Biodiversity in Metal-Contaminated Sites – Problem and Perspective – A Case Study

Summary 1. Introduction. 1.1 Biodiversity in metal-contaminated sites. 1.2 Selecting native fungi and plants for bioremediation. 2. Case study – Multidisciplinary investigations on biodiversity into a sulphide-rich waste-rock dump. Conclusion: The enormous potential of native fungi and plants that are able to colonize metal-contaminated soils need to be studied in-depth in order to preserve the natural genetic resources of metalliferous habitats and to increase our basic knowledge about the natural adaptation mechanisms of hyperaccumulators in order to employ them in phytoremediation purposes.