After glacier retreat, the ice-free forelands arise as easily detectable landforms where
primary succession starts from the beginning onwards. Here, basic ecological lessons of …

Investigating how seed germination of multiple species in an ecosystem responds to
environmental conditions is crucial for understanding the mechanisms for community …

Global warming is predicted to significantly alter species physiology, biotic interactions and
thus ecosystem functioning, as a consequence of coexisting species exhibiting a wide range …

Abstract Background and Aims Glacier foreland plants are highly threatened by global
warming. Regeneration from seeds on deglaciated terrain will be crucial for successful …

Proglacial areas are not only the stage for glacial processes and paraglacial dynamics,
which shape the landscape following glacier retreat. At the same time, the new terrain is …

Questions How frost resistant are the early development stages (seeds, seedlings, plantlets
and juveniles) of alpine plant species? Do summer frosts impair establishment of plant …

Functional plant traits are used in ecology to explain population dynamics in time and space.
However, because the germination niche is an essential stage in alpine plant life cycles and …

Understanding the key aspects of plant regeneration from seeds is crucial in assessing
species assembly to their habitats. However, the regenerative traits of seed dormancy and …

In glacier forelands, seeds readily germinate, however, a high proportion of seedlings die
shortly after their appearance. We hypothesized that besides drought, frost and missing safe …

Temperature and drought effects on germination were explored by comparing species from
above and below the treeline of the Central Alps. This study should enhance the …