Deglaciation Of Areas Research Articles

Dynamics and drivers of mycorrhizal fungi after glacier retreat.

The development of terrestrial ecosystems depends greatly on plant mutualists such as mycorrhizal fungi. The global retreat of glaciers exposes nutrient-poor substrates in extreme environments and provides a unique opportunity to study early successions of mycorrhizal fungi by assessing their dynamics and drivers. We combined environmental DNA metabarcoding and measurements of local conditions to assess the succession of mycorrhizal communities during soil development in 46 glacier forelands around the globe, testing whether dynamics and drivers differ between mycorrhizal types. Mycorrhizal fungi colonized deglaciated areas very quickly (< 10 yr), with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi tending to become more diverse through time compared to ectomycorrhizal fungi. Both alpha- and beta-diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were significantly related to time since glacier retreat and plant communities, while microclimate and primary productivity were more important for ectomycorrhizal fungi. The richness and composition of mycorrhizal communities were also significantly explained by soil chemistry, highlighting the importance of microhabitat for community dynamics. The acceleration of ice melt and the modifications of microclimate forecasted by climate change scenarios are expected to impact the diversity of mycorrhizal partners. These changes could alter the interactions underlying biotic colonization and belowground-aboveground linkages, with multifaceted impacts on soil development and associated ecological processes.

Remote detection of upland surface water storage capacity in deglaciated terrain

AbstractA notable characteristic of terrain in non‐urbanized deglaciated areas of northeastern North America is the microtopography created by processes related to surficial geology, deglaciation and mechanical disturbances to surface materials from excavating events, most of which are caused by tree throw in the modern landscape. The features are often on the scale of 1–4 m across and decimetres to a metre in depth, appearing as ‘puddles’ during intense or high‐magnitude precipitation events. Generalized storage capacity values have been summarized in textbooks for varied landscape conditions, but surprisingly little information is available about how microtopography and related surface water storage varies in dominant physiographic settings in deglaciated landscapes defined by slope, surficial geology and land cover conditions. The increasing availability of elevation data at a horizontal resolution of 2 m or higher has made it possible to remotely evaluate differences in terrain elevation and quantify upland surface water storage capacity from relatively small topographic depressions. Here, we describe and quantify these topographic features in several coastal and inland watersheds in the state of Maine (USA) with measurements of depression volume calculated from digital elevation models (DEMs) using a pit filling approach. Results show that microtopographic storage capacity varies with slope and land cover conditions in deglaciated terrain of northeastern North America. Basin‐average surface water depression storage capacity estimates range from ~4 mm to as low as 0.2 mm. Human interventions such as clearing land for agriculture are associated with lower microtopographic surface water storage capacity than forested landscapes in the region.

Future emergence of new ecosystems caused by glacial retreat.

Glacier shrinkage and the development of post-glacial ecosystems related to anthropogenic climate change are some of the fastest ongoing ecosystem shifts, with marked ecological and societal cascading consequences1-6. Yet, no complete spatial analysis exists, to our knowledge, to quantify or anticipate this important changeover7,8. Here we show that by 2100, the decline of all glaciers outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets may produce new terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems over an area ranging from the size of Nepal (149,000 ± 55,000 km2) to that of Finland (339,000 ± 99,000 km2). Our analysis shows that the loss of glacier area will range from 22 ± 8% to 51 ± 15%, depending on the climate scenario. In deglaciated areas, the emerging ecosystems will be characterized by extreme to mild ecological conditions, offering refuge for cold-adapted species or favouring primary productivity and generalist species. Exploring the future of glacierized areas highlights the importance of glaciers and emerging post-glacial ecosystems in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss and freshwater scarcity. We find that less than half of glacial areas are located in protected areas. Echoing the recent United Nations resolution declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation9 and the Global Biodiversity Framework10, we emphasize the need to urgently and simultaneously enhance climate-change mitigation and the in situ protection of these ecosystems to secure their existence, functioning and values.

