BackgroundMaritime Antarctica is severely affected by climate change and accelerating glacier retreat forming temporal gradients of soil development. Successional patterns of soil development and plant succession in the region are largely unknown, as are the feedback mechanisms between both processes. Here we identify three temporal gradients representing horizontal and vertical glacier retreat, as well as formation of raised beaches due to isostatic uplift, and describe soil formation and plant succession along them. Our hypotheses are (i) plants in Antarctica are able to modulate the two base parameters in soil development, organic C content and pH, along the temporal gradients, leading to an increase in organic carbon and soil acidity at relatively short time scales, (ii) the soil development induces succession along these gradients, and (iii) with increasing soil development, bryophytes and Deschampsia antarctica develop mycorrhiza in maritime Antarctica in order to foster interaction with soil.ResultsAll temporal gradients showed soil development leading to differentiation of soil horizons, carbon accumulation and increasing pH with age. Photoautptroph succession occurred rapidly after glacier retreat, but occurrences of mosses and lichens interacting with soils by rhizoids or rhizines were only observed in the later stages. The community of ground dwelling mosses and lichens is the climax community of soil succession, as the Antarctic hairgrass D. antarctica was restricted to ornithic soils. Neither D. antarctica nor mosses at the best developed soils showed any sign of mycorrhization.ConclusionTemporal gradients formed by glacier retreat can be identified in maritime Antarctic, where soil development and plant succession of a remarkable pace can be observed, although pseudo-succession occurs by fertilization gradients caused by bird feces. Thus, the majority of ice-free surface in Antarctica is colonized by plant communities which interact with soil by litter input rather than by direct transfer of photoassimilates to soil.

中文翻译：

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沿乔治王岛海洋南极冰川退缩形成的土壤发育梯度的演替模式

背景海洋南极洲受到气候变化和加速冰川退缩的严重影响，形成了土壤发育的时间梯度。该地区土壤发育和植物演替的演替模式在很大程度上是未知的，这两个过程之间的反馈机制也是如此。在这里，我们确定了代表水平和垂直冰川退缩的三个时间梯度，以及由于均衡隆起而形成的凸起海滩，并描述了沿它们的土壤形成和植物演替。我们的假设是 (i) 南极洲的植物能够沿着时间梯度调节土壤发育的两个基本参数，即有机碳含量和 pH 值，导致有机碳和土壤酸度在相对较短的时间范围内增加，(ii ) 土壤发育导致沿这些梯度的演替，(iii) 随着土壤发育的增加，苔藓植物和南极苔藓在南极洲海洋中形成菌根以促进与土壤的相互作用。结果所有时间梯度都显示土壤发育导致土壤层的分化、碳积累和 pH 值随着年龄的增长而增加。冰川退缩后光自产演替迅速发生，但仅在后期才观察到苔藓和地衣通过根状茎或根茎与土壤相互作用。地栖苔藓和地衣群落是土壤演替的高潮群落，因为南极毛草 D. antarctica 仅限于鸟类土壤。最发达的土壤中的 D. antarctica 和苔藓都没有显示出任何菌根形成的迹象。结论在南极海域可以识别冰川退缩形成的时间梯度，在那里可以观察到显着速度的土壤发育和植物演替，尽管鸟类粪便引起的施肥梯度会发生假演替。因此，南极洲大部分无冰表面被植物群落定植，植物群落通过凋落物输入而不是光同化物直接转移到土壤与土壤相互作用。