Species Diversity and Soil Interconstraints Exert Significant Influences on Plant Survival during Ecological Restoration in Semi-Arid Mining Areas

Abstract

The extensive vegetation destruction in opencast mining regions has led to various environmental problems, including the loss of biodiversity. However, our understanding of biodiversity’s response to survival, as well as its interactions with soil characteristics and climate change, remains limited. To address this gap, we analyzed data from a long-term monitoring site in an opencast coal mine reclamation region, focusing on the effects of species diversity, soil properties, and climate factors on the survival of four key restored species at 17, 22, and 27 years after planting. Our findings indicate that increased plot diversity is associated with decreased overall survival, and significant variations in diversity levels were observed among different plots. We also found that soil properties influenced species’ survival response to diversity, and these responses varied with stand age. In the early stages of succession, soil and diversity primarily affect species survival, with diversity playing a more dominant role as stand age increases. Overall, our findings suggest that the interaction between species diversity and soil composition significantly influences the survival of species. Continuous monitoring is necessary to validate these conclusions, particularly considering the diverse planting patterns in mine reclamation areas that can result in varying feedbacks of biodiversity on species survival.