**Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study**

**Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years** 

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.68192

Sigmund Hågvar, Mikael Ohlson and Daniel Flø Daniel Flø

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.68192

Sigmund Hågvar, Mikael Ohlson and

#### **Abstract**

[53] Burga CA. More and quicker new land for pioneer plants and faster plant settlement—14 years plant monitoring of the glacier foreland Morteratsch (2000 m a.s.l., Pontresina, Upper Engadine, Switzerland). In: Frei ER, Stöckli V, Rixen C, Wipf S, editors. Faster, Higher, More? Past, Present and Future Dynamics of Alpine and Arctic Flora under Climate Change. Abstracts. Intern. Conference; September 22-25, 2013; Bergün, Switzerland. Birmensdorf: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape

[54] Fickert T, Grüninger F, Damm B. Klebelsberg revisited: Did primary succession of plants in glacier forelands a century ago differ from today? Alpine Botany. 2017;**127**:17-29. DOI:

Research WSL; 2013

146 Glacier Evolution in a Changing World

10.1007/s00035-016-0179-1

Here, we explore 200 years of arthropod succession by using dated moraines in a Norwegian glacier foreland. Surface active beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Aranea) were sampled by pitfall trapping, and springtails (Collembola) and mites (Acari) were extracted from soil samples. Newly deglaciated ground was rapidly colonised by a mixture of generalists and specialists, with various life strategies. Interestingly, the pioneer community was fed by three 'invisible' food sources: biofilm with terrestrial diatom algae, tiny pioneer mosses and chironomid midges whose larvae were pond-living and used ancient carbon that was released by the melting glacier as an energy source. The true 'super-pioneers' were biofilm-eating springtails, which tracked the melting ice edge closely. Most species of beetles and springtails colonised within 80 years, while spiders and oribatid mites needed a longer time span to colonise. Topography influenced the succession pattern. Among both surface-living macroarthropods and soil-living microarthropods, we distinguished between a 'dry' and a 'wet' successional pathway with different community structure. Most arthropod species persisted after colonisation, but certain species preferring open space or low temperature were gradually excluded. Comparisons are made with botanical succession. Sampling methods, material size, and taxonomic resolution were considered critical factors when studying arthropod succession.

**Keywords:** succession, beetles, spiders, springtails, mites, glacier foreland, moisture, alternative successional pathways, geo-ecology
