Life-history traits and habitat preferences of colonizing plant species in long-term spontaneous succession in abandoned gravel-sand pits.

Abstract The following question was asked: Species of what traits and ecological demands are the best and the least successful colonizers in the course of succession in disused gravel–sand pits? Abandoned gravel–sand pits (36) were studied in the Czech Republic. Together 224 phytosociological releves were recorded in 5 m×5 m plots in all available seral stages ranging in age from 1 to 75 years. Complete lists of species occurring in (semi-)natural habitats were surveyed up to a distance of 100 m from each releve. The colonization success of each species was expressed by an index between 0 and 1 which was obtained as the ratio of the number of releves with species present in a pit/the number of releves with the species occurrence in their surroundings. Species characteristics were taken from available databases. Data were elaborated by ordination analysis and regression tree analysis. Generally, the best colonizers of gravel–sand pits were hydrophytes with the ability to vegetatively reproduce. In particular, at the beginning of succession, anemochorous species played the most important role. Stress tolerant species, possessing light diaspores, were typical of nitrogen poor and acidic habitats. Later, sciophilous and nitrophilous species of mesic habitats increased in importance. They have heavier diaspores, and are mostly phanerophytes or geophytes, often with the ability to vegetatively reproduce as well as exhibiting higher demand for pH. Plant functional traits were recognized as powerful tools to predict the colonization success of plants available in the local species pool. They may help predict vegetation succession in various human-disturbed sites and thus be used in various restoration programmes.

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