Biomass Amounts of Spontaneous Vegetation on Post-Coal Mine Novel Ecosystem in Relation to Biotic Parameters

Karolina Ryś (), Damian Chmura, Dariusz Prostański and Gabriela Woźniak ()
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Karolina Ryś: Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 28 Jagiellońska Str., 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Damian Chmura: Institute of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Faculty of Materials, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, 2 Willowa Str., 43-309 Bielsko-Biala, Poland
Dariusz Prostański: KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology, 37 Pszczynska Str., 44-101 Gliwice, Poland
Gabriela Woźniak: Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 28 Jagiellońska Str., 40-032 Katowice, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-30

Abstract: The amounts of biomass in ecosystems depends on the efficiency of energy gathering in organic chemical bonds by autotrophs, which are the only organisms that synthesize inorganic compounds into organic compounds structured into biomass. Plant species composition in the vegetation patch and the associated microorganism communities are factors that affect the matter and energy flow in the ecosystem. In human-established or severely transformed novel ecosystems, in particular in mineral-poor, oligotrophic habitats, the knowledge about the biotic parameters related to the biomass amount is very limited. The presented studies were performed on post-black coal mining heaps that provide the mineral material habitat. The following biotic parameters, the vegetation plant species composition of the distinguished vegetation types, soil organic matter, soil enzymatic activity, soil fauna presence, and the functional aspect of soil carbon release concerning amount of biomass are considered. The aim of this research was to analyze the influence of the selected biotic factors on the biomass amount in the vegetation patches of the studied sites. The results showed that the effect of the species composition diversity on the biomass amount is complex. The influences of soil enzyme activity on biomass amount are dependent on the enzyme presence and the vegetation type. Similarly, the impact of the soil organic matter (SOM) on the biomass amount is significantly different and dependent on vegetation type. The relationship between the amount of biomass and respiration showed that the biomass of the dominant plant species is positively correlated with the biomass amount in the studied vegetation types.

Keywords: biodiversity; soil enzyme activity; soil respiration; novel ecosystems; black coal mining heaps (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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