Abstract ID: 3.10425 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

As glaciers retreat globally at an accelerating rate, the formation of novel proglacial ecosystems has become a critical research focus. Recent projections estimate that between 49% and 83% of glaciers (excluding ice sheets) will disappear by 2100, exposing approximately 227,000 km² of new land. Understanding plant colonization dynamics in proglacial areas is essential for predicting future ecosystem trajectories. Traditional ecological succession models depict a linear progression from pioneer species (lichens, mosses) to vascular plants (annual, forbs, graminoids, shrubs, and trees). However, functional trait-based approaches provide a more nuanced perspective. Our study, based on six short (120-year) chronosequences in the European Alps, examines the functional responses of vascular plants to glacier retreat. We assess dispersal modes, CSR strategies, and growth forms to test three key hypotheses: (i) under accelerated climate change, ecological succession patterns are shaped by site-specific stochasticity, potentially deviating from the classic model of primary succession, (ii) in early succession, multiple strategies coexist (CSR, dispersal, pollination), and (iii) after 30 years, there is a decline in specialist species and an increase in cosmopolitan taxa. While plant cover and richness generally increase over time, RLQ analysis highlight the role of site-specific factors—such as geomorphology, climate, and disturbance regimes—in driving divergent successional trajectories, challenging the classical framework of primary succession. These findings suggest that redefining primary succession in the context of climate change is necessary to improve conservation and management strategies for these fragile ecosystems.