Systemic analysis of a developing plant community on the island of Surtsey

A volcanic island's plant community undergoes a complete adaptive cycle, transitioning from pioneer to grassland stages, driven primarily by nutrients deposited by breeding gulls. This finding emerges from a systemic analysis of Surtsey's vascular plants between 2000 and 2018, which also reveals deviations in the adaptive cycle due to environmental stressors like severe drought in 2012. The study employs a novel method to quantify adaptive cycles, offering insights into species' roles during ecological succession.

Schrenk, H., Magnússon, B., Sigurdsson, B. D., & zu Castell, W. (2022). Systemic analysis of a developing plant community on the island of Surtsey. Ecology and Society, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-12980-270135