ABSTRACT
Long-term industrial development has changed the natural environment significantly. The exploitation of coal, sand, gravel, limestone, and dolomites caused changes in the surface and landscape. Some of the side products of excavation of mineral resources provide specific mineral oligotrophic habitats in the urban-industrial ecological mosaic. This study aimed to present the systematic and ecological diversity of protected and endangered species spontaneously colonizing and growing in post-industrial habitats.
The conducted study has revealed that spontaneous flora and vegetation of habitats like quarries, sand and gravel pits, heaps, and subsidence reservoirs are outstanding due to their floristic richness and the participation of rare protected and endangered species. The occurrence of protected and endangered species enriches the ecosystem function in densely populated urban-industrial landscape (habitat and ecosystem) mosaics by maintaining biodiversity in ecosystem services for humans.
The group of endangered and protected vascular plant species recorded in post-industrial areas of the Silesian Upland covers 7.4% of species in the whole flora of the Silesian Province. The analyzed species belong to 59 botanical families, consisting of 45% of the recorded flora of the Silesian Province. The 23 species represent the Orchidaceae family (50% of all species occurring in Poland, all members of the Orchidaceae family are protected). The presence of 66 endangered species in the Silesian Voivodeship and 21 in Poland proves that the ecological habitat conditions of postindustrial areas are suitable as secondary habitats for these species. Hence, post-industrial sites help to essentially support the survival of the endangered species. As a result of spontaneous colonization and succession, post-industrial areas have become refugees for species disappearing in natural habitats.
