Stress Ecology in Mining Landscape: Postindustrial Deposits in Comparison with their Surroundings as the Environments for Selection of Plants with Small and Large Genome Size

Abstract

This pilot case study compares genome sizes of two groups of species (conspecific plants) which spontaneously colonize interior space within abandoned industrial area and/or deposits, and those ones occurred in adjacent vicinity. Testing of the hypothesis “There is functional significance of small versus large genomes of plant species by comparing their occurrence in unreclaimed toxic deposits as an example of stressed environment and in their populations from neighbouring habitats” confirmed this idea.

Keywords

• unreclaimed industrial deposits in landscape
• abandoned mine tailings
• genome size
• flow cytometry
• conspecific taxons
• plant traits
• colonization
• succession
• disturbance
• stress
• restoration ecology
• ecological genomics