Synergistic effects of succession and microtopography of moraine on the fungal spatial diversity in a glacier forefield.

ABSTRACT

Primary succession and microtopography result in environmental changes and are important processes influencing the community assembly of soil fungi in the Arctic region. In glacier forefields that contain a series of moraine ridges, both processes contribute synchronously to fungal spatial diversity. To reveal the synergistic effects of succession and microtopography, we investigated the fungal community structure and environmental variables in the moraines of the Arklio Glacier, Ellesmere Island. The study sites were established at four locations from the top to the bottom of the ridge slope within each of the three moraine ridges of different post-glacial ages. The location-dependent community composition was equally diverse in both the initial and later stages of succession, suggesting that successional time could alter the effects of microtopography on the fungal community. Moreover, our results suggest that fungal communities at different locations follow different successional trajectories, even if they have passed through the same time lapse. Such a synergistic effect of succession and microtopography of moraines does not allow for parallel changes in fungal communities among moraines or among locations, suggesting that the moraine series contributes substantially to fungal spatial diversity in the glacier forefield.