| Abstract: | Moss was discovered growing on mine waste tailings with high heavy metal content and low pH at the Badger State Mine near Butte, MT. It has been proposed that inoculation of plots with moss protonema, a stage of moss development, will produce a microbial mat. This process is fairly straightforward in mesic environments, but the aridity, acidity and high metal content of the tailings present some difficulty with the establishment of moss protonema or even algae. Consequently, a hydrophilic polymer and nutrients will be applied in addition to the protonema. This combination may assist in the retention of moisture to ensure the growth of the mature moss and other pioneer organisms. Soil from the mine tailings will be analyzed for evidence of cyanobacterial and other algal diversity. Benefits of cyanobacteria growth include their ability to fix nitrogen for use by other plants and production of photosynthates that leak organic carbon into the soil at a rate that can feed the heterotrophic microbes found in the microbial mat. The combination of algae, fungi, bacteria, protists and moss in a self‐sustaining microbial mat may help to stabilize the soil and create a hospitable environment for the colonization of vascular plants. Formation of a microbial mat in this xeric environment of mine waste tailings with the use of a hydrophilic polymer may be an ideal solution for the stabilization of mine wastes. |
