English

Abstract

Reclamation efforts across Wyoming have been successful in reestablishing vegetative biomass, but restoration of a diverse vegetative community has proven difficult. We hypothesize that the lack of diverse plant species establishment is due, in part, to the homogenization of the soil environment occurring with disturbance and reclamation. Spatial heterogeneity of vegetation and soil characteristics using geospatial statistics has not been widely examined in wildland systems, particularly in relation to post-disturbance recovery of soils and vegetation. The purpose of this project was to quantify the spatial variability of key soil characteristics on a recently installed and reclaimed pipeline and adjacent undisturbed reference site in south central Wyoming. Soils (0-5 cm) were sampled on a grid design at a small spatial scale (10 - 1000 cm). Soils were analyzed for soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, and major microbial group abundance. In general, reclaimed soils support more biomass of vegetation and soil microbes than undisturbed soils. We found weak spatial dependence of most soil properties measured, and the response of the property to disturbance and reclamation varied by property. Spatial variability of soil pH, bacteria abundance, and AM fungi abundance appear to be most affected by soil disturbance and reclamation, but further investigation into the spatial patterns of soil and vegetation properties is warranted.