Dryland ecosystem regeneration and plant metal(loid) accumulation strategies 60 years after revegetating a mine tailings pond.

ABSTRACT: The revegetation of anthropogenically degraded sites is challenging in drylands where the combination of harsh substrates and climatic stress creates a restrictive environment. Mine tailings are particularly complex, and the number of successfully revegetated sites has remained small. Our study aimed to investigate one of the few successfully revegetated Cu-Mo tailings ponds in a semi-arid part of the U.S. Southwest to improve our understanding of the drivers and barriers of plant establishment. Integrating in situ vegetation surveys, biochemical analyses of plants and soils, and remote sensing, we assessed vegetation structure, composition, and metal(loid) uptake in various sections of the tailings pond and an adjacent natural area. Based on a hierarchical cluster analysis, we found that

SUBMITTER: Wlodarczyk T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12616733 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature