Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Restoration is a global priority that aims to reinstate ecosystem function. One key metric of ecosystem function is species interactions. However, the species interactions that promote function can be influenced by land-use legacy, the lasting impact of land-use on the ecosystem. Surface mining is an example of an intensive land-use practice that dramatically alters the abiotic environment, potentially causing an array of legacy effects. Reclamation standards, such as those specified in the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), have been introduced over time to mitigate the damage of surface mining. Areas mined prior to SMCRA were reclaimed with few requirements and little consistency, while SMCRA mandated topsoil replacement, contouring, and revegetation. It is unknown if different reclamation techniques have different legacy effects. The overarching goal of this study was to determine if species interactions differ between surface mine reclamation histories. First, to characterize the abiotic differences between reclamation histories, I measured the soil quality of five sites mined pre-SMCRA and five sites mined post-SMCRA in Eastern Ohio. To investigate how reclamation history affects a mutualistic belowground interaction, I planted legumes for eight weeks and observed plant growth and colonization by rhizobia. I also studied an antagonistic aboveground interaction, insect herbivory, by sampling these same plants for foliar damage to determine herbivore preference for plants grown in either reclamation history. I found that pre-SMCRA soils had significantly higher nitrogen, and that nitrogen availability drove plant survival and plant growth. Despite pre-SMCRA sites having higher soil nitrogen content, and previous studies showing stronger associations with microbes in nutrient poor-soils, pre-SMCRA plants had greater rhizobia colonization, suggesting that the increased mutualism in pre-SMCRA sites may be driven by another environmental f (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Goodell (Committee Member); Frances Sivakoff (Advisor); Andy McCall (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Even after reclamation, surface-mined soils can have altered biological, physical, and chemical properties, which can modify plant growth. To investigate how reclamation practices influence plants, I compared the growth and resistance to herbivory of Lotus corniculatus grown on soils from a former coal surface mine that had been reclaimed at different time periods. Soils were collected from three reclamation permit areas located in Ohio: permit A (reclaimed pre-1972), permit B (1972-1975), and permit C (1976-1981). Control soil was also collected from nearby unmined sites. Topsoil was not replaced in permit A sites before seeding, while permit B and C received 15 cm of topsoil. Experimental soil was tested for elemental concentrations and contamination factors calculated for each reclaimed soil type. I hypothesized that L. corniculatus grown on permit A soils would have lower biomass compared to those grown on later reclaimed soils or control soils. Permit B and C soils had higher Al, and lower Sr, and permit C soils had higher Fe and Mn contamination factors than permit A soils. All plants showed evidence of rhizobia bacteria nodules. Contrary to initial expectations, permit A soils had lower contamination factors for multiple elements, and produced larger plants than permit B, C, and control soils. Lotus corniculatus grown on permit A soils had significantly greater dry root biomass and higher dry root/shoot ratios compared to those grown on unmined soil. Lotus corniculatus interactions with rhizobial symbionts may have compensated for differences in soils. Furthermore, time since reclamation, which was greatest for permit A soils, may have favored microbial communities. Reclamation practices, and replacement of topsoil, should influence leaf carbon, nitrogen, and carbon to nitrogen ratios, which affects herbivore resistance in L. corniculatus. I hypothesized that leaves grown on soils with topsoil replaced would have higher percent nitrogen, and lower carbon to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Goodell (Advisor); Frances Sivakoff (Committee Member); Rebecca Swab (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Entomology; Environmental Management; Plant Sciences

