We studied the small-scale vegetation pattern
in the high Arctic at Ny A ˚ lesund to assess if the plant
distribution was related to periglacial landforms. The
whole area has been deglaciated for millennia but only
a modest part of the area was covered by mature
vegetation. The plant cover varied considerably in
relation to ground patterning originated by periglacial
processes, especially frost heave, frost creep, gelifluction
and ice segregation, giving rise to a mosaic of
microhabitats sharply differing from each other as
regards physical properties and microclimate. The
distributional patterns of vascular plants, lichens and
bryophytes were primarily affected by complex
responses to substrate texture, soil moisture content
and substrate disturbance. Since global warming will
probably affect both periglacial processes and plant
responses to altered habitat conditions, we concluded
that long-term monitoring of relationships between
landforms and vegetation represents a suitable tool for
assessing the impact of global change on arctic
region
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