Biocrust propagation on mine tailings and overburden substrates and transplantation design for mine reclamation

The biological soil crust (biocrust) is the community of mosses, lichens, algae, and cyanobacteria that live at the uppermost soil layer. Biocrust can improve the quality of reclamation substrates, protecting them against erosion and increasing nutrient and water retention. The objectives of this research were to: a) determine if diverse moss and lichen biocrust communities can be propagated in the greenhouse on mine substrates (i.e tailing sands and overburden), b) assess the effect of fertilizer and shade treatments on moss propagation, c) quantify the CO2 dynamics of the biocrust propagation treatments, and d) design a long-term experimental research plot for biocrust transplantation at the Gibraltar Mine, in B.C. Mine substrates and biocrust propagules (i.e., mosses and lichen communities) from Taseko