Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1164
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1164
21 Nov 2022
 | 21 Nov 2022

Local environmental context drives heterogeneity of early succession dynamics in alpine glacier forefields

Arthur Bayle, Bradley Z. Carlson, Anaïs Zimmer, Sophie Vallée, Antoine Rabatel, Edoardo Cremonese, Gianluca Filippa, Cédric Dentant, Christophe Randin, Andrea Mainetti, Erwan Roussel, Simon Gascoin, Dov Corenblit, and Philippe Choler

Abstract. Glacier forefields have long provided ecologists with a model to study patterns of plant succession following glacier retreat. While plant survey-based approaches applied along chronosequences provide invaluable information on plant communities, the “space-for-time” approach assumes environmental uniformity and equal ecological potential across sites and does not account for spatial variability in initial site conditions. Remote sensing provides a promising avenue for assessing plant colonisation dynamics using a so-called “real-time” approach. Here, we combined 36 years of Landsat imagery with extensive field sampling along chronosequences of deglaciation for eight glacier forefields in the south-western European Alps to investigate the heterogeneity of early plant succession dynamics. Based on the two complementary and independent approaches, we found strong variability in the time lag between deglaciation and colonisation by plants and in subsequent growth rates, and in the composition of early plant succession. All three parameters were highly dependent on the local environmental context, i.e., local vegetation surrounding the forefields and energy availability linked to temperature and snowmelt gradients. Potential geomorphological disturbance did not emerge as a strong predictor of succession parameters, perhaps due to insufficient spatial resolution of predictor variables. Notably, elapsed time since deglaciation showed no consistent relationship to plant assemblages, i.e., we did not identify a consistent order of successional species across forefields as a function of time. Overall, both approaches converged towards the conclusion that early plant succession is not stochastic as previous authors have suggested but rather deterministic. We discuss the importance of scale in deciphering the unique complexity of plant succession in glacier forefields and provide recommendations for improving botanical field surveys and using Landsat time series in glacier forefields systems. Our work demonstrates complementarity between remote sensing and field-based approaches for both understanding and predicting future patterns of plant succession in glacier forefields.

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 Apr 2023
Local environmental context drives heterogeneity of early succession dynamics in alpine glacier forefields
Arthur Bayle, Bradley Z. Carlson, Anaïs Zimmer, Sophie Vallée, Antoine Rabatel, Edoardo Cremonese, Gianluca Filippa, Cédric Dentant, Christophe Randin, Andrea Mainetti, Erwan Roussel, Simon Gascoin, Dov Corenblit, and Philippe Choler
Biogeosciences, 20, 1649–1669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1649-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1649-2023, 2023
Short summary

Arthur Bayle et al.

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Thomas Wagner, 29 Nov 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Arthur Bayle, 23 Mar 2023
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Danilo Godone, 21 Feb 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Arthur Bayle, 04 Mar 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Jana Eichel, 02 Mar 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Arthur Bayle, 23 Mar 2023

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Thomas Wagner, 29 Nov 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Arthur Bayle, 23 Mar 2023
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Danilo Godone, 21 Feb 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Arthur Bayle, 04 Mar 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1164', Jana Eichel, 02 Mar 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Arthur Bayle, 23 Mar 2023

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (29 Mar 2023) by Anja Rammig
AR by Arthur Bayle on behalf of the Authors (29 Mar 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (31 Mar 2023) by Anja Rammig
RR by Thomas Wagner (01 Apr 2023)
ED: Publish as is (01 Apr 2023) by Anja Rammig
AR by Arthur Bayle on behalf of the Authors (01 Apr 2023)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 Apr 2023
Local environmental context drives heterogeneity of early succession dynamics in alpine glacier forefields
Arthur Bayle, Bradley Z. Carlson, Anaïs Zimmer, Sophie Vallée, Antoine Rabatel, Edoardo Cremonese, Gianluca Filippa, Cédric Dentant, Christophe Randin, Andrea Mainetti, Erwan Roussel, Simon Gascoin, Dov Corenblit, and Philippe Choler
Biogeosciences, 20, 1649–1669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1649-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1649-2023, 2023
Short summary

Arthur Bayle et al.

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Short summary
Glacier forefields have long provided ecologists with a model to study patterns of plant succession following glacier retreat. We used remote sensing approaches to study early succession dynamics as it allows to analyze the deglaciation, colonisation and vegetation growth within a single framework. We found that the heterogeneity of early succession dynamics is deterministic and can be well explained by local environmental context. This work has been done by an international consortium.