Factors of variation in beech forest understory communities on waste heaps left by historical Zn-Pb ore mining

The species trait-environment relationships in understory vegetation were carried out on metalliferous sites created by historical Zn-Pb mining (S Poland), on which natural revegetation took place. The study sites were 31 small heaps of waste rock covered by an 80-120 year old beech forest. The sites were described in terms of plant coverage, species richness and composition, and the composition of plant traits. Three types of understory...