RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Soil thickness and porosity as indicators of the ecological restoration success: The case study of a reclaimed coal-mine slope in a Mediterranean area
A1 López Marcos, Daphne
A1 Turrión Nieves, María Belén
A1 García Duro, Juan
A1 Martínez Ruiz, Carolina
K1 Soil functionality indicators
K1 Soil amelioration
K1 Fabaceae
K1 Poaceae
K1 Available water
K1 Cation exchangeable capacity
K1 Total organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio
K1 2511 Ciencias del Suelo (Edafología)
AB Open-cast mine ecological restoration is challenging due to the total removal of vegetation and soil. Thus,restoring soil functionality is a key goal to underpin long-term ecosystem resilience. Understanding soil prop-erties change during the revegetation process is essential for evaluating restoration success efforts and guidingadaptive management based on reliable soil indicators. We assessed two vegetation patches representing distinctsuccessional stages –grassland (pioneer) and shrubland (mature)– on the same mine slope restored eleven yearsprior. Within each patch, 18 plots (3 transects × 6 sampling units) were established to analyse topography, plantfamily cover, and soil physicochemical properties. Soil thickness and porosity emerged as the most explicativeindicators (20 % and 17 %, respectively) for vegetation cover variance. These were also strongly associated withboth functional soil recovery indicators (C/N ratio, cation exchange capacity, available water) and vegetationprogression indicators (Fabaceae and Poaceae %cover), based on structural equation modeling and principalcomponent analysis. Fabaceae and other families, typically associated with late-successional stages, were linkedto low porosity and deeper soils, while Poaceae and Asteraceae, indicative of early successional stages, wereassociated with high porosity and shallow soils. We propose soil thickness and porosity as cost-effective andeasily measurable indicators for monitoring ecological restoration on post-mining slopes, as they reflect both soilrecovery and vegetation dynamics. We also recommend their inclusion in restoration monitoring protocols tosupport adaptive management and improve alignment with international ecological restoration standards.
PB Elsevier
SN 0925-8574
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78660
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/78660
LA eng
NO Ecological Engineering, 2025, vol. 222, p. 107783
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 05-nov-2025