Primary Succession in Glacier Forelands: How Small Animals Conquer New Land Around Melting Glaciers

Abstract

An easily observed effect of global warming is the gradual melting of glaciers in different parts of the world. Large areas of barren, pristine ground are left open for colonisation of various life forms (Fig. 1). From an ecological point of view, glacier forelands are interesting because they illustrate nature’s ability to recover from severe disturbance. Since the successive development of communities starts without previous life forms, it is a primary succession. In contrast, a secondary succession starts with a species assemblage already present, for instance on a forest patch after clear-cutting. While the botanical succession in glacier forelands has been well studied, the parallel zoological succession is less described and understood. Which animal species are pioneers, what properties make them pioneers, how fast does species number increase, and how do plants and animals interact during succession? An ecological understanding of primary succession is not only of scientific interest, but also helps us to predict future ecosystems in areas freed from the ice cover.