Abstract
Open-pit mining is a common activity in the Yucatan Peninsula for the extraction of limestone. These areas are characterized by the total removal of the natural vegetation cover and soil in order to access calcareous material. The present study shows the composition and structure of the vegetation in five quarries after approximately ten years of abandonment, and the target vegetation near to the quarries in southeastern Mexico. A linear mixed model showed that P availability is one of the limiting factors for species establishment in the quarries. Using a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), the distribution of the species was determined in relation to the edaphic variables: soil depth, the percentage of organic matter (OM), cationic exchange capacity (CEC), pH and texture. Twenty-six families, 46 genera and 50 species were recorded in the quarries, and 25 families, 45 genera and 47 species were recorded in the conserved areas. The dominant species in the quarries belong to the families Poaceae, Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Anacardiaceae. The quarries with higher values of OM (2%), CEC (24 Cmol/kg), depth (11 cm) and sand percentage (31%) include the following species Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth., Metopium brownei (Jacq.) Urb. and Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg., which are common in secondary forests. Quarries with lower values of OM (0.4%), CEC (17 Cmol/kg) and depth (5.02), and with a higher percentage of silt (42%) were dominated by herbs belonging to Poaceae and by Borreria verticillate (L.) G. Mey., which are typical in disturbed areas of southeastern Mexico. In all cases, the pH was slightly alkaline due to the content of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), characteristic of the soils of the region.
Highlights
Open-pit mining for the extraction of mineral resources is one of the most severe anthropogenic disturbances affecting forests, involving the removal of the vegetation and modification of soil horizons and structures, which may have significant effects on ecosystem processes
The type of soil is rich in calcium carbonates (CaCO3 ), and the most common is rendzic Leptosol, followed by Vertisols, and Gleysols, which are distributed in patches in the study area [14]
Marl quarries and target vegetation presented a similar number of species (50 and 47, respectively), but a different composition
Summary
Open-pit mining for the extraction of mineral resources is one of the most severe anthropogenic disturbances affecting forests, involving the removal of the vegetation and modification of soil horizons and structures, which may have significant effects on ecosystem processes. Mining extraction has been determined to cover about 1% of the earth’s surface. To restore areas degraded by mining, it is important to compare mined areas to neighboring areas that have not been excavated [1,2]. There are few studies that evaluate the rate and characteristics of natural regeneration after mining in southeastern Mexico. In other parts of the world, detailed studies on vegetation restoration are available [3,4,5]. In the Yucatan Peninsula, open-pit mining is used to extract marl and marlstones
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