Life strategies of glacier foreland species

Glacier forelands are ideal sites to analyse colonisation processes and mechanisms of primary succession. The most important traits, such as dispersal ability, reproductive output and success, life-span, seed bank, and the growth dynamics of glacier foreland species are poorly known. The main aim of the proposed project is to study these important life history traits, the variation within and between the species and the influence of the environmental conditions (moraine age, soil temperature, soil moisture) and the plant size. The population growth of the species on differently aged moraines will be studied in permanent plots, in order to construct matrix projection models considering demographic and environmental stochasticities. Mean life- times of the populations and extinction risks of the pioneer - and mid successional species will be calculated by these models. The proposed project comprises three research topics: (1) longevity, reproduction and seed bank; (2) dispersal dynamics and growth; (3) species growth and modelling. By initiating a long-term monitoring programme on the permanent plots, the course of the succession can be studied. These basic data will provide the prerequisite for modelling succession dynamics in a following project. The proposed project fits into the main research programme (`Alpine Environment, Ice & Life`) of the Faculty of Science and the Institute of Botany of the University of Innsbruck. The project contributes to the understanding of mechanisms of increasing ecosystem resilience and to the development of empirically based generalisations for primary successions in high altitudes.

Glacier forelands are ideal sites to analyse colonisation processes and mechanisms of primary succession. The most important traits, such as dispersal ability, reproductive output and success, life-span, seed bank, and the growth dynamics of glacier foreland species are poorly known. The main aim of the proposed project is to study these important life history traits, the variation within and between the species and the influence of the environmental conditions (moraine age, soil temperature, soil moisture) and the plant size. The population growth of the species on differently aged moraines will be studied in permanent plots, in order to construct matrix projection models considering demographic and environmental stochasticities. Mean life- times of the populations and extinction risks of the pioneer - and mid successional species will be calculated by these models. The proposed project comprises three research topics: 1. longevity, reproduction and seed bank; 2. dispersal dynamics and growth; 3. species growth and modelling. By initiating a long-term monitoring programme on the permanent plots, the course of the succession can be studied. These basic data will provide the prerequisite for modelling succession dynamics in a following project. The proposed project fits into the main research programme (`Alpine Environment, Ice & Life`) of the Faculty of Science and the Institute of Botany of the University of Innsbruck. The project contributes to the understanding of mechanisms of increasing ecosystem resilience and to the development of empirically based generalisations for primary successions in high altitudes.