The effects of soil factors on the distribution of Agrostis gigantea on a mine waste site

A number of soils were examined from areas of a mine waste contaminated with heavy metals. Soils from areas vegetated with Agrostis gigantea Roth, which did not possess copper tolerance were compared with adjacent barren areas. Soils from sites which supported non-tolerant grasses had higher pHs and were lower in water-extractable metals than soils from non-vegetated areas. The soils did not differ with respect to any other factor examined. The non-vegetated soils were shown to be more toxic to the growth of Avena sativa than vegetated soils. The establishment and survival of grasses not having the selective advantage of copper tolerance were found to be restricted to the less toxic regions of the study site.