Questions (1) How do seres differ with respect to vegetation changes? (2) What are the directions of succession? (3) How do species numbers change? (4) How do target species, i.e. those typical of natural and semi‐natural vegetation, participate in succession? (5) Are spontaneously developed successional stages acceptable from the point of view of ecosystem restoration? Location Extracted peatlands, bulldozed sites in forests destroyed by air pollution, an emerged bottom of a water reservoir, corridors of former Iron Curtain, artificial fishpond islands and barriers, sedimentary basins, spoil heaps from mining, stone quarries, forest clearings, road verges, sand and gravel‐sand pits, ruderal urban sites, river gravel bars and abandoned arable fields, located in various parts of the Czech Republic in Central Europe. Methods Phytosociological relevés were recorded in 10–25 m2 plots located in the centre of representative successional stages defined by their age, ranging from 1 to 100 yrs. In total, we obtained 2392 vegetation samples containing 951 species. We performed DCA ordination to compare 19 seres. Desirable target species were considered as those representing (semi)‐natural vegetation and all Red List species. Results The seres studied are more similar in their species composition in the initial and early stages, in which synathropic species prevail, than in the later stages when the vegetation differentiates. This divergence is driven mainly by local moisture conditions. In most cases, succession led to woodland, which usually established after ca. 20 yrs. In very dry or wet places (with limited presence of woody species) open vegetation developed, often highly valuable from the restoration and conservation point of view. The total number of species and the number of target species increased in the majority of seres with successional age. Conclusions The vegetation in the sites studied formed a continuum along a moisture gradient and by successional age. The individual seres largely overlapped in their species composition; the sere identity was not significant. Spontaneous succession usually proceeded towards woodland, except at very dry or wet sites, and generally appeared to be an ecologically suitable way of ecosystem restoration of disturbed sites because target species became dominant over time.

Questions: (1) Do 17 seres studied proceed towards corresponding potential natural vegetation;(2) what are the similarities between seral and potential natural vegetation, and is it possible to estimate how long it takes to reach potential natural vegetation; and (3) do primary and secondary seres differ?Location: Extracted peatlands, corridors of the former iron curtain, artificial fishpond islands and barriers, sedimentary basins, various spoil heaps after mining, various stone quarries, forest clearings, burned-down forests, road verges, sand and gravel-sand pits, river gravel bars and abandoned arable fields located in various parts of the Czech Republic.Methods: Seral stages were sampled by phytosociological relev es (2602). The following categories of successional age were considered: early (1-10 yrs), intermediate (11-25 yrs) and late (>25 yrs). Phytosociological relev es (386) representing corresponding potential natural vegetation were extracted from the National Phytosociological Database. DCA and CCA ordinations were performed to compare the pattern of seral stages with potential natural vegetation and between primary and secondary seres. Dissimilarity between seral stages of primary and secondary successions and the corresponding potential natural vegetation was further assessed using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity measure. Extrapolation was performed to estimate when the seres will reach the stage corresponding to potential natural vegetation. Results:The ordination showed that successions proceeded towards the corresponding potential natural vegetation and reflected substrate pH, site moisture and successional age. The estimated average time needed to reach potential natural vegetation was about 180 yrs for primary successions and about 260 yrs for secondary successions, considering presence-absence species data, and 200 and 250 yrs, respectively, considering cover data. All species recorded in potential natural vegetation (421) were also recorded in seral vegetation. Conclusions:In the general view across the high number of seres spread over the whole country, successions advanced in the direction of the corresponding potential natural vegetation. The extrapolated recovery of potential natural vegetation is faster in primary seres than in secondary ones, and seres sooner resemble the corresponding potential natural vegetation in species composition than in vegetation structure.

We performed detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination to compare seven successional seres running in stone quarries, coal mining spoil heaps, sand and gravel pits, and extracted peatlands in the Czech Republic in central Europe. In total, we obtained 1,187 vegetation samples containing 705 species. These represent various successional stages aged from 1 to 100 years. The successional seres studied were more similar in their species composition in the initial stages, in which synathropic species prevailed, than in later successional stages. This vegetation differentiation was determined especially by local moisture conditions. In most cases, succession led to a woodland, which usually established after approximately 20 years. In very dry or wet places, by contrast, where woody species were limited, often highly valuable, open vegetation developed. Except in the peatlands, the total number of species and the number of target species increased during succession. Participation of invasive aliens was mostly unimportant. Spontaneous vegetation succession generally appears to be an ecologically suitable and cheap way of ecosystem restoration of heavily disturbed sites. It should, therefore, be preferred over technical reclamation.

Open interior sands represent a highly threatened habitat in Europe. In recent times, their associated organisms have often found secondary refuges outside their natural habitats, mainly in sand pits. We investigated the effects of different restoration approaches, i.e. spontaneous succession without additional disturbances, spontaneous succession with additional disturbances caused by recreational activities, and forestry reclamation, on the diversity and conservation values of spiders, beetles, flies, bees and wasps, orthopterans and vascular plants in a large sand pit in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. Out of 406 species recorded in total, 112 were classified as open sand specialists and 71 as threatened. The sites restored through spontaneous succession with additional disturbances hosted the largest proportion of open sand specialists and threatened species. The forestry reclamations, in contrast, hosted few such species. The sites with spontaneous succession without disturbances represent a transition between these two approaches. While restoration through spontaneous succession favours biodiversity in contrast to forestry reclamation, additional disturbances are necessary to maintain early successional habitats essential for threatened species and open sand specialists. Therefore, recreational activities seem to be an economically efficient restoration tool that will also benefit biodiversity in sand pits.

In many areas of Europe there are policies to restore former arable land to grassland. In practice, this usually involves the use of commercial seed mixtures. The abundance of all vascular plants species in 35 ex-arable fields, sown with a commercial seed mixture or spontaneously revegetated, was studied in one landscape area to compare two methods of grassland restoration. Species abundance was also evaluated in the close surroundings of the fields. Data were processed using multivariate (ordination) and univariate statistics. Period of time since abandonment, size of the field and type of grassland restoration (sown vs. spontaneously revegetated) had a significant influence on vegetation. However, for the target meadow species, the type of restoration did not exhibit any influence. After about 20 years the contribution of meadow species that had established spontaneously in the studied fields was similar to that of their surroundings. We concluded that artificial sowing on ex-arable land is not necessary to develop semi-natural grasslands if (i) there are sources of appropriate diaspores in the immediate surroundings, (ii) the site is not very rich in nutrients and (iii) farmers do not need grass production immediately. In these situations and over this timescale natural regeneration would allow substantial savings of money and labour.

No abstract

paleoecologists, archaeologists, and vegetation ecologists, in order to create an effective space for the study of climatic, cultural, as well as landscape, changes in vegetation and crops along a gradient from northern Africa, across central Europe, and up to the coldest areas of the north. The purpose of the project has been to connect and coordinate key experts of international repute and thus provide the South Bohemian team the dynamics and impulses for development of top quality research by means of internships, lectures, workshops, conferences, as well as by everyday communication tools. The project has created a suitable environment for young researchers and PhD students by including them in clearly-defined structures of ongoing research on attractive topics. Team activity has been based on three panels in the fields of environmental archaeology, paleoecology, and vegetation ecology. The aims of such activity have been to coordinate with each other and create a team producing synergistic outcomes. A further aim of