Diversity of Vegetation Dominated by Selected Grass Species on Coal-Mine Spoil Heaps in Terms of Reclamation of Post-Industrial Areas

Abstract

Grasses have a considerable potential for the adaptation to various, often extreme, habitat conditions. The aim of the work was to present the vegetation diversity of the coal-mine spoil heaps with the dominant share of grasses and to identify the main factors responsible for this diversity in the aspect of post-industrial land reclamation. The communities differ in reference to the species preferences to light, moisture, soil fertility and reaction, which is reflected in the wide variety of microhabitats in the area. It was shown that the increase in the abundance of certain grass species, including Calamagrostis epigejos, Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea, Phragmites australis, has a significant negative impact on the species richness, species diversity and the uniformity of distribution of species of the plant community. Preliminary analyses revealed that on post-mining waste, the biomass production of the dominant species is negatively correlated with biodiversity. The knowledge about the biology and ecology of grass species, as well as on the assembly rules may be used in the reclamation of degraded areas. Gaining the knowledge about the vegetation diversity of the coal-mine spoil heaps with the dominant share of grasses can be useful in planning the reclamation works, taking into account natural processes, which leads to the creation of a permanent vegetation cover at a given site, protecting it against water or wind erosion. In the future these areas may provide a number of important ecosystem services.