Carbon and hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes in soils reconstructed after mining disturbance

Ecosystem reconstruction after mining disturbance is a challenge considering the multitude of factors that affect soil formation and revegetation. In the boreal forest of western Canada, peat material is often used as the organic amendment for land reclamation to upland forest. Carbon and water dynamics of peat-dominated ecosystems differ from natural upland forest soils. The objective of this work was to evaluate the evolution of soils reconstructed after mining disturbance using ¹³ C and ² H analyses of n-alkane tracers. Ten soils from natural ecosystems were sampled (0-10 cm) and compared with 11 soils from novel ecosystems ranging in age from 0 to 30 yr, as well as a fresh peat sample. Soils supported different vegetation, including pine (Pinus spp.), aspen (Populus spp.), and white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss]. Despite overlaps for some individual n-alkanes, we found a dominance of n-C₂₅ in reconstructed soils, also dominant in the peat material, and a dominance of n-C₂₇ in natural soils, one of the dominant n-alkanes in natural forest vegetation. In addition, there was a significant difference in odd n-alkane δ² H and δ¹³ C values between natural and reconstructed soils (p < .05). Differences in δ² H values, more negative for reconstructed soils than for natural soils, were attributed to changes in soil moisture, from wetter peat-dominated soils to drier upland forests; among forest types, δ² H values were most negative under pine vegetation. The δ¹³ C composition of odd n-alkanes, in particular n-C₂₇ , was significantly related to tree age (p < .05). Overall, both ² H and ¹³ C isotopic signatures of odd n-alkanes exhibited differences between natural and reconstructed soils. However, within the reconstructed soils, neither isotopic signature showed a clear evolution with age since reclamation.