Succession of vascular plants in front of retreating glaciers in central Spitsbergen

Abstract Vegetation succession in front of five retreating glaciers was studied using phytosociological relevés (60) located at different distances between the Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines and the present glacier fronts around Petunia Bay. Approximate dating of succession stages was based on a stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polish Polar Research
Main Authors: Prach, Karel, Rachlewicz, Grzegorz
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10183-012-0022-3
https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/popore/33/4/article-p319.xml
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/popore.2012.33.issue-4/v10183-012-0022-3/v10183-012-0022-3.pdf
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Summary:Abstract Vegetation succession in front of five retreating glaciers was studied using phytosociological relevés (60) located at different distances between the Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines and the present glacier fronts around Petunia Bay. Approximate dating of succession stages was based on a study of the changing position of glacier fronts in the past approximately 100 years. The described succession corresponds to the uni-directional, non-replacement model of succession. All constituent species, except one, present in the nearby old tundra have colonized the glacier forelands since the end of the LIA. The first species appeared about 5 years after deglaciation. The latest succession stages closely re- semble the old tundra.