Soil nitrogen enrichment and consequent vigorous weed growth are thought to hinder the restoration of tallgrass prairie. Adding carbon to the soil may facilitate prairie restoration by inducing immobilization of plant-available nitrogen. Early attempts to use this method, however, have had mixed results. Success of C addition depends on three conditions: weeds must suppress prairie species in t...

In a 2-year field study, we quantified lateral root growth patterns and soil water depletion dynamics in the invasive annual Centaurea solstitialis and two native perennials, Elymus glaucus and Grindelia camporum. Centaurea solstitialis produced lateral roots most actively from early April to mid-June, during the late rosette to spiny seedhead stage while both root growth and water depletion we...

Soil contamination is a worldwide problem. Soil remediation is often carried out to reduce the risks posed by contaminants in the soil to human health and environment. Contaminant concentration is typically the only soil quality aspect maintained in remediation projects. However, emerging regulatory requirements on soil protection has introduced the soil function concept and demand that other c...

In a 2-year field study, we quantified lateral root growth patterns and soil water depletion dynamics in the invasive annual Centaurea solstitialis and two native perennials, Elymus glaucus and Grindelia camporum. Centaurea solstitialis produced lateral roots most actively from early April to mid-June, during the late rosette to spiny seedhead stage while both root growth and water depletion we...

Extreme growing conditions inhibit restoration in sandpit mines. Co-amendment of soil conditioners such as biochar, compost, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may alleviate these stresses and lead to a more successful restoration. We conducted a multiyear restoration experiment in a sandpit in Southern Ontario, Canada, following industrial-scale grassland restoration protocols. The sandpit...

epizoochory and endozoochory are well-known mechanisms by which seeds are dispersed by animals. since, livestock gather around the watering-points to rest and drink, we expected to find that seeds would be frequently moved to the areas surrounding watering-points, resulting a higher soil seed density (and diversity) closest to the water. we investigated this issue by assessing soil seed bank de...

Cut slopes are frequently generated by construction work in hilly areas, and artificial soil is often sprayed onto them to promote ecological rehabilitation. The artificial soil properties are very important for effective management of the slopes. This paper uses fractal and moment methods to characterize soil particle size distribution (PSD) and aggregates composition. The fractal dimension (D...

Beginning of the twentieth century, population growth, urbanization and industrialization has led to depletion of rapidly building areas. Accordingly, each passing day, the opening of the new construction sites has become mandatory. Among these newly opened areas, geotechnical aspects of construction from time to time in areas not suitable for construction and deployment was seen to improve the...

Residential abandonment is on the rise in many urban areas, with unknown implications for ecosystem structure and function on land slated for partial or full restoration to native habitat. Partial decoupling of human and natural systems could reduce disturbance (e.g., trampling, recreational traffic) and modify vegetation structure in a way that alters soil carbon storage, an ecosystem function...

It is increasingly acknowledged that soil biota may influence interactions among plant species; however, little is known about how to change historical influences of previous land management on soil biota, the so-called 'biotic soil legacy effect'. We used a two-phase plant community-soil feedback approach to study how plant species typical to original (i.e. undisturbed) and degraded fen meadow...