrhizal inoculum poten-
tials.These soil factors support VAM fungi in which most of the reproduc-
tive effort is allocated within the root,essentially giving rise to eco-
types of the Glomus fasiculatus group which produce few spores externally.
The product ion of large numbers of spores would not be advantageous since
the soils that could retain the moisture necessary to·enable spore germina-
tion in arid ecosystems are also soils in which the osmotic conditions would
be detrimental to the germination process.
In order to determine moisture effects on spore production,Agropyron
smithii was grown under glasshouse conditions for three years on soil
from an Atriplex confertifolia-Artemesia tridentata community at the
Bridger site.The watering regime was an every-other day schedule.At the
The investigation indicates that soils with good aeration and drain-
age characteristics favor a higher spore dens ity than those soils wi th
high salt contents,Le.,soils with high electrical conductivity and low
pH.These findings are in agreement with the bioassay data~which displayed
similar trends.
ore Distribution
Miller,
ect E:
VAM spore numbers in undisturbed soils at the Bridger site have-been
investigated (Miller,1980).It was found that Atriplex gardneri community
soils contained few,if any,spores,whereas Atriplex confertifolia and
Artemisia tridentata community soils 'contained approximately 16 and 20
spores per 100 g,respectively.The only VAM species encountered were of
the Glomus fasiculatus complex.The soils from these undisturbed communi-
ties have subsequently been analyzed for more than 30 soil chemical and
physical parameters.Table 18 presents those soil factors found to in-
fluence spore distribution significantly.
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Table 17 Relationship betwe~n Infection Potential and
Soil Parameters for Undisturbed and Reclama-
tion Treatment Soils at the Jim Bridger Mine
Site a
a(n.s.=not significant;n.d.•not determined;*=P =<0.05;
**=P =<0.01;***=p •<0.001).
Mycorrhizal Infection Potential
(Correlation Coefficients)
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Soil
Parameter
Electrical Conductivity
Exchangeable Potassium
Percentage
Available Phosphorus
Total Phosphorus
Total Cations
Exchangeable Potassium
Exchangeable Calcium
Exchangeable Magnesium
pH (5:1)
Moisture (0.3 bar)
Porosity
Field Moisture
Sand
Silt
Clay
Number of Samples
Undisturbed
Soil
-0.509**
-0.445*
n.s.
n.s.
n.s.
-0.624***
n.s.
-0.426*
n.s.
-0.580**
0.543**
n.s.
0.557**
-0.465*
n.s.
25
Reclamation
Treatment
Soils
-0.365**
n.s.
0.384**
n.s.
-0.522***
0.379**
-0.499***
-0.334**
0.332**
n.d.
n.d.
-0.345**
n.s.
n.s.
0.305*
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Undisturbed
Plus
Reclamation
-0.465***
-0.387**
n.s.
-0.278**
-0.314**
n.s.
-0.274**
-0.330**
n.s.
n.d.
n.d.
-0.272**
n.s.
-0.268**
n.s.
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end of the three year period,a seven-fold increase in spore numbers
was found over the number of spores extracted from the soil at the time of
collection (Table 19).Analysis of variance for square-root transformed
counts reveals a highly significant (0.01 <P <0.001)component of variance
due to 'glasshouse effects.Fungal species differences were also observed;
although both soils were dominated by spores representing the Glomus fasci-
culatus complex,glasshouse soils revealed Glomus mosseae as a small
fraction (2.5%)of the total spore number.Glomus mosseae spores have
not been observed previously in soils from the Bridger study area.This
suggests that water may be the limiting factor responsible for spore den-
sity.However,the native·soils that support high spore numbers are also
the soils which drain readily.Also,considering the infrequent nature of
rainfall event at the mine site,conditions necessary to produce high spore
densities are rare.Those soils that have high moisture levels also have
high salt accumulation,nullifying the moisture effect.
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Table 18 Significant Correlation
Coefficients for VAM
Spores and Soil Parameters
for Undisturbed Community
Soils a
Table 19 Variation in the Total Number of
Endomycorrhizal Fungus Spores
from Undisturbed Jim Bridger Soil
and a Comparable Soil a Support-
ing Agropyron smithii in a Glass-
house for Three Years
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Soil Parameter
pH
Electrical Conductivity
Cation Exchange Capacity
Extractable Phosphorus
Organic Carbon
Total Nitrogen
Soil Moisture <0.3 bar)
•Field Moisture
Part ide Dens ity
Porosity
Sand
Clay
Total Cations
an =27.
Correlation
Coefficient
-0.533**
-0.51**
0.410*
0.462*
0.436*
0.431*
-0.467**
-0.377*
-0.469**
0.481**
0.485**
-0.497**
-0.453*
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Sampleb Bridger Soil Glasshouse Soil
1 11 233
2 8 302
3 71 248
4 57 123
5 39 528
Mean 37 269
Std.Error 12 67
aFrom an Atriplex confertifolia-
Artemisia tridentata community.
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Distribution Category:
Coal Mining (UC-88)
ANL/LRP-12
ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne,Illinois 60439
LAND RECLAMATION PROGRAM
ANNUAL REPORT
1980
R.P.Carter,Program Director
R.R.Hinchman,Deputy Program Director
S.D.Zellmer,Deputy Program Director
May 1981
Contributors
K.A.Albrecht M.W.Findlay S.C.Rabatin
1.M.Anderson K.L.Fishbeck J.P.Schubert
J.R.Bernard R.R.Hinchman P.Smedinghoff
J.E.Bogner J.D.Jastrow A. A.Sobek
C.A.Boyd J.R.LaFevers L.F.Soholt
R.P.Carter A.E.Liberta H.C.Stutz
D..M.Curnock S.W.May J.D.Taylor
E.H.Dettman R.M.Miller W.S.Vinikour
A.J.Dvorak R.D.Olsen S.D.Zellmer
D.E.Edgar S.Pippen A.L.Zoeller
P.F.Prodan
Prepared for the U~S.Department of Energy as part of the Argonne Land
Reclamation Program,a joint effort of the Energy and Environmental
Systems Division and the Division of Environmental Impact Studies.