NDVI Analysis for Monitoring Land-Cover Evolution on Selected Deglaciated Areas in the Gran Paradiso Group (Italian Western Alps)

The ongoing climate warming is affecting high-elevation areas, reducing the extent and the duration of glacier and snow covers, driving a widespread greening effect on the Alpine region. The impact assessment requires therefore the integration of the geomorphological context with altitudinal and ecological features of the study areas. The proposed approach introduces chronologically-constrained zones as geomorphological evidence for selecting deglaciated areas in the alpine and non-alpine belts. In the present study, the protected and low-anthropic-impacted areas of the Gran Paradiso Group (Italian Western Alps) were analysed using Landsat NDVI time series (1984–2022 CE). The obtained results highlighted a progressive greening even at a higher altitude, albeit not ubiquitous. The detected NDVI trends showed, moreover, how the local factors trigger the greening in low-elevation areas. Spectral reflectance showed a general decrease over time, evidencing the progressive colonisation of recently deglaciated surfaces. The results improved the discrimination between different greening rates in the deglaciated areas of the Alpine regions. The geomorphological-driven approach showed significant potential to support the comprehension of these processes, especially for fast-changing areas such as the high mountain regions.

Sedimentary Coastal Cliff Erosion in Greenland

AbstractClimate change will increase the duration of annual sea‐ice‐free periods and shift precipitation patterns across the Arctic. Those factors are likely to increase erosion rates along its coasts. Large parts of the Arctic coast consist of hard rock. However, glacial, deltaic, and coastal sedimentary deposits occur in deglaciated areas and isostatic uplift following glaciations has created beach ridge plains and pocket beaches with coarse soft‐sediment cliffs. Hitherto, very little was known about the spatial distribution, erosion rates, and morphodynamics of soft sediment cliffs along the coast of Greenland. Here, we investigate a 3‐km sedimentary cliff section on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island). We measured 2D cliff top erosion over 50 years between 1964 and 2014 as well as 3D cliff profile change over 2 years between 2019 and 2021. Morphometric indices of the gravel beach and cliff were calculated based on a series of cross‐shore elevation profiles. Wave run‐up at the beach fronting the cliff was modeled with XBeach‐G for a series of storm events under present day sea‐ice conditions and for a reduced sea‐ice scenario. Cliff top erosion rates varied along the cliff with maximum rates of 0.3 m y−1. The investigated coastal cliff erodes by two coupled processes: (a) precipitation‐driven surface runoff downslope the cliff and (b) wave‐driven erosion at the cliff toe. In a continuously warming climate, this study shows that erosion of soft coastal cliffs in Greenland thus can accelerate due to increased storminess and prolonging open water periods.

Understanding the flash flood event of 7th February 2021 in Rishi Ganga basin, Central Himalaya using remote sensing technique

On 7th February 2021, a sudden flash flood in the Rishi and Dhauli Ganga rivers in Uttarakhand Himalaya killed 80 people and left 124 people missing. Two hydropower projects were completely destroyed. The flash flood was caused by an avalanche and debris flow. In the present study, spatio-temporal variation in dynamics of glaciers and meteorological parameters including precipitation, land surface temperature etc. was investigated. The study also indicates tectonic correlation with high velocity in the region. A significant change in the climatic conditions just before the flashflood event was observed. Snow cover trend indicates heavy snowfall precipitation followed by abrupt escalation in the difference between diurnal temperatures in the Tapovan valley. Our findings suggest that a sudden temperature change couple of days before caused rapid glacier melt. The melt water moved down along the pre-existing joint/fracture plane, causing the wedge to fail and a flash flood to occur. It is envisioned that the recent change in weather conditions in the region is the primary cause of this event. The steep, narrow river valley increases the kinetic energy of the river, causing even more devastation in its lower reaches. Due to climate change, the Himalayan glaciers have melted rapidly over the last century, expanding the size of glacier lakes and depositing massive sediments in de-glaciated areas. Based on the recent flash flood event and the previous Kedarnath tragedy, it is critical to monitor such potential glacier areas in order to avoid such unfortunate hazards in the future.

