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Altered vegetative assemblage trajectories within an urban brownfield.

Frank J Gallagher1, Ildiko Pechmann, Claus Holzapfel

  • 1Urban Forestry Program, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551, USA. Gallagher@sebs.rutgers.edu

Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
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Summary

Urban brownfield plant communities show distinct trajectories based on soil metal levels. Pioneer forests thrive in high metal areas, while herbaceous and shrub guilds decline, impacting biodiversity and natural cycles.

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Area of Science:

  • Urban ecology
  • Ecological restoration
  • Brownfield remediation

Background:

  • Urban brownfields present unique ecological challenges, impacting biodiversity and natural cycles.
  • Understanding plant community dynamics in these degraded sites is crucial for effective restoration.
  • Both ecosystem structure (biodiversity) and function (natural cycles) are vital in urban ecologies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the trajectory of plant guilds (herbaceous, shrub, forest) in an urban brownfield.
  • To correlate plant community distribution with soil metal concentrations.
  • To investigate the influence of soil metal thresholds on ecological assemblage development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of coarse-scale beta guild trajectory in an urban brownfield.
  • Correlation of plant assemblage distribution with total soil metal load (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, V).
  • Identification of distinct assemblage development trajectories above and below a critical soil metal threshold.

Main Results:

  • Pioneer forest assemblages, dominated by Betula populifolia and Populus spp., positively correlated with high soil metal loads.
  • Herbaceous and shrub guilds showed negative correlations with soil metal concentrations.
  • Distinct plant community development trajectories were observed above and below a critical soil metal threshold.

Conclusions:

  • Soil metal contamination significantly influences plant community structure and trajectory in urban brownfields.
  • Plant metal translocation may create positive feedback loops, sustaining high soil metal concentrations.
  • Assembly theory, with its concept of alternate stable states, offers a valuable framework for urban brownfield restoration objectives.