Alpine tussockland communities and vegetation-landform-soil relationships, Wapiti Lake, Fiordland, New Zealand

Abstract

Classification and ordination of 139 plots and 207 species in a 2 km 2 alpine area revealed nine tussockland communities within two broad community groups. The two community groups occupied different ends of a gradient in soil development, nutrient status, and drainage, indicating that soil factors were the dominant broad-scale influence on the vegetation. Within this pattern, the communities were mainly distributed along an elevational gradient.Each community and community group contained 1-12 "indicator species" seldom found in others. Of these, Chionochloa pallens and C. acicularis were the only snow tussocks. Although the distribution and abundance of different snow tussocks broadly reflected the soils and elevational gradients, many indicator species showed a markedly stronger response, being virtually restricted to one community group or community.The distribution of soils on the different landforms suggested large differences in surface age and stability, and was reflected in a close relationship between vegetation and landform. Information on landforms as broad indicators of the rate and intensity of soil disturbances should provide useful interpretive or stratifying information in Fiordland and probably other humid alpine areas. Interpretation of large catchment surveys should improve if rapidly obtained floristic and landform data are combined with the usual estimates of snow tussock abundance and indirect environmental factors.

Age‐states, population structure, and seedling regeneration of Chionochloa pallens in Canterbury alpine grasslands, New Zealand

“…The frequency and intensity of geomorphic disturbances is a major influence on the composition and structure of snow tussock grasslands (Williams et al 1976;Rose & Platt 1987;Rose, Harrison & Platt 1988). This is also a likely influence on population structure and stand dynamics.…”

“…However, C. pallens stands often occur on debris cones or young terraces that are frequently disturbed by avalanches, rock falls or fluvial activity. Such disturbances result in recent soils, often with evidence of buried horizons (Rose, Harrison & Platt 1988). Frequent disturbance may therefore prevent open-canopy stands from developing further.…”

“…Over much of its range C. pallens is frequently associated with recent soils on sites disturbed by snow avalanches, mass-movements, and fluvial activity (e.g. Williams et al 1976;Rose, Harrison & Platt 1988).…”

The subalpine and alpine vegetation on the Central Sedimentary Belt of Paleozoic rocks in north-west Nelson, New Zealand

“…Notes were made on the site characteristics of altitude, aspect, estimated slope, and landform adapted from Basher (1986) and Rose et al (1988).…”

Soil–plant interactions in a pasture of the Italian Alps

“…The relationships between soil and vegetation in alpine environments have long been studied (Isard 1986;Rose et al 1988;Gensac 1990;Darmody et al 2004;Lane et al 2016). Some studies showed the importance of edaphic factors by investigating physical parameters (texture, soil thickness, surface characteristics; Rubio and Escudero 2000), chemical parameters (pH, but also soil fertility, in particular N and P; Anic et al 2010;Ahmad et al 2016), or water availability (Kammer et al 2013).…”