Biogeocenosis development during initial revegetation of a coal combustion ash dump

The initial stage of biogeocenoses development on the coal ash dump produced by the thermal power staton in Novosibirsk (55.000, 83.068), Russia, were studied after 9 years of spontaneous revegetation. Soil properties, soil cover and plant communities were examined in detail. The predominating types of embryozems and transition from open to succession plant communities were described. Soil substrate moisture content was found to determine changes in plant species composition, projective cover and abundance, altogether causing asynchronicity of soil formation in different sites