Abstract

Establishing perennial vegetation on mine waste materials is one of the primary challenges in mine land reclamation. Waste rock and mine tailing substrates typically lack the physical structure, nutrient availability, and biological communities necessary to support plant establishment and long-term ecosystem recovery. As a result, revegetation efforts often experience poor seeding success and limited plant persistence despite intensive management efforts. These studies investigated two complementary strategies to improve perennial grass establishment in degraded mine substrates: restoring mycorrhizal associations and enhancing soil function through soil amendments. The first study examined the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in facilitating plant establishment in degraded waste-rock substrate. AMF are beneficial root-associated fungi that enhance plant nutrient uptake, water acquisition, and stress tolerance. Disturbance associated with mining operations often reduces the abundance and functional diversity of these microbial communities. This study evaluates whether the source of AMF inoculum influences plant performance in degraded substrates by comparing a commercial AMF product, AMF sourced from a locally disturbed site, or AMF sourced from a locally undisturbed native site. Results show that although all inoculated treatments successfully colonized plant roots, only inoculum derived from undisturbed native soils improved plant biomass and tiller production. These findings indicate that restoration success depends not simply on establishing mycorrhizal colonization, but on the functional compatibility between host plants and locally adapted fungal communities. The second study examined methods for improving perennial bunchgrass establishment in mine tailings substrates. Mine tailings frequently lack organic matter, exhibit poor water retention, and contain limited nutrient availability, all of which restrict plant establishment and early growth. This study evaluates whether soil amendments designed to address multiple soil limitations could improve perennial bunchgrass establishment and influence competitive interactions with cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an invasive annual grass commonly found on disturbed mine lands in Western North America. Results show that amendment treatments did not influence seedling density and increased plant biomass. Amendments increased vigor and biomass of both species without altering competitive outcomes. These findings indicate that establishment in mine tailings is not limited by germination, but by post-emergence resource availability, especially nutrients and water. Accordingly, soil amendments can improve early plant growth but are unlikely to reduce cheatgrass competition without additional weed management strategies. Overall, this research provides practical insights for mine reclamation efforts by identifying mechanisms that limit plant establishment in degraded substrates and evaluating strategies to overcome those limitations. Effective restoration of mine lands will likely require integrated approaches that restore soil biological function, improve soil resource availability, and manage plant competition to support long-term ecosystem recovery.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Life Sciences; Plant and Wildlife Sciences

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2026-04-21

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil amendments, mineland reclamation, perennial grass establishment, rangeland restoration

Language

english

Download

Included in

Life Sciences Commons

Share

COinS