Hi scholarman-ga,
As both a writer and a naturalist, I found your question rather
intriguing. However, it took me a bit of searching to find the right
term to address your query. The word we needed was "succession"
---that is the gradual taking over of land by plant and animal
species.
What we know about succession comes from studies of three types of
land –
1 --Natural wilderness areas
2 -- Urban wasteland or urban commons - Land that was formerly used
but is now abandoned or unmanaged. This includes vacant lots,
abandoned factory sites and schoolyards, and rundown neighborhoods.
3 -- Relict communities – Land that was once wild but that was
incorporated or surrounded by urban areas. This includes ponds, parks,
waterways, greenways, etc.
Succession occurs in stages with different species of plant and animal
marking each stage. These can be recognized as follows –
PIONEER SPECIES: the first species into a newly created environment
…generally they are species tolerant to severe climatic conditions.
Their death changes the environment by adding organic matter to a bare
substrate (usually rock). This organic matter contains the nutrients
that allow other plants to flourish. Seedlings of shrubs and trees
become established
SERAL STAGES: these progressions of biological communities that become
established through time are referred to as seres or seral stages. The
identities of these particular communities will depend upon what the
climate, the soil, the previous land use and the surrounding
biological communities (from which colonizing species are drawn).
THE MATURE OR CLIMAX STAGE is usually the longest lasting stage and
represents the most stable plant community type characteristic of a
given area. Temperate forest, coniferous forest etc. are very typical
examples of such climax stages.
URBAN FORESTRY NOTES
http://qrc.depaul.edu/lheneghan/urbanforestry3.htm
Exactly what type of plants and animals characterize these stages will
depend on a number of factors that, for a fictional story to be
accurate, you may want to consider.
What was there before the city was built?
This will determine what might live in any relict communities within
your city. Was a large Central Park enclosed within city? Does it
still have remnant wildlife populations of deer, beavers, foxes, etc?
What about lakes or ponds? Are there populations of waterfowl,
seagulls, river rats, or fish?
What's already there now?
Much of what is going to first inhabit your abandoned city is going to
be the flora and fauna that already cohabitated with the former human
populations. Lawn grasses, urban trees, abandoned house pets,
spreading garden plants, vermin, pigeons, squirrels, etc. These flora
and fauna will "go wild" in the absence of human control, but
remember, like in any wild population, will strike a balance between
predator and prey and herbivore and plant.
Another thing to consider is whether or not your human population left
the city or if they died there. Obviously, an abundance of dead bodies
is going to have an impact on the makeup of subsequent species.
What surrounds your city?
New flora and fauna will come from surrounding areas, so what's nearby
will certainly have an impact on your succession. Is your city
surrounded by farmland, forest, ocean, mountains, lakes, prairie, or
waterways? What plants and animals are endemic to the surrounding
areas? These are slowly going to work their way into your city.
What is the natural environment and weather like?
Consider things like wind direction/speed and how it might blow seeds
into your city. Does it tend to be dry or is it a damp place where
mosses and fungus are going to start covering surfaces? What about
flooding of waterways that are normally controlled by humans? Will
large areas now be turned into lakes? (In which case, lake succession
is a study unto itself) What types of creatures might migrate through
your city now that human populations have left? For example, if your
city is on a major flyway for raptors, might they settle there
permanently due to the abundance of rodents and/or pigeons.
For more specific data on flora and fauna succession, please see the
references below. I've clipped some useful sections for you from each
article, but I urge you to read them in more detail. They contain many
little details that will add reality to your book.
-------------------------------------------------
RELICT COMMUNITIES
*this article (25 pages) is very in-depth. I've quoted it further at
the bottom of the page.
"Abandoned countryside, now locked in urban areas may have unique
wildlife and social value as ‘timecapsules’ of a former landscape and
land-use. Within these historic landscapes, is often a resource of
relict animal and plant communities and their species (Rotherham,
1994b and 1996). Some plants and animals typical of these ecosystems
may be ‘indicators’ of antiquity and/or continuity through time.
Their presence in an urban ecosystem may be clear evidence of historic
connectivity with the former rural environment. This may be removed by
a matter of decades, or in some cases, several centuries."
Relict communities: a key resource in urban nature conservation.
http://www.shu.ac.uk/sybionet/confer/recent/prague/dlpdf/prague.PDF
------------------------
"A modern understanding of succession involves a gradual shift in the
biological community over time (if you are interested in reading a
very recent successional study see the journal Ecology, Jan 2000
issue, in the Environmental Science office). The individuals of
species which occupy the area at a particular time change the
substrate upon which the are growing and living, and are subsequently
dislodged by the other species which come to dominate in the altered
environment.."
URBAN FORESTRY
http://qrc.depaul.edu/lheneghan/urbanforestry3.htm
------------------------
URBAN WASTELAND
*this article has a great deal of information on succession in urban
wastelands. I have quoted only once section here for you.
"This kind of wasteland often represents a temporary land use since
many such areas are scheduled to be re-developed for other uses. Where
there is no change in land use wasteland will often develop through
succession into other habitat types, e.g. grassland, scrub and
woodland."
"Wasteland is found on such a wide range of substrates and soils
...that it is impossible to characterise the vegetation except in the
most general of terms. Plants may colonise newly-created wasteland by
dispersing from similar sites elsewhere; they not infrequently arrive
as propagules in dumped soil; and they may germinate from the seed
bank associated with previous land uses. Bare substrate is not
uncommon, and there tends to be an abundance of pioneer lichens and
mosses, annual and biennial plants (often of an ephemeral nature), and
garden escapes."
