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Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Microbial Respiration and Organic Carbon Indicate Nutrient Cycling Recovery in Reclaimed Soils

^a Dep. of Renewable Resources, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071
^b USDA-ARS, High Plains Grasslands Research Station, Cheyenne, WY 82009
^c Land Quality Division, Dep. of Environmental Quality, Cheyenne, WY 82002

^* Corresponding author (lachy{at}uwyo.edu)

Soil quality and the ability of soil to sustain nutrient cycling in drastically disturbed ecosystems will influence the establishment and maintenance of a permanent and stable plant community. We undertook research to evaluate a recently developed method to assess soil quality and nutrient cycling potential in a series of reclaimed soils. The method involves correlating the 3-d flush of microbial respiration after a soil is rewetted against a range of soil biological parameters. Soils were sampled from a number of reclaimed coal mines, a reclaimed uranium mine, and native, undisturbed prairie. All sites were located in semiarid Wyoming. Soils were dried at 55°C, rewetted, and microbial respiration measured at 3 d (Cmin_0–3d) and 21 d (Cmin_0–21d). In addition, microbial biomass C (MBC), N mineralization (Nmin_0–21d), soil organic C (SOC), and total N were also measured. Correlations between Cmin_0–3d and the measured soil parameters in reclaimed and native soils were generally strong (r² 0.45) and highly significant (P = 0.0001). Differences between reclaimed and native soils were observed, with native soils exhibiting more variability, possibly due to: differences in soil homogeneity/heterogeneity, the relative lability of the substrates present; different microbial communities; and differences in soil structural properties. Correlations between Cmin_0–3d and the measured soil parameters in spoil material, while significant, were less well correlated. We believe this method is a relatively fast, accurate, and economical means by which soil quality and nutrient cycling can be ascertained. We estimated that a minimum concentration of 0.52% SOC or 0.89% soil organic matter (SOM) is necessary to sustain an adequate level of nutrient cycling in these reclaimed soils.

Abbreviations: Cmin_0–3d, three-day microbial respiration • Cmin_0–21d, 21-day microbial respiration • MBC, microbial biomass carbon • N_i, inorganic nitrogen • Nmin_0–21d, 21-day N mineralization • OM, organic matter • SOC, soil organic carbon • SOM, soil organic matter