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

In Norms in the Wild: How to Diagnose, Measure, and Change Social Norms, Cristina Bicchieri outlines a novel amalgamation of elements to form an updated conceptualization of social norms (2017). The purpose of this study aimed to determine how social norms influence public dialogue about environmental issues by elected officials in counties that (1) extract coal through surface mining, (2) contain no town larger than 35,000 residents, (3) contain no major four-year university, and (4) voted for Trump in 2020. The ultimate goal of research was to assess whether or not, in a highly polarized political culture, norms prohibit elected officials in conservative communities from addressing topics of environmental concern. Data was elicited via interviews with elected officials from counties with coal mining legacies in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Through analytic, descriptive, and open coding, qualitative analysis focused on perceptions about climate change, pollution, and economic transitions away from coal. Results indicated that a majority of interviewees, 56%, viewed climate change as a topic to be avoided in public settings. Of the 33% of interviewees who lived in communities where they perceived they could openly discuss climate change, 67% of the subset identified climate change as an existential threat, which accounted for 22% of the total number of interviewees. While pollution was named a subject to be avoided in public by 22% of interviewees, pollution was only reported to be a public concern by 11% of the total sample. The remaining 89% contended that pollution did not exist in, or posed no risk to, their communities. In conclusion, analysis suggested that social norms aligned with community leader preferences. Thus, Bicchieri's blueprint for behavior change, which hinges on identifying maladapted social norms, will not serve practitioners who hope to employ Bicchieri's social norm concept as a st (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Geoffrey Dabelko Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Risa Whitson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Liang Tao Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Studies

BS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

Abandoned coal mines are common throughout the Appalachian region of the United States as surface and underground mines. The exposed mine waste from mining operations has led to the contamination of multiple streams throughout the region with acid mine drainage (AMD). The AMD at these sites is caused by the oxidation of the iron sulfides (pyrite, mracasite, etc.) within the coal mine waste. Associated with the AMD, heavy metals and metalloids such as As, Se, Co, Cd, Ni, Mn, Mg, Pb, and Zn are released into these streams. These can lead to associated water quality issues for drinking water and local environments near abandoned coal mine sites.The research conducted here seeks to better define the nature of the iron sulfides in coal mine waste and to demonstrate a method to observe and analyze the mineralogical transformations of iron oxides from ferrihydrite to hematite that occur in AMD settings at abandoned coal mines in the Huff Run Watershed. We use a combination of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the mineralogical differences between the coal shale parent material and the soils developing on the coal mine waste, the crystal form of the iron sulfides within the coal shale parent material, and the mineralogical transformations of the subsequent iron oxides as a result of dry heating. We determine that pyrite is not a primary constituent of the bulk mineralogical phases picked up by XRD in the the soils developed on the coal mine spoil although present as a bulk mineral phase in the coal shale parent material, and the method of dry heating iron oxides to simulate the mineralogical transformations over time is hindered by a persistence of ferrihydrite at high temperature ranges. From this, implications on the rate of oxidation of pyrite in these soils and the release of heavy metals and metalloids can be further inferred.

Committee: David Singer Dr. (Advisor); Alison Smith Dr. (Committee Member); Christopher Fenk Dr. (Committee Member); Elizabeth Herndon Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2015, Environment and Natural Resources

Surface mining for coal has been carried out in Ohio since the early 1800s. Surface mining involves the complete removal of vegetation, soils and geologic units (overburden) to expose underlying coal seams. This coal extraction method results in heavily disturbed landscapes, in what were historically forested or agricultural lands. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 was enacted to address the environmental impacts of coal surface mining. Recent studies have examined the hydrologic impacts of surface mining but few have explored geomorphic impacts including potential linked impacts across spatial scales. This study identifies significant geomorphic differences between unmined, Pre-SMCRA and Post-SMCRA watersheds at the landscape, channel network and outlet reach scales. Geomorphic differences were quantified across the three spatial scales in twenty one small watersheds (~1km2), seven within each of the three land use types (unmined, Pre-SMCRA, and Post-SMCRA) located in southeastern Ohio. It was expected that Post-SMCRA sites would be more dissimilar to unmined sites compared to differences between Pre-SMCRA and unmined sites at all spatial scales. Specifically, Post-SMCRA sites were expected to have detectable differences characterized by smoothed and homogenized landscape topography and highly engineered channel network systems. At the landscape scale, Pre-SMCRA sites would have steep, varied topography similar to unmined sites, but exhibit geomorphic differences from unmined sites at the network topologic and reach scales. Hypotheses were created based on these expectations as well as the expected influence of broader spatial scales on finer reach scale channel morphology. Univariate Kruskal Wallis tests indicate reduced complexity in Post-SMCRA sites relative to Pre-SMCRA and unmined sites at the landscape scale, as well as some differences at the channel network and outlet reach scales. Multivariate methods that include Nonmetric (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kristin Jaeger (Advisor); Charles Goebel (Committee Member); Desheng Liu (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Management; Geomorphology; Mining; Water Resource Management

