Adaptation, tolerance, and evolution of plant species in a pyrite mine in response to contamination level and properties of mine tailings: sustainable rehabilitation

Purpose The impacts of mining contaminations and physicochemical properties and geochemistry of mine tailings on the density, richness, biodiversity, evolution and succession of plant species and vegetation recovery in the mining area is very poorly reported in the literature. Therefore, the present study conducted an investigation on vegetation development and succession of plant communities at the abandoned Sao Domingos pyrite mining area. Materials and methods We conducted the field survey to estimate the vegetation development and succession of plant communities, collect vegetation (plant species, lichen and moss) and tailing (and soil) samples, and finally analyzed the physico-chemical and geochemical properties and metal levels in mine tailings, soil and vegetation samples. Results and discussion The results showed that the communities of low height and biomass like grass, legume, shrub, moss and lichen were dominating on the mine tailings and waste dumps at the inner sites and center of the mine, and the vegetation coverage was explicitly very poor. The reddish brown colluvia had poor soil quality, but high acidity and metal concentrations. However, at the outer edge of the mine the loamy soil and relatively lower acidity and metal contamination favored the higher vegetation cover and a gradual increase in the number of species and plant succession, where the taller, higher biomass and broad leaf trees were abundantly grown forming a dense forest and canopy. The succession of several plant communities dominating in the mining area, vegetation coverage and species richness were strongly related to the different levels of contamination, soil properties and adverse factors of mine tailings. Conclusions Although the high concentrations of toxic trace elements and low pH soil are important factors for limiting the plant growth, however, proper soil development with enriched nutrients and properties on mining wastes, by either natural or external soil aided process, can help to promote the high vegetation growth, mine rehabilitation and ecological restoration of the mining degraded lands.