Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)

<p>Climate change and the associated glacier retreat lead to considerable enlargement and alterations of the proglacial systems. The colonisation of plants in this ecosystem was found to be highly dependent on terrain age, initial site conditions and geomorphic disturbances. Although the expla...

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Main Authors:	K. Ramskogler, B. Knoflach, B. Elsner, B. Erschbamer, F. Haas, T. Heckmann, F. Hofmeister, L. Piermattei, C. Ressl, S. Trautmann, M. H. Wimmer, C. Geitner, J. Stötter, E. Tasser
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Copernicus Publications 2023-07-01
Series:	Biogeosciences
Online Access:	https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2919/2023/bg-20-2919-2023.pdf

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author	K. Ramskogler K. Ramskogler B. Knoflach B. Elsner B. Erschbamer F. Haas T. Heckmann F. Hofmeister L. Piermattei C. Ressl S. Trautmann M. H. Wimmer C. Geitner J. Stötter E. Tasser
author_facet	K. Ramskogler K. Ramskogler B. Knoflach B. Elsner B. Erschbamer F. Haas T. Heckmann F. Hofmeister L. Piermattei C. Ressl S. Trautmann M. H. Wimmer C. Geitner J. Stötter E. Tasser
author_sort	K. Ramskogler
collection	DOAJ
description	<p>Climate change and the associated glacier retreat lead to considerable enlargement and alterations of the proglacial systems. The colonisation of plants in this ecosystem was found to be highly dependent on terrain age, initial site conditions and geomorphic disturbances. Although the explanatory variables are generally well understood, there is little knowledge on their collinearities and resulting influence on proglacial primary succession. To develop a sphere-spanning understanding of vegetation development, a more interdisciplinary approach was adopted. In the proglacial areas of Fürkeleferner, Zufallferner and Langenferner (Martell Valley, Eastern Italian Alps), in total 65 plots of <span class="inline-formula">5×2</span> m were installed to perform the vegetation analysis on vegetation cover, species number and species composition. For each of those, 39 potential explanatory variables were collected, selected through an extensive literature review. To analyse and further avoid multicollinearities, 33 of the explanatory variables were clustered via principal component analysis (PCA) to five components. Subsequently, generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to analyse the potential explanatory factors of primary succession. The results showed that primary succession patterns were highly related to the first component (<i>elevation and time</i>), the second component (<i>solar radiation</i>), the third component (<i>soil chemistry</i>), the fifth component (<i>soil physics</i>) and landforms. In summary, the analysis of all explanatory variables together provides an overview of the most important influencing variables and their interactions; thus it provides a basis for the debate on future vegetation development in a changing climate.</p>
first_indexed	2024-03-12T22:44:24Z
format	Article
id	doaj.art-a0903dc4a3f04757a9d25a22f5adfdd2
institution	Directory Open Access Journal
issn	1726-4170 1726-4189
language	English
last_indexed	2024-03-12T22:44:24Z
publishDate	2023-07-01
publisher	Copernicus Publications
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series	Biogeosciences
spelling	doaj.art-a0903dc4a3f04757a9d25a22f5adfdd22023-07-21T08:44:08ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892023-07-01202919293910.5194/bg-20-2919-2023Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)K. Ramskogler0K. Ramskogler1B. Knoflach2B. Elsner3B. Erschbamer4F. Haas5T. Heckmann6F. Hofmeister7L. Piermattei8C. Ressl9S. Trautmann10M. H. Wimmer11C. Geitner12J. Stötter13E. Tasser14Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, ItalyDepartment of Botany, Universität Innsbruck, Sternwartestr. 15, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Geography, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaKompass-Karten GmbH, Karl-Kapferer-Str. 5, 6020 Innsbruck, Austriaprivate address: General-Feuerstein-Str. 24, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaPhysical Geography, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Osten 14 and 18, 85072 Eichstätt, GermanyPhysical Geography, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Osten 14 and 18, 85072 Eichstätt, GermanyChair of Hydrology and River Basin Management, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstr. 21, 80333 Munich, GermanyRemote sensing Group, Research Unit Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandDepartment of Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8, 1050 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Geography, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaFederal Office of Metrology and Surveying (BEV), Arltgasse 35, 1020 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Geography, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Geography, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaInstitute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy<p>Climate change and the associated glacier retreat lead to considerable enlargement and alterations of the proglacial systems. The colonisation of plants in this ecosystem was found to be highly dependent on terrain age, initial site conditions and geomorphic disturbances. Although the explanatory variables are generally well understood, there is little knowledge on their collinearities and resulting influence on proglacial primary succession. To develop a sphere-spanning understanding of vegetation development, a more interdisciplinary approach was adopted. In the proglacial areas of Fürkeleferner, Zufallferner and Langenferner (Martell Valley, Eastern Italian Alps), in total 65 plots of <span class="inline-formula">5×2</span> m were installed to perform the vegetation analysis on vegetation cover, species number and species composition. For each of those, 39 potential explanatory variables were collected, selected through an extensive literature review. To analyse and further avoid multicollinearities, 33 of the explanatory variables were clustered via principal component analysis (PCA) to five components. Subsequently, generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to analyse the potential explanatory factors of primary succession. The results showed that primary succession patterns were highly related to the first component (<i>elevation and time</i>), the second component (<i>solar radiation</i>), the third component (<i>soil chemistry</i>), the fifth component (<i>soil physics</i>) and landforms. In summary, the analysis of all explanatory variables together provides an overview of the most important influencing variables and their interactions; thus it provides a basis for the debate on future vegetation development in a changing climate.</p>https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2919/2023/bg-20-2919-2023.pdf
spellingShingle	K. Ramskogler K. Ramskogler B. Knoflach B. Elsner B. Erschbamer F. Haas T. Heckmann F. Hofmeister L. Piermattei C. Ressl S. Trautmann M. H. Wimmer C. Geitner J. Stötter E. Tasser Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps) Biogeosciences
title	Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
title_full	Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
title_fullStr	Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
title_full_unstemmed	Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
title_short	Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
title_sort	primary succession and its driving variables a sphere spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper martell valley eastern italian alps
url	https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2919/2023/bg-20-2919-2023.pdf
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Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)

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