Response of plant element traits to soil arsenic stress and its implications for vegetation restoration in a post-mining area

Abstract

The ecological environment in mining area is fragile, and the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content of dominant plants is closely related to plant nutrient limitation, community composition and ecosystem function. Clarifying the response of dominant plants to soil properties and the corresponding trade-off mechanism are essential for rebuilding the ecological resilience and self-sustaining ability of mining areas. In order to explore the response of dominant plant element traits to soil physico-chemical properties under the stress of soil arsenic (As) pollution, an abandoned metal mining area threatened by heavy soil As pollution was selected as the research area, the soil physico-chemical properties and soil As content in different speciation, and the contents of C, N and P in dominant plants were measured. The results showed that: (1) The soil As pollution was serious in the mining area, while the contents of soil nutrient were relatively low. (2) The soil As content in different speciation affected the absorption and utilization of P by plants. (3) The dominant plants responded to soil As toxicity by allocating more nutrients to leaves to reduce toxicity and ensure growth. This study helps to reveal the nutrient driving law of plant diversity processes and community succession in heavy metal-contaminated sites and is of great significance to restore the fragile ecosystems in mining areas.