Post-Extraction Novel Ecosystems Support Plant and Vegetation Diversity in Urban-Industrial Landscapes

Gabriela Woźniak, Damian Chmura, Teresa Nowak, Barbara Bacler-Żbikowska, Lynn Besenyei and Agnieszka Hutniczak
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Gabriela Woźniak: Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 28 Jagiellońska Str., 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Damian Chmura: Institute of Environmental Protection and Engineering, Faculty of Materials, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, 2 Willowa Str., 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Teresa Nowak: Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 28 Jagiellońska Str., 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Barbara Bacler-Żbikowska: Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 30 Ostrogórska Str., 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Lynn Besenyei: Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Str., Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK
Agnieszka Hutniczak: Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 28 Jagiellońska Str., 40-032 Katowice, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: Long-term exploitation of mineral resources has significantly changed the natural environment in urban-industrial landscapes. The changes on the surface of the extraction sites as a consequence of excavation of mineral resources provide specific mineral oligotrophic habitats on which plant species and thus vegetation can establish spontaneously. Some of these sites fulfill the prerequisites of novel ecosystems. This study was conducted on the spontaneous vegetation of post-extraction sites. Lists of species spontaneously covering these sites were prepared based on published data and our own records. This research revealed that species composition and vegetation types vary in time. These post-extraction novel ecosystems are also important for the presence of rare, endangered, and protected species noted in patches of different vegetation types. The variety of habitat conditions provided by these sites facilitates the occurrence of a wide spectrum of plants (both in terms of their socio-ecological origin and their ecological spectrum). This research proves how important these post-extraction novel ecosystems are for supporting plant and vegetation diversity in urban-industrial landscapes. Enhancing the biodiversity significantly increases the ecosystem services delivered by these sites and also the functioning of entire ecosystems. These natural processes on human habitats are essential in urban-industrial ecosystem landscape mosaics.

Keywords: plant and vegetation diversity; rare, endangered, protected plant species; natural processes; post-extraction novel ecosystems; urban-industrial landscapes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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