Interannual variability of air temperature inversions in ice-free area of northern James Ross Island, Antarctica

Air temperature inversions are common features in Antarctica, especially in the interior where they are observed nearly year-round. Large temporal variability of air temperature inversion incidence is typical for the coastal areas and little is known about its occurrence in the Antarctic deglaciated areas. Here we present a 12-year-long time series of near-surface air temperature inversion derived from two automatic weather stations situated at different altitudes (10 and 375 m a.s.l.) in ice-free part of northern James Ross Island (Antarctic Peninsula). The highest monthly relative frequency of temperature inversions during 2006–2017 was observed in July (38%) when the range between minimum and maximum monthly frequencies reached 34%. Both the lowest monthly relative frequency of temperature inversions and the range were found in December with values of 7% and 15%, respectively. The correlation between mean lapse rate and selected mesoscale flow characteristics were tested. The highest correlations were found between lapse rate and specific humidity for the yearly means (0.69 in the 925 hPa pressure level). Negative correlation coefficients were established between lapse rate and air temperature in summer (− 0.65 in the 500 hPa pressure level). Finally, we also used the Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model to ascertain its ability to simulate situations as complicated as near-surface air temperature inversion formation in complex terrain. For a strong winter air temperature inversion, simulated air temperature was compared with in situ observations to assess the model performance.

Are recently deglaciated areas at both poles colonised by the same bacteria?

Polar glacier forefields offer an unprecedented framework for studying community assembly processes in regions that are geographically and climatically isolated. Through amplicon sequence variant (ASV) inference, we compared the composition and structure of soil bacterial communities from glacier forefields in Iceland and Antarctica to assess overlap between communities and the impact of established cryptogamic covers on the uniqueness of their taxa. These pioneer microbial communities were found to share only 8% of ASVs and each taxonomic group's contribution to the shared ASV data subset was heterogeneous and independent of their relative abundance. Although the presence of ASVs specific to one glacier forefield and/or different cryptogam cover values confirms the existence of habitat specialist bacteria, our data show that the influence of cryptogams on the edaphic bacterial community structure also varied also depending on the taxonomic group. Hence, the establishment of distinct cryptogamic covers is probably not the only factor driving the uniqueness of bacterial communities at both poles. The structure of bacterial communities colonising deglaciated areas seems also conditioned by lineage-specific limitations in their dispersal capacity and/or their establishment and persistence in these isolated and hostile regions.

Check-list of mosses on the Maly Aktru glacier foreland (Russian Altai Mountains)

ABSTRACT Mosses are an impotent component of developing plant communities of glacier forelands of the Russian Altai Mountains. The check-list of mosses of the Maly Aktru glacier foreland includes 44 species that is 8.9% of species diversity of the moss flora of the Russian Altai Mountains. The moss species diversity of the Maly Aktru glacier foreland is significantly higher than that of other deglaciated areas of the Northern hemisphere mountain systems. Twenty-six species of the Maly Aktru glacier foreland check-list were not previously recorded on other deglaciated areas. The β-diversity values between the Maly Aktru glacier foreland and other deglaciated areas are rather high (0.123–0.276).

Cryptogamic cover determines soil attributes and functioning in polar terrestrial ecosystems

We still lack studies that provide evidence for direct links between the development of soil surface cryptogamic communities and soil attributes and functioning. This is particularly true in areas free of potentially confounding factors such as different soil types, land uses, or anthropogenic disturbances. Despite the ecological importance of polar ecosystems and their sensitivity to climate change, we are far from understanding how their soils function and will respond to climate change-driven alterations in above- and belowground features.We used two complementary approaches (i.e. cover gradients in the forefront of retreating glaciers as well as long-time deglaciated areas with well-developed cryptogamic cover types) to evaluate the role of cryptogams driving multiple soil biotic and abiotic attributes and functioning rates in polar terrestrial ecosystems.Increases in cryptogamic cover were consistently related to increases in organic matter accumulation, soil fertility, and bacterial diversity, but also in enhanced soil functioning rates in both sampling areas. However, we also show that the ability to influence soil attributes varies among different polar cryptogamic covers, indicating that their differential ability to thrive under climate-change scenarios will largely determine the fate of polar soils in coming decades.