"Invertebrate life can be abundant and species-rich. Common
invertebrates in the early stages of succession include ground
predators such as spiders, harvestmen and beetles, as well as
lepidopteran visitors to nectar-producing flowers. As the site ages,
earthworms and other soil-dwelling invertebrates become commoner, the
former in particular enhancing soil development. A few vertebrates may
use these areas for breeding, especially where size and isolation
permit. It is for feeding, however, that wasteland habitats are
perhaps most important for birds and mammals."
Other sections include --
2.1 Environmental factors
2.2 Threats.
UK WILDLIFE TRUST – URBAN WASTELAND
http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/urbanwt/ecorecord/bap/html/urban.htm
--------------------------------------
I was unable to access the pdf version of this file, so here is the
link to the html version. The article includes a discussion of the
stages of succession of ex-industrial land near London and its
conversion to a nature reserve.
WANDLE MEADOW NATURE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN – HTML
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:qlplI1Ye8RAC:www.merton.gov.uk/naturereserves/acrobat/wandlemeadow97.pdf+urban+wasteland+succession+stages&hl=en&start=7&ie=UTF-8
WANDLE MEADOW NATURE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN – PDF
http://www.merton.gov.uk/naturereserves/acrobat/wandlemeadow97.pdf
----------------------------
"Within any ecosystem there are communities of organisms which consist
of producers, consumers and decomposers all co-existing, and
interacting, to achieve a balance, an equilibrium, that at once allows
and sustains that ecosystem. Such communities grow gradually by a
natural process in which one species is succeeded or replaced by
another until this succession results in the establishment of a climax
community"
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:-MdoVGIfhS4C:www.ihrs.ac.uk/courses/conserv_envir.html+urban+wasteland+succession+stages&hl=en&start=38&ie=UTF-8
-------------------------------------
RELICT COMMUNITIES
" … many urbanised zones present environments that consist of
patchworks of often fragmented, isolated habitat-types. Despite this,
these areas provide wildlife habitats for a varied range of plant and
animal species.."
"Where relict landscapes survive in urban zones, they frequently have
remnant communities of animal and plant species. These may be of
particular conservation interest since they are often increasingly
rare in the wider environment. Additionally, the progressive demise of
relict or remnant species is often linked to settlement and
urbanisation history."
"So-called ‘habitat patches’ of woods or grasslands may hold relict
species, though the ability varies between different ecosystems."
"... At an age of around 30-40 years, the rapid succession of birch
woodland is significantly affecting much of the site."
Relict communities: a key resource in urban nature conservation.
http://www.shu.ac.uk/sybionet/confer/recent/prague/dlpdf/prague.PDF
RELICT COMMUNITIES - HTML
http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:h3RTA_PXybQC:www.shu.ac.uk/sybionet/confer/recent/prague/dlpdf/prague.PDF+%22urban+Common%22+succession+stages&hl=en&start=2&ie=UTF-8
----------------------
"Sites of previous land use are often left largely undisturbed and
natural vegetation establishment leads to a habitat succession from
tall herb, to rank grassland and finally to scrub woodland."
CONTAMINATED LAND - PDF
http://council.blackburnworld.com/services/technical_services/environmental_health/pollution/docs/contaminated_land.pdf
CONTAMINATED LAND - DOC
http://council.blackburnworld.com/services/technical_services/environmental_health/pollution/docs/contaminated_land.doc
--------------------------
URBAN WASTELANDS
* this article has specifics on plant and animals that move into urban
wastelands in London.
Definition
"… urban wastelands are defined as those sites that support
seminatural vegetation that has developed over an imported or
artificial substrate, subsequent to previous development or
disturbance. Such sites include disused railway sidings, demolition
sites, redundant industrial land and derelict land. It is noted that
Urban Wastelands are not synonymous with ‘brownfield land’, which
includes a much wider range of ‘previously developed’ land and can
encompass sites which are now essentially the semi-natural woodland,
grassland or other habitats covered in Section 1 of this document. "
" ... common feature of many urban wastelands is the dominance of
species that are considered to be ‘weedy’, ruderal or pioneer
species…. many of the species that flourish in urban wastelands are
exotics which would normally be out-competed by native species, or are
species which have exacting climatic or biological requirements that
are rarely available except in the unusual conditions which arise on
urban wastelands."
" The importance of urban wastelands for invertebrates is becoming
increasingly apparent. The varied micro-topography of these sites may
be particularly important, producing hollows, banks, eroded areas,
suntraps and crevices which can be exploited by a wide variety of
different invertebrates. …"
"…. In inner London, birds such as linnet, goldfinch and whitethroat
are often confined to urban wastelands or areas of railway corridor,
canalside or parks that have a wasteland character. The bird most
often cited as a wasteland species - the black redstart – does indeed
occur on urban wasteland sites, but can be found in less derelict
areas where the characteristics of the habitat are very diffuse…."
HS3: Urban Wastelands
http://www.lbp.org.uk/audit/habitatstatements/UrbanWastelands.pdf
---------------------
What I've written and the sources I've cited for you should give you a
good start in describing the succession of plants and animals that
will eventually take over your abandoned city. I've not given you a
lot of specifics, because, as noted, they would depend entirely on the
exact location and circumstances of your city. However, knowing what
you do now, you should be able to build a plausible scenario.
For more information on what we've talked about here, use my search
terms below, in different combinations, and I'm sure you will come
across plenty of resources.
Thank you for your question. Please let me know if anything I've said
isn't clear, and I'll be happy to clarify for you.
--K~
search terms – [used in various combination]
"urban wasteland"
"urban commons"
"relict commnuties"
plant succession
animal succession
"abandoned city"
flora
fauna
succession stages |
