Micropattern of halophytic vegetation on technogenic soils affected by the soda industry

Abstract

Abstract: The properties of technogenic soils affected by the soda industry are significantly different from natural saline soils occurring in Poland. The long-term impact of post-production waste contributed to the formation of extremely saline soils rich both in sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2). Despite the strong degradation, these soils play a very important role in the urban ecosystem, because they can provide a habitat for very unique halophytic species. Therefore, in this study, we examined how environmental factors control the micropattern of halophytic vegetation in analyzed industrial soils in Poland. It was hypothesized that species distribution and vegetation variation can be affected by different environmental factors at the local scale. The current study was carried out on three test plots of different microelevation and vegetation cover. In general, Salicornia europaea L. was the most dominant species on each plot, but besides patches dominated only by this species, the other major and distinguished constituents were Puccinelia distans, (JACQ.) PARL. Aster tripolium L. and Triglochin maritima L. Finally, the general vegetation–environmental statistical model (direct ordination–redundancy analysis) was created. The results demonstrated that very diverse microtopography and soil conditions within very small areas were ecologically important. The driving factors for species distribution on each plot were slightly different because of the local differences in environmental conditions. The generalization of vegetation–environment relations performed for all plots together demonstrated that significant, and the most important, factors for plant species distribution in the investigated area were elevation and parameters determined in the saturation paste extracts such as reaction (pHe), chloride content (Cl-) and saturation percentage (SP). As a general rule, species preferred elevated parts of the lower salinity (ECe) and the lower concentration of chloride (Cl–) ions. S. europaea was present at relatively higher salinity compared to A. tripolium, T. maritima and P. distans. Moreover, the presence of P. distans was related to the relatively higher soil pH. The obtained results in the association context present the factors responsible for species variation within the Salicornia europaea plant community, which can be particularly important for restoration of its natural stands.