Glacier shrinkage and slope processes create habitat at high elevation and microrefugia across treeline for alpine plants during warm stages

The temperature rise at the global level and glacier shrinkage are deemed to induce new dynamics between biotic and abiotic factors, especially in mountain regions. In this work, we aimed to assess: (a) the area made available after glacier retreat since the Little Ice Age (LIA) for the colonization of alpine plants; (b) the ability of 14 alpine and nival species, typically growing on peaks and in deglaciated areas, to migrate and survive at lower elevations in microrefugia across the treeline ecotone. In the Adamello-Presanella Massif (Rhaetian Alps), we collected presence data on 14 alpine species within 3 × 3 or 5 × 5 m plots according to slope landforms and deposits. The analysis of the elevation range of the investigated species across the treeline was performed using Sentinel-2 satellite images to derive the actual position of the upper and lower treeline. The differences in the species elevation ranges across slope landforms, in relation to the treeline elevation and aspect, were detected with linear mixed models. Results showed that glaciers contracted sharply by more than 50% between the LIA and 2006, making large deglaciated areas available (more than 57 km2). All the studied species were found at low altitudes across the treeline ecotone, from about 500 to 1200 m below their typical habitat. Six species (Cardamine resedifolia, Cerastium uniflorum, Leucanthemopsis alpina, Luzula alpinopilosa, Oxyria digyna, Saxifraga oppositifolia) significantly exceeded the upper treeline in correspondence of alpine composite channels (p < 0.001 for all species). One species (Adenostyles leucophylla) exceeded the upper treeline in correspondence of composite slope deposits (p < 0.05). Two species (Ranunculus glacialis and S. oppositifolia) reached the lower treeline in composite channels and slope deposits (p = 0.800, and p = 0.519, respectively).The retreat of the alpine glaciers, coupled with the intensification of paraglacial processes, may favor new habitat opportunities at high elevation and microrefugia at low altitudes for nival and alpine species. The widespread presence of microrefugia for alpine plants downslope during warm periods suggests a low incidence of biodiversity loss in the alpine regions due to climate change.

Deep and extensive meltwater system beneath the former Eurasian Ice Sheet in the Kara Sea

Abstract The Eurasian ice sheet extended across the Barents and Kara Seas during the late Quaternary, yet evidence on past ice dynamics and thermal structure across its huge eastern periphery remains largely unknown. Here we use three-dimensional seismic data sets covering ∼4500 km2 of the Kara Sea west of Yamal Peninsula, Siberia (71°–73°N), to identify, for the first time in the Russian Arctic seas, several buried generations of vast subglacial tunnel valley networks. Individual valleys are up to 50 km long and are incised as much as 400 m deep; among the largest tunnel valleys ever reported. This discovery represents the first documentation of an extensively warm-based eastern margin of the Eurasian ice sheet during the Quaternary glaciations. The presence of major subglacial channel networks on the shallow shelf, with no evidence of ice streaming, suggests that significant meltwater discharge and subsequent freshwater forcing of ocean circulation may be long-lived rather than catastrophic, occurring during the latest stages of deglaciation in areas where the ice sheet flows slowly and is grounded largely above sea level. Furthermore, the first account of an extensive hydrological network across large areas of the Kara Sea provides important empirical evidence for active subglacial hydrological processes that should be considered in future numerical modeling of the eastern margin of the Quaternary Eurasian ice sheet.

Time constraints for post-LGM landscape response to deglaciation in Val Viola, Central Italian Alps