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1979, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology

Committee: D Forster (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2009, Environmental Studies (Arts and Sciences)

Remote sensing offers useful tools for monitoring surface mining operations and reclamation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. This research demonstrates how remote sensing techniques can be integrated into the monitoring process, allowing the regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring surface mining and reclamation to do so more efficiently and help avoid or minimize the adverse effects of mining. Data includes 3 anniversary date Landsat satellite images and GIS layers from the study area. A 3-phase methodology includes normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analysis, land cover mapping, and change detection. Image classification utilized the Tasseled Cap Transform and at-satellite brightness temperature and the K-means algorithm. Analysis indicates increased disturbance over the 14-year time horizon. The techniques used were useful for monitoring the progression of disturbance caused by mining, identifying and tracking reclamation sites, and assessing land cover changes.

Committee: James K. Lein PhD (Advisor); Michele Morrone PhD (Committee Member); Geoffrey Buckley PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Geography; Mining; Remote Sensing

Master of Science, Miami University, 2001, Geology and Environmental Earth Science

This thesis consists of two separate but related manuscripts; Surface Structure Controlled Sectoral Zoning of REE in Fluorite from Long Lake, N.Y. and Bingham, N.M. and Mineralogy and paragenetic history of fluorites from Bingham, N.M. Links between REE chemistry, color and morphology. In the first paper, fluorite crystals from two deposits were identified as sectorally zoned with respect to the rare earth elements. It has been shown that the differential incorporation of the REE occurred during crystal growth due to heterogeneities in the atomic structure of the fluorite surface. The second paper addresses the use of the REE as petrogenetic indicators in actual hydrothermal deposits. This study attempts to identify if there is a systematic correlation between REE chemistry and other factors, such as crystal morphology, and color, or if compositional variability merely reflects temporal variation in hydrothermal fluids.

Committee: John Rakovan (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2011, Geology-Earth Science

The homogenization and replacement of the overburden after mining disrupts rock weathering, soil formation processes, and biogeochemical cycling of elements. The ultimate goal of reclamation is to re-establish a diverse, functional ecosystem post-disturbance. The complete or partial restoration of surface mined land is dependent on the geochemical composition of the overburden, as well as biogeochemical changes that occur post-disturbance. In southeastern Ohio, the Meigs Creek No. 9 coal seam was progressively surface mined beginning in 1968 and ending in 2001. The overburden of the coal seam consisted of limestone and shale containing 1.5% - 5% pyrite. Using these progressively mined regions as snapshots of overburden weathering, I examined time dependent biogeochemical changes in the overburden 9, 14, and 37 years post-disturbance. Soil cores, reaching a maximum depth of 50 to 70 cm from the surface, were extracted from each region and analyzed to establish pH, water content, organic and inorganic carbon content, acid-extractable Fe(II), Fe(III), Mn(II/III), and Mn(III/IV) concentrations, and porewater sulfate concentration profiles. All disturbed overburden sediments contained elevated Fe(II) and pHin comparison to undisturbed soil at comparable depths. With increasing time post-disturbance, Fe(II) content and sediment pHdecreased concurrently with an increase in porewater sulfate concentration, suggestive of oxidative dissolution of overburden associated iron sulfide phases. Overburden calcite and total calcium content decreased with time post-disturbance suggestive of dissolution of limestone in the overburden. Additionally, rates of oxygen consumption, as a proxy for aerobic microbial activity, and microbial DNAyield, as a proxy for total microbial biomass, were measured. These results suggest that in the early stages of overburden weathering abiotic factors dominated, but as weathering continued microbial metabolic activity increased and became an important c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: John Senko Dr. (Advisor); John Szabo Dr. (Committee Member); Teresa Cutright Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Soil Sciences