The Potential of Post-Excavation Novel Ecosystems of Enhancing Vegetation and Rare Plant Species Diversity, Influencing the Ecosystem Services Provision Volume 1 - Issue 4

Gabriela Wozniak*

• Faculty of Natural Sciences Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

Received: March 03, 2021   Published: March 15, 2021

Corresponding author:Gabriela Wozniak, Faculty of Natural Sciences Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

DOI: 10.32474/JOMME.2021.01.000118

 

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Abstract

The pressure of human activity in the industrial centers all over the world has been growing over last centuries. In the urban– industrial sites the natural environment has been changed significantly. The vegetation cover of the previous ecosystems has disappeared or has been seriously altered.
Apart from intense environmental transformation some of the sites left after the mineral resources excavation are providing specific mineral oligotrophic habitats to the urban-industrial environmental ecosystem mosaic. There are some sites which fulfill the prerequisites of the novel ecosystems. This study conducted on the spontaneous vegetation of the post-excavation novel ecosystems revealed that the species composition of the spontaneous vegetation is very diverse. The dynamic processes of the spontaneous vegetation species composition development observed in time and between sites of different area is itself creating diversity. Vegetation patches are composed from many different plant species including those that are listed as rare or endangered. The results of analysis conducted for this group of species indicate that the high number habitats this species are derived from, both in terms of their social-ecological origin and the particular site condition (light, moisture, temperature, acidity), recorded species are preferring.
The presented high diversity of the recorded spontaneous species composition of vegetation and the diversity vegetation patches itself is providing the proof how important are the natural processes for enhancing vegetation and rare plant species diversity. The close relations between biodiversity and ecosystem services provision are already known. This natural process are particular important in the ecosystem mosaic in the urban–industrial landscape.

Keywords: Vegetation and rare plant species diversity; biodiversity; natural processes; post-excavation novel ecosystems; postcoal mine heaps; urban–industrial landscape

Abstract| Introduction| The Study Site Area| Results| Discussion| Conclusion| References|