The Role of Nitrogen-Fixing Symbionts in Primary Succession on the Juneau Icefield

The glaciers of the Juneau icefield will likely continue to retreat in the coming years, leaving behind a rocky landscape. As this land is exposed, colonizing organisms will begin the process of primary succession and soil formation. As student researchers with the Juneau Icefield Research Program, we are studying the relationship between abundance and diversity of nitrogen-fixing symbionts on the Juneau Icefield and the rate of primary succession and soil development on recently deglaciated areas. We will survey three representative plots in a variety of vegetation zones at various sample sites; collecting data on soil profiles, as well as abundance and diversity of plants and lichens. We expect to find a positive correlation between the diversity of plants and lichens­- especially of nitrogen-fixing symbionts - and the level of soil development. The data will improve understanding of plant diversity on the Juneau Icefield and how the processes of primary succession transform the new environment. This work will contribute to on-going research on the process of primary succession on the Juneau Icefield.