Abstract
Microbial functional diversity – its importance to ecosystem function, and choice as a mine soil restoration objective.
Microorganisms are not part of any predetermined regulatory criteria to show that mined land has been restored to a stable, productive, and self-sustaining condition. So why should a company spend money monitoring them?
Most obviously, microbial communities mediate critical ecosystem processes including nutrient cycling, plant establishment, geochemical transformations and soil formation. They are the major living component of topsoil, which is the most important rehabilitation asset on a mine site.
Additionally, the regulatory environment is changing and it is likely that future restoration standards will require ecosystem function monitoring. For example, the recent National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia, prepared by the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia has examples of ecological restoration objectives which include an ecosystem function attribute of “Positive change in microbial functionality parameter xx”. That is, for soil microorganisms, it is recommended that one or more quantitative determinants are used consistently throughout the life of the restoration project to ensure that the functional diversity of soil microbial communities is restored.
I will describe microbial functional diversity and its choice as a restoration objective in preference to "Microbiological indicator genera xxx and yyy are present on zz zones". Some simple microbial functional diversity indices will be outlined and results presented of their use on mine sites over a 10 year period.
Microbial functional diversity – its importance to ecosystem function, and choice as a mine soil restoration objective.
Microorganisms are not part of any predetermined regulatory criteria to show that mined land has been restored to a stable, productive, and self-sustaining condition. So why should a company spend money monitoring them?
Most obviously, microbial communities mediate critical ecosystem processes including nutrient cycling, plant establishment, geochemical transformations and soil formation. They are the major living component of topsoil, which is the most important rehabilitation asset on a mine site.
Additionally, the regulatory environment is changing and it is likely that future restoration standards will require ecosystem function monitoring. For example, the recent National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia, prepared by the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia has examples of ecological restoration objectives which include an ecosystem function attribute of “Positive change in microbial functionality parameter xx”. That is, for soil microorganisms, it is recommended that one or more quantitative determinants are used consistently throughout the life of the restoration project to ensure that the functional diversity of soil microbial communities is restored.
I will describe microbial functional diversity and its choice as a restoration objective in preference to "Microbiological indicator genera xxx and yyy are present on zz zones". Some simple microbial functional diversity indices will be outlined and results presented of their use on mine sites over a 10 year period.
Presentation
Microbial functional diversity – its importance to ecosystem function, and choice as a mine soil restoration objective.
Presented on 30th March 2017 at the 7th Annual Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Lands Conference (2017)
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