Abstract
The irregular disposal of coal combustion residues has adverse impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. Pioneer plants and soil invertebrates play an important role in the recovery of these areas. The goal of this study was to investigate the colonization patterns of terrestrial isopods (Oniscidea) in leaf litter of three spontaneous pioneer plants (grass - Poaceae, shrub - Euphorbiaceae, tree - Anarcadiaceae) at sites used for fly ash or boiler slag disposal. The experiment consisted of eight blocks (four per disposal site) of 12 litter bags each (four per plant species) that were randomly removed after 6, 35, 70 or 140 days of field exposure. Three isopod species were found in the litter bags: Atlantoscia floridana (van Name, 1940) (Philosciidae; n = 116), Benthana taeniata Araujo & Buckup, 1994 (Philosciidae; n = 817) and Balloniscus sellowii (Brandt, 1833) (Balloniscidae; n = 48). The isopods colonized the three leaf-litter species equally during the exposure period. However, the pattern of leaf-litter colonization by these species suggests a conflict of objectives between high quality food and shelter availability. The occurrence of A. floridana and the abundance and fecundity of B. taeniata were influenced by the residue type, indicating that the isopods have different degrees of tolerance to the characteristics of the studied sites. Considering that terrestrial isopods are abundant detritivores and stimulate the humus-forming processes, it is suggested that they could have an indirect influence on the soil restoration of this area.
Highlights
Coal has been the fastest-growing major fuel source in the world (BP, 2010)
Pioneer plants with heavy metal tolerance or resistance are able to colonize such environments spontaneously (Whiting et al, 2004). Once these plants are established, a positive feedback loop may occur between the pioneer plants and the substrate (Wilson & Agnew, 1992), as their presence improves the microclimate through shading and stabilization of coal residues and increases availability of food and shelter for microorganisms and animals by litter production (Carlson & Adriano, 1993)
This study focused on this terrestrial isopod community and investigated (1) the colonization patterns of different isopod species during the leaf decomposition of three pioneer plants and (2) the isopod abundance and reproductive traits at different coal residue deposits
Summary
Coal has been the fastest-growing major fuel source in the world (BP, 2010). its extraction and combustion cause serious environmental impacts. One of the major adverse impacts of these residues in terrestrial ecosystems is the decline in plant establishment and growth (Carlson & Adriano, 1993) This decline is caused by changes in soil properties, both physical (such as compacted layers, reduced bulk density) and chemical (such as nutrient depletion, high toxicity and low pH-value) that create unfavorable conditions and reduce the soil microbial and animal activity (Tordoff et al, 2000; Gupta et al, 2002). Pioneer plants with heavy metal tolerance or resistance are able to colonize such environments spontaneously (Whiting et al, 2004) Once these plants are established, a positive feedback loop may occur between the pioneer plants and the substrate (Wilson & Agnew, 1992), as their presence improves the microclimate through shading and stabilization of coal residues and increases availability of food and shelter for microorganisms and animals by litter production (Carlson & Adriano, 1993). Pioneer plants may pave the way for subsequent species in a facilitation model (Connel & Slatyer, 1977)
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