Assembly patterns of soil-dwelling lichens after glacier retreat in the European Alps.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

To assess the spatial-temporal dynamics of primary succession following deglaciation in soil-dwelling lichen communities.

Location

European Alps (Austria, Switzerland and Italy).

Methods

Five glacier forelands subjected to relevant glacier retreat during the last century were investigated. In each glacier foreland, three successional stages were selected at increasing distance from the glacier, corresponding to a gradient of time since deglaciation between 25 and 160 years. In each successional stage, soil-dwelling lichens were surveyed within five 1 × 1 m plots. In addition to a classical ecological framework, based on species richness and composition, we applied a functional approach to better elucidate community assembly mechanisms.

Results

A positive re

SUBMITTER: Nascimbene J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5484317 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature