Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2025, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (11): 1778-1790.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2025.0099  cstr: 32100.14.cjpe.2025.0099

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Influence of photovoltaic arrays construction on plant community characteristics in subsidence areas in semi-arid coal mining area

DU Hua-Dong1,2,3, WANG Meng-Yu1, NIE Wen-Jie1,2,3,*(), SUN Hao1, CHE Xu-Xi1, TANG Xun1   

  1. 1College of Geology & Environment, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
    2Western Mine Ecological Environment Rehabilitation Research Institute, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
    3Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Geological Support for Coal Green Exploitation, Xi’an 710054, China
  • Received:2025-03-27 Accepted:2025-09-09 Online:2025-11-20 Published:2025-11-20
  • Contact: NIE Wen-Jie
  • Supported by:
    Basic Research Program of Natural Science in Shaanxi Province(2024JC-YBMS-234)

Abstract:

Aims Photovoltaic (PV) arrays facilitate the development of distinct plant assemblages by mediating local gradients of water, heat, light, and soil environment. This environmental heterogeneity induces a “niche differentiation-dominant species reorganization” effect among plant species in semi-arid coal mining subsidence areas. Consequently, there is an urgent need to elucidate the impacts of PV construction on the composition, diversity, and stability of plant community, as well as the driving mechanisms.

Methods To uncover the impact mechanisms of PV construction on vegetation restoration following the implementation of “PV + Ecological Remediation” project, this study investigated a PV field established on coal mining subsidence land in the Yushenfu mining area. By conducting field quadrat surveys and multivariate statistical analyses, we compared the characteristics of plant community composition, structure, and stability across distinct microhabitat units of the PV arrays (front eaves of the PV panel, underside of the PV panel, rear eaves of the PV panel and middle of the PV panel) with those in naturally recovered coal mining subsidence areas and in control areas (non-subsided lands). The driving mechanisms of community differentiation were analyzed by integrating soil physicochemical properties and microclimatic factors.

Important findings (1) The diversity and stability of plant communities significantly decreased in naturally recovered coal mining subsidence areas, while plant density increased due to the establishment of annuals and biennials. Compared to the naturally recovered areas, the front eaves and rear eaves of the PV panel enhanced plant density, diversity, and stability, whereas the underside and middle of the PV panel showed opposite trends. (2) Plant communities in the front and rear eaves of the PV panel were dominated by drought-tolerant perennial species. In contrast, the underside of the PV panel screened by shading and high humidity conditions, was primarily dominated by mesophytic annual and biennial species, showing reduced species similarity to control area. (3) Soil moisture and light intensity were common dominant environmental factors influencing community characteristics across the study area. Beyond these shared drivers, the key driving factors for different microenvironments included soil organic matter content in the front and rear eaves of the PV panel, air humidity underside of the PV panels and soil bulk density in the middle of the PV panel. Overall, the construction of the photovoltaic power station induced spatial differentiation in the plant community structure within the subsided land PV area, resulting in significant heterogeneity in vegetation restoration effectiveness. Among the microhabitat units, the front eaves of the PV panel exhibited the strongest promotive effect, while the rear eaves of the PV panel exhibited a limited promotive effect on vegetation restoration in the subsidence area. Conversely, the middle and underside of the PV panel showed significant inhibitory effects. These results provide a strong scientific basis for implementing targeted ecological optimization measures following the deployment of “PV + Ecological Remediation” projects.

Key words: coal mining subsidence, photovoltaic arrays, vegetation restoration, plant community structure, ecological effects