Ruderal species

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A single-species ruderal community of Dittricia viscosa on the railway-side gravel, next to the Petah Tikva-Sgula railway station, Israel. Compare to the mixed-species ruderal community in the image below.

A ruderal species is a plant species that is first to colonise disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural (e.g., wildfires or avalanches), or due to human influence - constructional (e.g., road construction, building construction or mining), or agricultural (e.g., abandoned farming fields or abandoned irrigation ditches).

Ruderal species typically dominate the disturbed area for a few years, gradually losing the competition to other native species. However, in extreme disturbance circumstances, such as when the natural topsoil is covered with a foreign substance, a single-species ruderal community may become permanently established, as depicted in the image on the right. In addition, some ruderal invasive species may have such a competitive advantage over the natural species that they, too, may permanently prevent a disturbed area from returning to its original state despite natural topsoil.

[edit] Features

Features contributing to a species success as ruderal are:

Massive seed production
Modest seedling nutritional requirements
Fast-growing roots
Independence of mycorrhizae

[edit] See also

A mixed-species ruderal community on the side of road 40, north of the Yarkon River, Israel, where the natural topsoil was left after the road-building disturbance.