Vegetation Description and Functional Traits of Technogenic Ecotopes at a Thermal Power Plant in Western Ukraine

Abstract

In thermal energy generation, the accumulation and storage of solid waste from coal combustion, such as ash and slag, are concerning issues for environmental protection. In order to develop measures to restore the ecological balance of such sites, it is essential to understand their ecological characteristics, including ongoing processes of vegetation succession, phytodiversity and plant functional traits. Therefore, the main objective of this study was the assessment of ash and slag dump vegetation using the example of a thermal power plant in Western Ukraine as a case study. The phytodiversity (e.g., species richness, floristic status, and degree of naturalization), morphological characteristics, reproductive strategy, pollination, dispersal features of plants, and Grime’s CSR strategy types of the vegetation were assessed and analyzed. Results indicate that 131 plant species were present at the study site, 80 of which were native, and mainly belonged to the three families Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae. Pluriannual plants, mainly herbs, dominated the study site. Reproduction by seed and spore were the main reproductive strategies of the documented vegetation species set. Concerning dispersal, insect pollen vectors and zoochory were the most relevant strategies in the species set. The results therefore suggest that amongst various factors, ash and slag dumps sites are potential habitat for plant communities with diverse native species that include many competitive and ruderal plants. Hereby, plant-insect interactions may be key for the ecological restoration of these technogenic ecotopes. Our insights may support the development of restoration measures that help improve the ecological situation of ash and slag dumps.