XVI International Botanical Congess

The biota of urban habitats severely degraded by industrial slag was studied, including the vascular flora and insect lineages representing different trophic levels. Concurrent surveys using identical sampling methods were made in undisturbed habitats in the region. Comparative analysis revealed that the biota of slag habitats differs greatly from historically similar but undisturbed habitats and most resembles natural barrens. Insects and plants exhibited similar patterns at disturbed sites, including reduced species richness, remnant populations of native species, abundance of alien species and occurrence of native species not historically known from the sites. Regeneration of post-industrial sites should consider promoting natural habitats resembling those occurring at disturbed sites as an alternative to restoring habitats historically present at those sites.