Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland

Lava flows pose a hazard in volcanic environments and reset ecosystem development. A succession of dated lava flows provides the possibility to estimate the direction and rates of ecosystem development and can be used to predict future development. We examine plant succession, soil development and s...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vilmundardóttir, OK, Sigurmundsson, FS, Møller Pedersen, GB, Belart, JMC, Kizel, F, Falco, N, Benediktsson, JA, Gísladóttir, G
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: eScholarship, University of California 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zj4t818
id ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org/ark:/13030/qt4zj4t818
record_format openpolar
spelling ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org/ark:/13030/qt4zj4t818 2023-05-15T15:03:53+02:00 Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland Vilmundardóttir, OK Sigurmundsson, FS Møller Pedersen, GB Belart, JMC Kizel, F Falco, N Benediktsson, JA Gísladóttir, G 765 - 791 2018-12-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zj4t818 unknown eScholarship, University of California qt4zj4t818 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zj4t818 public Progress in Physical Geography, vol 42, iss 6 Soil carbon stock lava chronosequence moss thickening rate Racomitrium lanuginosum soil accumulation rate soil depth tephra deposition Geography Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Environmental Science and Management article 2018 ftcdlib 2021-04-16T07:10:42Z Lava flows pose a hazard in volcanic environments and reset ecosystem development. A succession of dated lava flows provides the possibility to estimate the direction and rates of ecosystem development and can be used to predict future development. We examine plant succession, soil development and soil carbon (C) accretion on the historical (post 874 AD) lava flows formed by the Hekla volcano in south Iceland. Vegetation and soil measurements were conducted all around the volcano reflecting the diverse vegetation communities on the lavas, climatic conditions around Hekla mountain and various intensities in deposition of loose material. Multivariate analysis was used to identify groups with similar vegetation composition and patterns in the vegetation. The association of vegetation and soil parameters with lava age, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation and soil accumulation rate (SAR) was analysed. Soil carbon concentration increased with increasing lava age becoming comparable to concentrations found on the prehistoric lavas. The combination of a sub-Arctic climate, gradual soil thickening due to input of loose material and the specific properties of volcanic soils allow for continuing accumulation of soil carbon in the soil profile. Four successional stages were identified: initial colonization and cover coalescence (ICC) of Racomitrium lanuginosum and Stereocaulon spp. (lavas <70 years of age); secondary colonization (SC) – R. lanuginosum dominance (170−700 years); vascular plant dominance (VPD) (>600 years); and highland conditions/retrogression (H/R) by tephra deposition (70−860 years). The long time span of the SC stage indicates arrested development by the thick R. lanuginosum moss mat. The progression from SC into VPD was linked to age of the lava flows and soil depth, which was significantly deeper within the VPD stage. Birch was growing on lavas over 600 years old indicating the development towards birch woodland, the climax ecosystem in Iceland. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Hekla Iceland University of California: eScholarship Arctic
institution Open Polar
collection University of California: eScholarship
op_collection_id ftcdlib
language unknown
topic Soil carbon stock
lava chronosequence
moss thickening rate
Racomitrium lanuginosum
soil accumulation rate
soil depth
tephra deposition
Geography
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
Environmental Science and Management
spellingShingle Soil carbon stock
lava chronosequence
moss thickening rate
Racomitrium lanuginosum
soil accumulation rate
soil depth
tephra deposition
Geography
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
Environmental Science and Management
Vilmundardóttir, OK
Sigurmundsson, FS
Møller Pedersen, GB
Belart, JMC
Kizel, F
Falco, N
Benediktsson, JA
Gísladóttir, G
Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
topic_facet Soil carbon stock
lava chronosequence
moss thickening rate
Racomitrium lanuginosum
soil accumulation rate
soil depth
tephra deposition
Geography
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
Environmental Science and Management
description Lava flows pose a hazard in volcanic environments and reset ecosystem development. A succession of dated lava flows provides the possibility to estimate the direction and rates of ecosystem development and can be used to predict future development. We examine plant succession, soil development and soil carbon (C) accretion on the historical (post 874 AD) lava flows formed by the Hekla volcano in south Iceland. Vegetation and soil measurements were conducted all around the volcano reflecting the diverse vegetation communities on the lavas, climatic conditions around Hekla mountain and various intensities in deposition of loose material. Multivariate analysis was used to identify groups with similar vegetation composition and patterns in the vegetation. The association of vegetation and soil parameters with lava age, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation and soil accumulation rate (SAR) was analysed. Soil carbon concentration increased with increasing lava age becoming comparable to concentrations found on the prehistoric lavas. The combination of a sub-Arctic climate, gradual soil thickening due to input of loose material and the specific properties of volcanic soils allow for continuing accumulation of soil carbon in the soil profile. Four successional stages were identified: initial colonization and cover coalescence (ICC) of Racomitrium lanuginosum and Stereocaulon spp. (lavas <70 years of age); secondary colonization (SC) – R. lanuginosum dominance (170−700 years); vascular plant dominance (VPD) (>600 years); and highland conditions/retrogression (H/R) by tephra deposition (70−860 years). The long time span of the SC stage indicates arrested development by the thick R. lanuginosum moss mat. The progression from SC into VPD was linked to age of the lava flows and soil depth, which was significantly deeper within the VPD stage. Birch was growing on lavas over 600 years old indicating the development towards birch woodland, the climax ecosystem in Iceland.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Vilmundardóttir, OK
Sigurmundsson, FS
Møller Pedersen, GB
Belart, JMC
Kizel, F
Falco, N
Benediktsson, JA
Gísladóttir, G
author_facet Vilmundardóttir, OK
Sigurmundsson, FS
Møller Pedersen, GB
Belart, JMC
Kizel, F
Falco, N
Benediktsson, JA
Gísladóttir, G
author_sort Vilmundardóttir, OK
title Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
title_short Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
title_full Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
title_fullStr Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
title_full_unstemmed Of mosses and men: Plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-Arctic volcanic landscape of Hekla, Iceland
title_sort of mosses and men: plant succession, soil development and soil carbon accretion in the sub-arctic volcanic landscape of hekla, iceland
publisher eScholarship, University of California
publishDate 2018
url https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zj4t818
op_coverage 765 - 791
geographic Arctic
geographic_facet Arctic
genre Arctic
Hekla
Iceland
genre_facet Arctic
Hekla
Iceland
op_source Progress in Physical Geography, vol 42, iss 6
op_relation qt4zj4t818
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zj4t818
op_rights public
_version_ 1766335726069219328