Spontaneous vegetation succession in disused gravel‐sand pits: Role of local site and landscape factors

Abstract

Questions: What is the variability of succession over a large geographical area? What is the relative importance of (1) local site factors and (2) landscape factors in determining spontaneous vegetation succession? Location: Various regions of the Czech Republic, Central Europe. The regions represent two categories characterized by agrarian lowlands, with a relatively warm and dry climate, and predominant woodland uplands with a relatively cold and wet climate. Methods: Gravel‐sand pits ranged in age from 1–75 years since abandonment. Three types of sites were distinguished: dry, wet and hydric in shallow flooded sites. Vegetation relevés were recorded with species cover (%) visually estimated using the space‐for‐time substitution approach. Local site factors, such as water table and soil characteristics, and landscape characteristics, namely climatic parameters, presence of nearby (semi‐) natural plant communities and main land cover categories in the wider surroundings, were evaluated. Results: Ordination analyses showed that water table was the most important local site factor influencing the course of spontaneous vegetation succession. Succession was further significantly influenced by soil texture, pH, macroclimate, the presence of some nearby (semi‐) natural communities and some land cover categories in the wider surroundings. Spontaneous vegetation succession led to the formation of either shrubby grassland, deciduous woodland, alder and willow carrs, and tall sedge or reed and Typha beds in later stages depending predominantly on the site moisture conditions. Conclusions: Although the water table was the most influential on the course of vegetation succession, the landscape factors together explained more vegetation variability (44%) than local site factors (23%).

Participation of the Czech flora in succession at disturbed sites

“…Species typical of the vegetation on cliffs, screes and walls are obviously over-represented due to the presence of many stone quarries in our database (Novák & Prach 2003, Trnková et al 2010. Especially sand and sand-gravel pits, sampled across the whole country (Řehounková & Prach 2006), and some acidic spoil heaps support the presence of species typical of sandy and other acidophilous grasslands. Species typical of dry grasslands are present in many seral stages if they occur in warmer and dry parts of this country, e.g.…”

Vegetation diversity and selected abiotic factors influencing the primary succession process on the foreland of Gåsbreen, Svalbard

“…Areas which are exposed from retreating glaciers are successively colonised by different groups of organisms such as cyanobacteria, lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants. The process of colonisation depends not only on the availability of diaspores of surrounding vegetation (Bullock et al 2002;del Moral and Erin 2004;Řehounková and Prach 2006;Jones and Del Moral 2009), but also on a number of abiotic factors that characterise the habitat (Matthews 2008), as well as on geomorphological processes shaping the surface after the ice disappears.…”

Floristic composition of vegetation in habitats suitable for Erigeron × huelsenii (Asteraceae)

“…2) show that the group of ruderal habitats is fl oristically more heterogeneous than the group of segetal habitats. This can be explained by the fact that in the early stages of secondary succession, abandoned sand and gravel pits are readily colonized by various plant species typical of ruderal, grassland and meadow communities (Řehounková and Prach 2006). In the vegetation plots sampled for the study most of the associated species with the highest constancy are light-demanding plants and occur usually on dry, mesotrophic or oligotrophic, sandy soils (e.g.…”