Research Article
Juwarkar AA, Singh L, Kumar GP
Abstract
Ecological integrity includes enriched biodiversity, flourishing plant-animal interaction, and dynamic nutrient cycling. The present study examines the ecosystem structure and function of a newly developed ecosystem at a 24 year-old of restoration efforts in manganese mine area, Gumgaon, India. This study was initiated in the year 1988 through microbe assisted green technology (MAGT), which included application of top soil, site specific plantation, organic amendments and addition of soil microbes. The physico-chemical and biological properties of the reclaimed soil were gradually improved during the restoration programme with reference to soil pH, EC, bulk density, porosity, N, P, K, organic carbon, soil microbes, etc. Herbs occupied major ground cover with maximum density, followed by shrubs, trees and climbers. Regeneration capacity of the vegetation also followed the same pattern. An attempt was also made to analyse pollinator web with plant-pollinator interaction, influence of floral distribution on the composition of pollinator communities. The results of the study may help in understanding the linkage between plant and pollinator communities in ecorestoration programme. Four different groups of litter decomposing organisms, viz. microflora (bacteria, fungi, VAM), mircofauna (Nematoda), mesofauna (Protura, Enchytraeidae, Acari, Collembola) and macrofauna (Diplura, Isopoda, Isoptera, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Coleoptera, Earthworms) have been studied. The present study clearly illustrates the sequence of various successional stages of ecosystem development from hostile ecological conditions of mine spoil to fully developed ecosystem and the study demonstrated how a barren land could be converted into a flourishing carbon sink.