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Purpose <p>Mine wastes in arid regions can generate acidic conditions and soluble-salt accumulation, increasing metal mobility and restricting natural revegetation. This study examined how substrate geochemistry was associated with metal lability and native plant uptake traits in an arid copper mining landscape.</p> Materials and methods <p>Three contrasting substrates, including waste rock, capped soil, and mine soil, were investigated in the Baiyin deep-level copper mining district, northwest China. Thirty soil sampling points and 84 paired plant–rhizosphere samples were analyzed using soil physicochemical measurements, Tessier sequential extraction, RAC/RSP evaluation, Pearson correlation analysis, RDA, and BCF/TF-based plant screening. Vegetation occurrence and semi-quantitative cover class were also recorded in the revegetated substrates.</p> Results <p>The waste-rock substrate was strongly acidic (pH 3.05 ± 0.32) and had high EC (4,175 µS cm⁻¹), together with high lability of Cd, Zn, and Ni. Capped and mine soils showed lower overall metal lability, but Cd remained the key risk element in revegetated substrates. pH was negatively correlated with RAC values of all five metals (<i>r</i> = − 0.49 to − 0.89, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), and RDA showed that soil physicochemical variables explained 81.8% of metal-lability variation. Twenty-seven native species from 13 families were recorded. <i>Suaeda salsa</i>, <i>Reaumuria songarica</i>, and <i>Zygophyllum xanthoxylum</i> showed root-dominated metal retention and are more consistent with phytostabilization. <i>Salsola collina</i> showed high translocation for Cu and Zn, while <i>Kalidium foliatum</i> showed favorable Cd uptake and translocation, indicating screening-level phytoextraction potential for selected metals.</p> Conclusions <p>Acidification was the main variable associated with metal lability, while EC indicated soluble-salt accumulation as an additional stressor. Combining metal fractionation, ecological risk assessment, and native plant uptake traits supports phytostabilization-oriented restoration and identifies selected species for further phytoextraction screening in arid copper mining areas.</p>

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Acidification context, metal lability and native plant screening across contrasting substrates in an arid copper mining district

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月4日

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  • Fan He,
  • Yifan He,
  • Chongbin Li,
  • Shengli Wang

摘要

Purpose

Mine wastes in arid regions can generate acidic conditions and soluble-salt accumulation, increasing metal mobility and restricting natural revegetation. This study examined how substrate geochemistry was associated with metal lability and native plant uptake traits in an arid copper mining landscape.

Materials and methods

Three contrasting substrates, including waste rock, capped soil, and mine soil, were investigated in the Baiyin deep-level copper mining district, northwest China. Thirty soil sampling points and 84 paired plant–rhizosphere samples were analyzed using soil physicochemical measurements, Tessier sequential extraction, RAC/RSP evaluation, Pearson correlation analysis, RDA, and BCF/TF-based plant screening. Vegetation occurrence and semi-quantitative cover class were also recorded in the revegetated substrates.

Results

The waste-rock substrate was strongly acidic (pH 3.05 ± 0.32) and had high EC (4,175 µS cm⁻¹), together with high lability of Cd, Zn, and Ni. Capped and mine soils showed lower overall metal lability, but Cd remained the key risk element in revegetated substrates. pH was negatively correlated with RAC values of all five metals (r = − 0.49 to − 0.89, p < 0.01), and RDA showed that soil physicochemical variables explained 81.8% of metal-lability variation. Twenty-seven native species from 13 families were recorded. Suaeda salsa, Reaumuria songarica, and Zygophyllum xanthoxylum showed root-dominated metal retention and are more consistent with phytostabilization. Salsola collina showed high translocation for Cu and Zn, while Kalidium foliatum showed favorable Cd uptake and translocation, indicating screening-level phytoextraction potential for selected metals.

Conclusions

Acidification was the main variable associated with metal lability, while EC indicated soluble-salt accumulation as an additional stressor. Combining metal fractionation, ecological risk assessment, and native plant uptake traits supports phytostabilization-oriented restoration and identifies selected species for further phytoextraction screening in arid copper mining areas.