Succession of bacterial and fungal communities on the northern and southern foreland of the glacier. Svalbard 2006 glacial forefields

The aim of study was to determine the influence of mineral substrate and organic matter composition on microbial assembly along two contrasting 80-years successional gradients. We hypothesized that the contrasting psysico-chemical properties and organic matter composition of bedrock in high arctic glacial forefields in front of the Nordenskiölbreen (Svalbard, Norway) significantly influence the successional trajectories of the bacteria and fungi and that this influence is mitigated with soil age. Most geographical and soil forming factors of the two forefield chronosequences of the Nordenskiöldreen can be expected to be very similar, offering a possibility to test the effects of contrasting bedrock type and glacial landscape.