Ecological Indicators (Jul 2023)
Detecting long-term effects of mining-induced ground deformation on plant succession in semi-arid areas using a cellular automata model
Abstract
Mining-induced ground deformation affects various plant communities in different ways. However, little is known about the effects of ground deformation on plant succession; no known quantitative approach currently exists to detecting the long-term effects. To address this issue, a plant community succession model based on cellular automata was developed. Plant succession over 30 years within a subsidence area in the Yungang mining area in China was simulated and compared under mining and non-mining scenarios, including under two sets of initial conditions (vegetated and bare). The normalized mean square error was applied to test the accuracy of the plant community succession model and to reveal the effects of ground deformation at the patch scale, which was 0.06–0.59 for simulated and observed plant patterns. Landscape indicators including contagion, patch cohesion, interspersion and juxtaposition, Shannon’s diversity, Shannon’s evenness, and aggregation indices were calculated and compared to reveal the effects of mine subsidence at the landscape scale. The results showed that the interspersion and juxtaposition, Shannon’s diversity, Shannon’s evenness, and aggregation indices were significantly influenced by ground deformation (P < 0.05) under vegetated conditions, indicating that ground deformation resulted in a loose, isolated, and mixed pattern of vegetation. In terms of the shrub and tree communities, the normalized mean square errors fluctuated at a high level under bare conditions, especially at the patch scale of 10 × 10 m, where it remained at greater than 0.5. Overall, mining-induced ground deformation had long-term effects on plant succession by limiting tree communities and promoting shrub communities, as well as by leading to a heterogenous vegetation pattern. Ground deformation altered the topography of the previously mined area, influencing hydrological processes such as rainfall, infiltration, and evaporation, which were closely related to plant succession. Although these long-term effects were not directly a result of ground deformation, changes in the topography of a subsidence area would interfere with the spontaneous succession of plant communities. Therefore, the long-term effects of mining-induced ground deformation should be considered during the ecological restoration of a mining area, which can promote the application of nature-based solutions and the natural regeneration of plant communities.
