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Soil Invertebrates As Success Indicators For Land Reclamation Monitoring

  • Author / Creator
    Ibsen, Stephanie M. C.
  • Soil invertebrate assemblages, indicative of ecosystem health and function, can be used to assess land reclamation success, but require taxonomic expertise. Soil invertebrate assessments must be comprehensive, seasonally consistent, cost effective, and focus on sensitive key groups. We evaluated soil invertebrates as monitoring tools at two young forest reclamation sites at a western Alberta coal mine, differing in soil reclamation, adjacent land uses, and proximity to an undisturbed reference. Reclamation methods altered soil invertebrate abundance and assemblages; ants and true bugs thrived in reclaimed areas, springtails and oribatid mites declined. Beetle and spider abundance recovered post-disturbance; non-native beetles dominated. Oribatid mite abundance distinguished reclamation and reference sites. Overall soil invertebrate abundance was more sensitive and effective in differentiating sites than vegetation, topsoil, and subsoil properties. Our research contributes to understanding soil invertebrate assemblages in early forest reclamation, identifies key taxa for monitoring, and highlights non native species and single species dominance.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2024
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Doctor of Philosophy
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-7rcm-7g82
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.