Across the northern European Alps, a long tradition of Quaternary studies has constrained post-LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) landscape history. The same picture remains largely unknown for the southern portion of the orogen. In this work, starting from existing 10Be exposure dating of three boulders in Val Viola, Central Italian Alps, we present the first detailed, post-LGM reconstruction of landscape (i.e., glacial, periglacial and paraglacial) response south of the Alpine divide. We pursue this task through Schmidt-hammer exposure-age dating (SHD) at 34 sites including moraines, rock glaciers, protalus ramparts, rock avalanche deposits and talus cones. In addition, based on the mapping of preserved moraines and on the numerical SHD ages, we reconstruct the glacier extent of four different stadials, including Egesen I (13.1 ± 1.1 ka), Egesen II (12.3 ± 0.6 ka), Kartell (11.0 ± 1.4 ka) and Kromer (9.7 ± 1.4 ka), whose chronologies agree with available counterparts from north of the Alpine divide. Results show that Equilibrium Line Altitude depressions (ΔELAs) associated to Younger Dryas and Early Holocene stadials are smaller than documented at most available sites in the northern Alps. These findings not only support the hypothesis of a dominant north westerly atmospheric circulation during the Younger Dryas, but also suggest that this pattern could have lasted until the Early Holocene. SHD ages on rock glaciers and protalus ramparts indicate that favourable conditions to periglacial landform development occurred during the Younger Dryas (12.7 ± 1.1 ka), on the valley slopes above the glacier, as well as in newly de-glaciated areas, during the Early Holocene (10.7 ± 1.3 and 8.8 ± 1.8 ka). The currently active rock glacier started to develop before 3.7 ± 0.8 ka and can be associated to the Löbben oscillation. Four of the five rock avalanches dated in Val Viola cluster within the Early Holocene, in correspondence of an atmospheric warming phase. By contrast, the timing of the main Val Viola rock avalanche, 7.7 ± 0.3 ka during the Holocene Thermal Optimum, suggests a possible causal linkage to permafrost degradation. Overall, Schmidt-hammer proved to be an effective, inexpensive and versatile tool for improving the spatial resolution of Val Viola post-LGM landscape history, starting from existing numerical age constrains.

The origin of unique diversity in deglaciated areas: traces of Pleistocene processes in north-European endemics from the Galium pusillum polyploid complex (Rubiaceae).

The role of glacial oscillations in shaping plant diversity has been only rarely addressed in endemics of formerly glaciated areas. The Galium pusillum group represents a rare example of an ecologically diverse and ploidy-variable species complex that exhibits substantial diversity in deglaciated northern Europe. Using AFLP and plastid and nuclear DNA sequences of 67 populations from northern, central, and western Europe with known ecological preferences, we elucidate the evolutionary history of lineages restricted to deglaciated areas and identify the eco-geographic partitioning of their genetic variation. We reveal three distinct endemic northern lineages: (i) diploids from southern Sweden+the British Isles, (ii) tetraploids from southern Scandinavia and the British Isles that show signs of ancient hybridization between the first lineage and populations from unglaciated central Europe, and (iii) tetraploids from Iceland+central Norway. Available evidence supports a stepwise differentiation of these three lineages that started at least before the last glacial maximum by processes of genome duplication, interlineage hybridization and/or allopatric evolution in distinct periglacial refugia. We reject the hypothesis of more recent postglacial speciation. Ecological characteristics of the populations under study only partly reflect genetic variation and suggest broad niches of postglacial colonizers. Despite their largely allopatric modern distributions, the north-European lineages of the G.pusillum group do not show signs of rapid postglacial divergence, in contrast to most other northern endemics. Our study suggests that plants inhabiting deglaciated areas outside the Arctic may exhibit very different evolutionary histories compared with their more thoroughly investigated high-arctic counterparts.

Phytogeography of Najas gracillima (Hydrocharitaceae) in North America and its cryptic introduction to California

The discontinuous North American distribution of Najas gracillima has not been explained satisfactorily. Influences of extirpation, nonindigenous introduction, and postglacial migration on its distribution were evaluated using field, fossil, morphological, and molecular data. Najas is a major waterfowl food, and appropriate conservation measures rely on accurate characterization of populations as indigenous or imperiled. • Seed lengths of N. gracillima from native Korean populations, a nonindigenous Italian population, and North American populations were compared using digital image analysis. DNA sequence analyses from these regions provided nine nrITS genotypes and eight cpDNA haplotypes. • Najas gracillima seeds from Eurasia and California are shorter than those from eastern North America. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences of N. gracillima from Korea and Italy were identical to California material but differed from native eastern North American plants. Eastern North American specimens of N. gracillima at localities above the last glacial maximum boundary were identical or similar genetically to material from the northeastern United States and Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont but divergent from plants of the Interior Highlands-Mississippi Embayment region. • In California, N. gracillima is nonindigenous and introduced from Asia. In eastern North America, populations that colonized deglaciated areas were derived primarily from refugia in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont. Genetic data indicate initial postglacial migration to northeastern North America, with subsequent westward dispersal into the Upper Great Lakes. These results differentiate potentially invasive California populations from seriously imperiled indigenous eastern North American populations.

