LAUSR

Abstract The recovery of postindustrial ecosystems is difficult to predict and depends on numerous factors. Afforestation whereby trees are planted without improvement of soil properties is a popular means of landfill reclamation in Europe, to inhibit the effect of soil erosion. This slows down or completely prevents effective recolonization of many natural ecosystem components. The aim of the study was to test a method using the life-history traits of ground beetle assemblages as a predictor of the effectiveness of ecological restoration in afforested areas. The study was conducted on 45 sampling transects located in three ecosystem types: afforested landfills, landfills where spontaneous succession took place and reference forests. The following carabid life history traits were analysed: body size, dispersal power, food preferences, breeding type, and habitat preferences. In total, 2036 specimens belonging to 36 Carabidae species were collected. Non-metric multidimensional scaling was used to classify ground beetle assemblages according to ecosystem types (analysis of dissimilarity showed significant distance differences, p