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Title: Role of arthropods in developing soils on mine spoils. Final report

Abstract

In laboratory microcosms of coal mine spoil amended with bark and wood chips, the activity of termites increased organic matter and increased total nitrogen. Termite survival was reduced in microcosms with spoil and paper or straw amendments. Field studies evaluating the efficacy of organic amendments in developing a soil biota showed that decomposition rates of wood chip-bark amended spoil were the same as unmined soil and that decomposition rates were lower than all other mulch-spoil combinations. Wood and bark amended-spoil had the highest density and diversity of soil fauna. Top dressing spoils with borrow soil did not improve any of the soil biological parameters measured. Based on these data it was recommended that reclamation procedures be changed to eliminate borrow soil top-dressing and that wood removed from mined areas be returned to the contoured spoil as wood chip amendment in addition to straw mulch.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces (USA). Dept. of Biology
OSTI Identifier:
6326616
Report Number(s):
NP-1903439; EMD-2-68-3212
ON: DE81903439
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; SOILS; ARTHROPODS; FERTILITY; SPOIL BANKS; LAND RECLAMATION; BIODEGRADATION; COAL MINES; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; NITROGEN FIXATION; ORGANIC MATTER; SOIL CHEMISTRY; WOOD; ANIMALS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHEMISTRY; DATA; DECOMPOSITION; INFORMATION; INVERTEBRATES; MINES; NUMERICAL DATA; 010900* - Coal, Lignite, & Peat- Environmental Aspects

Citation Formats

Whitford, W G, Elkins, N Z, and Parker, L W. Role of arthropods in developing soils on mine spoils. Final report. United States: N. p., 1981. Web.
Whitford, W G, Elkins, N Z, & Parker, L W. Role of arthropods in developing soils on mine spoils. Final report. United States.
Whitford, W G, Elkins, N Z, and Parker, L W. 1981. "Role of arthropods in developing soils on mine spoils. Final report". United States.
@article{osti_6326616,
title = {Role of arthropods in developing soils on mine spoils. Final report},
author = {Whitford, W G and Elkins, N Z and Parker, L W},
abstractNote = {In laboratory microcosms of coal mine spoil amended with bark and wood chips, the activity of termites increased organic matter and increased total nitrogen. Termite survival was reduced in microcosms with spoil and paper or straw amendments. Field studies evaluating the efficacy of organic amendments in developing a soil biota showed that decomposition rates of wood chip-bark amended spoil were the same as unmined soil and that decomposition rates were lower than all other mulch-spoil combinations. Wood and bark amended-spoil had the highest density and diversity of soil fauna. Top dressing spoils with borrow soil did not improve any of the soil biological parameters measured. Based on these data it was recommended that reclamation procedures be changed to eliminate borrow soil top-dressing and that wood removed from mined areas be returned to the contoured spoil as wood chip amendment in addition to straw mulch.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6326616}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981},
month = {Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981}
}

Technical Report:
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