Persistent ecological legacies of abandoned settlements determine vegetation diversity decades after abandonment

A botanical survey combining phytosociological relevés with a complete inventory of vascular plant species was conducted in six villages in the Czech Republic abandoned at various times and for different reasons after World War II. Vegetation classification, multivariate ordination, and diversity analyses were used to evaluate vegetation composition, environmental gradients, and biodiversity patterns. Despite being abandoned decades ago, these settlements remain consistently dominated by ruderal vegetation, including common annual plant communities. The flora is characterized by a high proportion of short-lived and clonally reproducing perennial herbs and grasses. Although competitive species are generally richest in number, ruderal and stress-tolerant strategists often dominate disturbed microsites in terms of cover and abundance. Abandoned settlements simultaneously serve as refuges for threatened species and as centers of biological invasions, creating biodiversity paradoxes. No clear relationship was found between species richness and time since abandonment, suggesting that local environmental conditions and historical land-use legacies shape vegetation patterns more strongly than successional age. Overall, these areas predominantly support native species and can function as biodiversity refugia, especially in species-poor agricultural landscapes. Understanding the floristic development of these landscapes contributes to our knowledge of the long-term ecological consequences of settlement abandonment.