Rapid plant colonization of the forelands of a vanishing glacier is strongly associated with species traits

Recently developed glacier forelands provide valuable insights into vegetation dynamics. We studied the vascular plants in the glacier forelands of the Ålmajallojekna glacier in comparison to the plants in the surrounding area. The glacier is retreating rapidly at an average rate of 0.17 km2 per year from 1898 to 2012. In the newly emerged glacier forelands, we found that 32 percent of the 381 plant taxa occurred in the surrounding region....