Structure of plant communities in edaphic and alpine deserts of the Japanese Archipelago

A talk by Zaal Kikvidze from The University of Tokyo co-authored with M. Suzuki,¹ Y. Shimono,² M. Sukeno³ and G. Kudo³ (¹The University of Tokyo; ²Kyoto University; ³Hokkaido University).

Abstract

Desert-like landscapes, created by recent volcanic activity (volcanic deserts) or directional, strong and frequent winds (often in alpine areas), are not uncommon for Japanese archipelago. In these severe environments we can see primary successions (such as colonisation of exposed, bare ground, facilitative effects among plants). Only a few tolerant species can colonise these harsh environments. Among them are plants that can function as foundation species, which actually initiate the process of primary succession and facilitate invasions of other, less tolerant species at later stages of succession. The signature of the presence of these foundation species can be seen in strongly non-random spatial distributions of other members of plant communities, some species strongly associated with the foundation species, but other neutral or even not occurring with the pioneer colonisers. We present two examples of such communities—(i) Polygonum cuspidatum moss and Cirsium purpuratum thistles as facilitators of successions in volcanic desert of Mt. Fuji, central Japan; (ii) Pinus pumilum pines and the low shrub Diapensia lapponica in alpine deserts of Hokkaido, northern Japan. We also show that facilitative effects includes transmissions of mycorrhizal fungal infections from one species to another.

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