Primary succession of soil microbial communities in landslide chronosequence in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

Southern Alps of New Zealand represent one of the most geologically active tectonic faults with average yearly uplift rates of 6-8 mm . The rapid uplift is counteracted with active erosion which is dominated by landslides. Landslides lead to a rapid deposition of unweathered bedrock material consisting predominantly of schist and greywacke, which after exposure undergoes a series of chemical alterations and the process of primary succession. The high frequency of landslides in New Zealand allows to study primary succession in chronosequence. This study investigates the role of microbial communities in soil development during ecosystem resaturation in landslide soils. Microbial communities in several landslides were investigated with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing . Results of this analysis will be used to deduce succession of microbial community shifts in developing landslide soils and correlate them with progressive weathering and nutrient status.