The long-term goal is to observe successional change from the initial process of plant establishment to interactions among plants at later stages of succession. Together with a great bunch of friends and colleagues, we have been able to define the preferred sites (safe sites) for initial plant establishment (see an abstract on safe site study).

Once the density of established plant individuals becomes adequately high, biotic interactions, i.e., those among the plants, overrun the abiotic controls of plant survival and establishment. Consequently, the inter- and intraspecific associations may govern the distribution among the plant individuals (see an abstract on interspecific associations study).

Both facilitative and inhibitory mechanisms have been proposed to be responsible for the successional change. In the previously mentioned work, we found more evidence for inhibitory mechanisms that for the facilitative ones. Similarly, an earlier body of work seemed to suggest similar patterns. However, it seemed that while canopies of established plants (Salix spp. in this case) might have a clear inhibitory effect, the soil accumulating within the canopies may have a positive effect on survival and establishment of additional plants (see an abstracton a study on the effects of willows). In the long term, we hope to be able to identify those mechanisms that are involved in the successional dynamics of both plants and fungi.
 
 

Research at Lyman glacier forefront has focused on the mechanisms that result in the plant communities changing from the patchily
distributed individuals in the forefront to alpine parkland meadows observed just beyond the terminal moraine of the forefront.
 
 

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