Vegetation succession on Mt. Kenya in relation to glacial fluctuation and global warming

AbstractQuestionsHow has the Mt. Kenya plant community responded to recent glacial retreat? Has the recent glacial retreat been affected by increases in temperature? How have number of plant clumps and proportion of vegetation cover changed with distance from the glacier edge (i.e. till age)?LocationFrom Tyndall Tarn to the foot of Tyndall Glacier of Mt. Kenya (0°6′ S, 37°18′ E), Kenya.MethodsThe topography, soils, vegetation and glacial distribution around the Tyndall Glacier of Mt. Kenya were investigated from 1992 to 2011. The effect of glacial retreat on the rate of movement of leading edge (upper distribution limit) of plant species was examined. The distribution of vegetation was examined in a permanent plot that was surveyed in 1996 and 2011. The effects of temperature variation on glacial retreat were assessed with a least squares regression model.ResultsTyndall Glacier retreated at a rate of ~3 m·yr−1from 1958 to 1997, which increased to 7–15 m·yr−1between 1997 and 2011. The leading edge ofSenecio keniophytum, the first pioneer species to establish after glacial retreat, advanced with glacial recession. It was sparse in 1996; by 2011, the number of clumps and proportion of cover had increased. Clump size was affected by distance from the glacier edge (i.e. till age) in areas of recent deglaciation but not in deglaciated areas &gt;15 yr old. Monthly mean minimum temperature at Mt. Kenya increased by &gt;2 °C from 1963 to 2011, and glacial retreat was related to increase in monthly mean minimum temperature.ConclusionThe glaciers on Mt. Kenya have diminished rapidly in recent years, and pioneer plant species have advanced in response. The movements of some species do not appear to be directly spatially related to glacial retreat but may be related to increases in air temperature, soil development, seed dispersal limitation and interval of masting. Recent unusually high temperatures and precipitation also likely caused the blooming of some species during atypical seasons.

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the inner Bredefjord area, southern Greenland

In this paper we present new relative sea-level data from southern Greenland, a key area for understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) response to climate change. Within fourteen lakes and marine lagoons from the inner part of Bredefjord (Nordre Sermilik) in southern Greenland, isolations revealed by stratigraphic and palaeoecological analyses are dated and relative sea levels reconstructed. Due to coastal emergence caused by the GIS retreat within the area, the relative sea-level fell rapidly in the early Holocene between at least c. 9600 and c. 7300 cal. yrs BP attaining a rate of 2 cm per year between 9600 and 8000 cal. yrs BP. Spatial variability in relative sea-level changes is show for southern Greenland from a comparison with the Nanortalik and the Qaqortoq areas. The regression occurred about 2000 years later in the inner Bredefjord area, compared to the Nanortalik area, and about 1000 years later compared to the Qaqortoq area. This is a consequence of earlier deglaciation in areas located at the outer coast. Between c. 8000 cal. yrs BP and the present day, relative sea level was lower than today. The lowest relative sea level in the Inner Bredefjord area of between −5.4 and −15 m a.h.a.t. (above highest astronomical tide) was reached between 7000 and 1000 cal. yrs BP. The neoglacial readvance together with the collapse of the Laurentide peripheral bulge is probably responsible for the transgression in the Inner Bredefjord area, as has been indicated from the nearby sites Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. Our relative sea-level reconstructions showing spatial variability within southern Greenland have implications for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) modelling and the understanding of the GIS ice sheet dynamics. The early Holocene regression is consistent with the recession of the southern sector of the GIS from the shelf edge at c. 22 000 cal. yrs BP, reaching inland of the present day outer coast by c. 12 000 cal. yrs BP, and its present margin by c. 10 500 cal. yrs BP.

