Post-mining restoration of heathland habitats has met with mixed success. Failures are often ascribed to the complexity of replicating soil conditions: a scarcity of organic matter and microbial symbionts in stored overburden used for restoration is frequently implicated. Nonetheless, systematic investigation of the role of both interventions is lacking. Using a greenhouse trial and a large-scale field experiment within a commercial kaolinite mine site, we explored how the addition of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ErMF) and organic matter influenced the establishment of dwarf ericoid species that characterize NW European Atlantic lowland heaths. Neither intervention had any positive effect on ericoid establishment in field or greenhouse conditions. In the greenhouse experiment, organic matter (from commercial refuse) increased heather (Calluna vulgaris) cuttings mortality, although surviving plants showed enhanced shoot growth when ErMF were added. All field plots were dominated by combinations of grasses, gorse (Ulex europaeus), and bare ground. Establishment of ericaceous plants was remarkably low (<4%) after 3 years and Erica tetralix and C. vulgaris abundance in organic matter (which increased pH) or ErMF treatments was reduced compared to untreated control. Although our experiments suggest that research on soil manipulation treatments is required to elucidate the conditions necessary for heathland establishment, corroboration of our greenhouse trial results in field conditions highlights the value of the former in informing the latter. We identify low pH, high lignin (e.g. pine) litter as one potentially worthwhile soil amelioration treatment and suggest how the use of naturally colonized/preinoculated “nursemaid” plants could facilitate heathland restoration.

中文翻译：

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添加堆肥绿色废物和缨类菌根真菌未能促进大西洋荒地物种的建立

荒地栖息地的采矿后恢复取得了不同的成功。失败通常归因于复制土壤条件的复杂性：经常涉及用于恢复的储存覆盖层中有机物质和微生物共生体的稀缺性。尽管如此，缺乏对这两种干预措施作用的系统调查。通过在商业高岭石矿场内进行的温室试验和大规模田间试验，我们探索了添加 ericoid 菌根真菌 (ErMF) 和有机物质如何影响以西欧洲大西洋低地荒地为特征的矮小 ericoid 物种的建立。两种干预措施都没有对田间或温室条件下的鲭属建立产生任何积极影响。在温室实验中，有机物（来自商业垃圾）增加了石南花（Calluna vulgaris ) 插条死亡率，尽管当添加 ErMF 时，存活的植物表现出增强的枝条生长。所有田间地块都以草、金雀花（Ulex europaeus）和裸地的组合为主。3 年后，杜鹃花植物的定植率显着降低 (<4%)，而艾瑞卡 (Erica tetralix)和C. vulgaris与未处理的对照相比，有机物（增加 pH 值）或 ErMF 处理的丰度降低。尽管我们的实验表明需要对土壤操纵处理进行研究以阐明建立荒地所需的条件，但我们在田间条件下的温室试验结果的证实突出了前者在告知后者方面的价值。我们将低 pH 值、高木质素（例如松树）凋落物确定为一种潜在的有价值的土壤改良处理，并建议使用自然定植/预接种的“护士”植物如何促进荒地恢复。