Abstract
Abstract Seed bank experiments are described to assess the species richness potential of coal slurry ponds reclaimed as wetlands (ranging from 6 to more than 40 years old). Experimental treatments test the drawdown and flooded conditions characteristic of the vegetation dynamics of emergent wetlands in the Upper Mississippi Valley. More seedlings, primarily annuals, emerged from exposed wet sediments (freely drained) than under continuous flooded sediments in cold ponds (339 versus 136 seedlings m −2 , respectively) and in natural ponds (163 versus 47, respectively). More seeds were produced by plants established in freely drained conditions than under flooded conditions from sediments in the coal ponds (26546 versus 1842 seeds m −2 , respectively) and the natural ponds (28430 versus 4526, respectively). Similarly, more biomass was also produced by these plants in freely drained than under flooded conditions in coal ponds (118 versus 47 g m −2 , respectively) and natural ponds (118 versus 52, respectively). Fertilization (NPK) did not affect germination for the most part, but it did affect seed set and biomass production, especially for C 4 annuals such as Echinochloa crusgalli and Panicum dichotomiflorum. I propose that lime (calcium carbonate) and fertilizer be applied during the first few scheduled drawdowns for these coal slurry ponds reclaimed as wetlands to increase the number of species and to allow their more rapid development as self‐sustaining systems.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Exposed wet sediments yielded more seedlings than flooded sediments in coal ponds.
Verbatim
e0“More seedlings, primarily annuals, emerged from exposed wet sediments (freely drained) than under continuous flooded sediments in cold ponds (339 versus 136 seedlings m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Exposed sediments yielded more seedlings in natural ponds.
Verbatim
e0“in natural ponds (163 versus 47, respectively).”
e1“More seedlings, primarily annuals, emerged from exposed wet sediments (freely drained) than under continuous flooded sediments in cold ponds (339 versus 136 seedlings m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Freely drained coal pond sediments produced more seeds.
Verbatim
e0“More seeds were produced by plants established in freely drained conditions than under flooded conditions from sediments in the coal ponds (26546 versus 1842 seeds m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Freely drained natural pond sediments produced more seeds.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0e1
Verbatim
e0“the natural ponds (28430 versus 4526, respectively)”
e1“More seeds were produced by plants established in freely drained conditions than under flooded conditions from sediments in the coal ponds (26546 versus 1842 seeds m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Freely drained coal pond plants produced more biomass.
Verbatim
e0“more biomass was also produced by these plants in freely drained than under flooded conditions in coal ponds (118 versus 47 g m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Freely drained natural pond plants produced more biomass.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0e1
Verbatim
e0“natural ponds (118 versus 52, respectively)”
e1“more biomass was also produced by these plants in freely drained than under flooded conditions in coal ponds (118 versus 47 g m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
NPK fertilization mostly did not affect germination.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0e1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Fertilization (NPK) did not affect germination for the most part”
e1“More seeds were produced by plants established in freely drained conditions than under flooded conditions from sediments in the coal ponds (26546 versus 1842 seeds m −2 , respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
NPK fertilization affected seed set and biomass, especially in C4 annuals.
- Taxon
- Echinochloa crusgalli
Echinochloa crus-gallie0e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it did affect seed set and biomass production, especially for C 4 annuals such as Echinochloa crusgalli and Panicum dichotomiflorum.”
e1“Fertilization (NPK) did not affect germination for the most part”
Claim · model-written summary
The author proposes lime and fertilizer at early drawdowns.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0e1
Verbatim
e0“I propose that lime (calcium carbonate) and fertilizer be applied during the first few scheduled drawdowns for these coal slurry ponds reclaimed as wetlands to increase the number of species and to allow their more rapid development as self‐sustaining systems.”
e1“More seeds were produced by plants established in freely drained conditions than under flooded conditions from sediments in the coal ponds (26546 versus 1842 seeds m −2 , respectively)”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Positive and negative results
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- positive
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See all 39 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.