Primary assembly of soil communities: disentangling the effect of dispersal and local environment

It has long been recognised that dispersal abilities and environmental factors are important in shaping invertebrate communities, but their relative importance for primary soil community assembly has not yet been disentangled. By studying soil communities along chronosequences on four recently emerged nunataks (ice-free land in glacial areas) in Iceland, we replicated environmental conditions spatially at various geographical distances. This allowed us to determine the underlying factors of primary community assembly with the help of metacommunity theories that predict different levels of dispersal constraints and effects of the local environment. Comparing community assembly of the nunataks with that of non-isolated deglaciated areas indicated that isolation of a few kilometres did not affect the colonisation of the soil invertebrates. When accounting for effects of geographical distances, soil age and plant richness explained a significant part of the variance observed in the distribution of the oribatid mites and collembola communities, respectively. Furthermore, null model analyses revealed less co-occurrence than expected by chance and also convergence in the body size ratio of co-occurring oribatids, which is consistent with species sorting. Geographical distances influenced species composition, indicating that the community is also assembled by dispersal, e.g. mass effect. When all the results are linked together, they demonstrate that local environmental factors are important in structuring the soil community assembly, but are accompanied with effects of dispersal that may "override" the visible effect of the local environment.

Frequency of local, regional, and long‐distance dispersal of diploid and tetraploid Saxifraga oppositifolia (Saxifragaceae) to Arctic glacier forelands

Climate change forces many species to migrate. Empirical small-scale data on migration and colonization in the Arctic are scarce. Retreating glaciers provide new territory for cold-adapted plant species, but the genetic consequences depend on dispersal distances and frequencies. We estimated local, regional, and long-distance dispersal frequencies, as well as their effect on levels of genetic diversity, in diploid and tetraploid individuals of Saxifraga oppositifolia. Samples were collected in four aged moraines in each of three glacier forelands, in surrounding areas and reference populations in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard. These samples were analyzed for neutral amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs, n = 707) and ploidy levels (n = 30). Genetic clustering and ploidy analyses revealed two distinct genetic groups representing diploids and tetraploids, with few intermediate triploids. The groups were intermixed in most sampled populations. No differences in genetic diversity were found between tetraploids and diploids, or between established and glacier foreland populations. Seeds were dispersed over local, regional, and long distances, with the highest proportions of seeds originating from close sources. A minimum of 4-15 founding individuals from several source populations had initially established in each glacier foreland. Our data suggest that S. oppositifolia can rapidly colonize new deglaciated areas without losing genetic diversity. Thus, glacier forelands can be alternative habitats for cold-adapted vascular plants tracking their climatic niche. Our data show no difference in colonization success between diploid and tetraploid individuals.

Sediment release and storage in early deglaciated areas: Towards an application of the exhaustion model from the case of Massif des Écrins (French Alps) since the Little Ice Age

Deglaciation in high mountain areas triggers a series of adjustments affecting the various geomorphic components of formerly glaciated catchments. Active processes, part of the ‘paraglacial’ open system, release and transport sediments from formerly glacierized sources to catchment sinks. Such cascade sedimentary systems may be disrupted by temporary sediments traps. To evaluate the consequences of such traps on sediment export, several test areas were selected, where former glacial geometries and glacial retreat chronology were reconstructed from field data. Special attention is given to the link between the glacial margins and the glacio-fluvial systems. During glacial retreat, the presence of morainic ridges may temporarily interrupt the sedimentary cascade system, thus forcing local aggradation and change in the glacio-fluvial pattern. The volume of trapped sediments is controlled by the volume and the position of morainic ridges, while the storage residence time is strongly dependent upon the rate of moraine erosion. The ice surface elevation and its lowering control ice-contact storages, as well as sedimentary and water fluxes. The time lag between the rate of sediment accumulation on the valley floor and the rate of glacial shrinking influences the pattern and behaviour of drainage many decades after the peak in glacial melting.