Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1037-1049 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Science of the Total Environment |
| Volume | 563-564 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2016 |
Abstract
Historic mining in the Eastern Alps has left us with a legacy of numerous spoil heaps hosting specific, metal tolerant vegetation. Such habitats are characterized by elevated concentrations of toxic elements but also by high irradiation, a poorly developed substrate or extreme pH of the soil. This study investigates the distribution of vascular plants, mosses and lichens on a copper spoil heap on the ore bearing Knappenberg formed by Prebichl Layers and Werfener Schist in Lower Austria. It serves as a model for discriminating between various ecological traits and their effects on vegetation. Five distinct clusters were distinguished: (1) The bare, metal rich Central Spoil Heap was only colonised by highly resistant specialists. (2) The Northern and (3) Southern Peripheries contained less copper; the contrasting vegetation was best explained by the different microclimate. (4) A forest over acidic bedrock hosted a vegetation overlapping with the periphery of the spoil heap. (5) A forest over calcareous bedrock was similar to the spoil heap with regard to pH and humus content but hosted a vegetation differing strongly to all other habitats. Among the multiple toxic elements at the spoil heap, only Cu seems to exert a crucial influence on the vegetation pattern. Besides metal concentrations, irradiation, humidity, humus, pH and grain size distribution are important for the establishment of a metal tolerant vegetation. The difference between the species poor Northern and the diverse Southern Periphery can be explained by the microclimate rather than by the substrate. All plant species penetrating from the forest into the periphery of the spoil heap originate from the acidic but not from the calcareous bedrock.
Keywords
- Copper pollution, Metal tolerance, Metallophytes, Mine residues, Ore minerals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Environmental Science(all)
- Pollution
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In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 563-564, 01.09.2016, p. 1037-1049.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The copper spoil heap Knappenberg, Austria, as a model for metal habitats – Vegetation, substrate and contamination
AU - Adlassnig, Wolfram
AU - Weiss, Yasmin S.
AU - Sassmann, Stefan
AU - Steinhauser, Georg
AU - Hofhansl, Florian
AU - Baumann, Nils
AU - Lichtscheidl, Irene K.
AU - Lang, Ingeborg
N1 - Funding Information: Thanks are due to Dr. A. Nagl, Dr. W. Punz, Dr. H. Zechmeister and Dr. A. Beran (University of Vienna) as well as Dr. M. Puschenreiter (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna), Dr. R. Türk (University of Innsbruck) and K. Wallner for kind help and discussion. Forstrat H. Mayer (Forstverwaltung Hirschwang) made research in the spring reserve possible. This study was supported by the ÖAD ( FA579003 ) (Appear-43/BIOREM) and the Hochschuljubiläumsstiftung der Stadt Wien ( H-304158/2014 ).
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - Historic mining in the Eastern Alps has left us with a legacy of numerous spoil heaps hosting specific, metal tolerant vegetation. Such habitats are characterized by elevated concentrations of toxic elements but also by high irradiation, a poorly developed substrate or extreme pH of the soil. This study investigates the distribution of vascular plants, mosses and lichens on a copper spoil heap on the ore bearing Knappenberg formed by Prebichl Layers and Werfener Schist in Lower Austria. It serves as a model for discriminating between various ecological traits and their effects on vegetation. Five distinct clusters were distinguished: (1) The bare, metal rich Central Spoil Heap was only colonised by highly resistant specialists. (2) The Northern and (3) Southern Peripheries contained less copper; the contrasting vegetation was best explained by the different microclimate. (4) A forest over acidic bedrock hosted a vegetation overlapping with the periphery of the spoil heap. (5) A forest over calcareous bedrock was similar to the spoil heap with regard to pH and humus content but hosted a vegetation differing strongly to all other habitats. Among the multiple toxic elements at the spoil heap, only Cu seems to exert a crucial influence on the vegetation pattern. Besides metal concentrations, irradiation, humidity, humus, pH and grain size distribution are important for the establishment of a metal tolerant vegetation. The difference between the species poor Northern and the diverse Southern Periphery can be explained by the microclimate rather than by the substrate. All plant species penetrating from the forest into the periphery of the spoil heap originate from the acidic but not from the calcareous bedrock.
AB - Historic mining in the Eastern Alps has left us with a legacy of numerous spoil heaps hosting specific, metal tolerant vegetation. Such habitats are characterized by elevated concentrations of toxic elements but also by high irradiation, a poorly developed substrate or extreme pH of the soil. This study investigates the distribution of vascular plants, mosses and lichens on a copper spoil heap on the ore bearing Knappenberg formed by Prebichl Layers and Werfener Schist in Lower Austria. It serves as a model for discriminating between various ecological traits and their effects on vegetation. Five distinct clusters were distinguished: (1) The bare, metal rich Central Spoil Heap was only colonised by highly resistant specialists. (2) The Northern and (3) Southern Peripheries contained less copper; the contrasting vegetation was best explained by the different microclimate. (4) A forest over acidic bedrock hosted a vegetation overlapping with the periphery of the spoil heap. (5) A forest over calcareous bedrock was similar to the spoil heap with regard to pH and humus content but hosted a vegetation differing strongly to all other habitats. Among the multiple toxic elements at the spoil heap, only Cu seems to exert a crucial influence on the vegetation pattern. Besides metal concentrations, irradiation, humidity, humus, pH and grain size distribution are important for the establishment of a metal tolerant vegetation. The difference between the species poor Northern and the diverse Southern Periphery can be explained by the microclimate rather than by the substrate. All plant species penetrating from the forest into the periphery of the spoil heap originate from the acidic but not from the calcareous bedrock.
KW - Copper pollution
KW - Metal tolerance
KW - Metallophytes
KW - Mine residues
KW - Ore minerals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84966714071&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.179
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.179
M3 - Article
C2 - 27185350
AN - SCOPUS:84966714071
VL - 563-564
SP - 1037
EP - 1049
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
ER -