ABSTRACT
Natural
selection processes are constantly influencing vegetation community
composition. In the presence of anthropogenic contaminants additional forces
act as filters controlling persistence of naturally occurring species.
Classical species diversity and richness metrics can miss subtle changes under
disturbance regimes while species composition and functional characteristics
may be able to detect them. Our study was designed to investigate legacy impacts
of explosives contaminated soils in an experimental minefield on vegetative
communities using ecological metrics. As hypothesized, species diversity and
richness showed no change in the presence of explosive compounds while species
composition provided clear separation of groups and functional trait dominance
was also observed to change. Overall, presence of anthropogenic contaminates
have led to community composition and functional shifts for vegetation after
initial contamination. The responses in species composition and functional
diversity/richness were a result of new tolerant species filling open niches in
contaminated plots. More work is needed to confirm this in varied systems and
in the presence of diverse contaminants.